“You could really feel the disappointment throughout our group over the summer”, captain John Tavares said.
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The last time Brooklyn had more than one team was back in the 1940’s when the Dodgers, both baseball and football varieties, played at Ebbets Field. It’s a culture change from a suburban to a more urban feel. It’s getting better every day.
“(This) is very convenient”, Tavares said. “There’s not a lot of distractions when you come here so you can just focus on the game”. “It’s been a pretty good adjustment so far through training camp”. On the power play, Brock Nelson tried to make a short pass in center ice that didn’t slide fast enough to Leddy.
Pucker up, Brooklyn. The Islanders are here, and their inaugural season at Barclays Center is upon us. The Isles have been bottom five in National Hockey League attendance for the last decade, half of those years in dead last.
Led by the Blue and Orange Army – the hardcore fans who will “Rock the Barc!” every night – the Islanders know the generational loyalists will follow them about 30 miles to their new home. “I’m happy to hear of these new programs in Brooklyn and look forward to all the young kids learning the game and becoming part of our passionate fan base”. “I love the old atmosphere because of the fans”.
The Islanders’ plan to abandon their traditional goal horn with one that sounded like a subway horn was panned by fans during preseason games and abruptly scrapped.
“We didn’t make a lot of changes this offseason because we have faith and trust in the guys we have”, Capuano said. “I’m sure it’s going to be just as loud as it was back at Nassau”. “They’re the Stanley Cup champs for a reason”.
On Wednesday, it was the Hawks taking up the pre-game ice time as they raised their 2015 Stanley Cup championship banner. You want to win. As the first arena in the world to utilize Cisco StadiumVision mobile multicast streaming technology, Barclays Center allows fans to watch live video and instant replays from their mobile phones while connected to the arena’s free Wi-Fi.
“We’ll miss the Coliseum, the crowd and that sort thing, but it’s not even a level playing field when you compare this facility to the Coliseum”, Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. “There will always be a nice balance and that’s our goal”.
Jay Pichardo, 47, of Queens, New York, wasn’t so sure as he stood in line this week at the arena’s box office to buy tickets for a Rangers-Islanders game. His teammate, goalie Philipp Grubauer, noted that it seems like the visiting dressing room was built for basketball and not hockey because “the shower head is wayyyy up there”.
The Islanders fled their outdated, lovable dump of a home in Uniondale, New York, for a fresh start at the state-of-the-art Barclays Center. “I am proud that the Borough President’s Community Pass, a program that represents true corporate citizenship, will open the doors of Barclays Center to residents that may otherwise not get the chance to see the Isles”, he added.
“That line was unsafe again, they got something going”, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. “It’s been in for a good month now and people have been skating on it. It’s hard like it’s supposed to be”.
Each fan will receive a magnetic Islanders schedule when entering the arena, and a commemorative opening night poster when they depart.
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Moving to Brooklyn for the 2015-16 season, the New York Islanders hope to give a parting gift to the venue that experienced triumphs and embarrassment in equal measure-the Nassau Coliseum.
