 |
| Photo Credit: AP News |
By Zane Miller
On Tuesday,
March 3rd, 2020, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York
Islanders 6-2 in what was to be an unceremonious end to a failed experiment, that
being the Islanders’ relocation to the Barclays Center in the New York City
borough of Brooklyn.
As their
name suggests, the Islanders had played all home games from their inaugural
season of 1972-73 onward on Long Island, specifically the Nassau Coliseum in
Uniondale, New York. This pairing of course led to much success, with four
straight Stanley Cups coming from 1980 to 1983. By the early 2010s, however,
the Coliseum was looking a bit dated in comparison to the other NHL arenas at
the time, or at least that’s how it appeared to Islanders management. After a proposal
to build a new arena in Uniondale was denied in 2011, the team ultimately made
the decision to move to the newly opened Barclays Center before the 2015-16
season.
This
announcement was made in October 2012, just weeks after the arena’s official
grand opening on September 21st of that year. The Barclays Center
was built with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets in mind as the primary tenant, with
concerts and other events also utilizing the facility on non-game days. This
meant that the design plans did not account for ice hockey, which of course
requires a significantly larger area than basketball. However, both the arena
still had a couple years to prepare for the Islanders’ arrival as they played
out the remainder of their lease at Nassau.
Fast-forwarding
to the 2015 preseason, the season didn’t even have a chance to officially start
before the Islanders’ tenure at the Barclays Center had its first notable
incident. While the team had been using a Kahlenberg T-3A model goal horn since
2000, they initially opted to go in a different direction for 2015-16 to help
establish a new identity for their new arena. What followed was quite possibly
the worst hockey goal horn ever conceived, as the new horn produced a brutal, piercing
screech resembling a smoke alarm that likely inspired more fans to evacuate
than cheer on the Islanders. To their credit, the horn was scrapped after the
first preseason game, but the hearing damage was already done. Plenty of
recreations of the horn are available on YouTube, but listen at your own risk.
The goal
horn debacle proved to be a bad omen for the team’s future at Barclays, as more
serious issues with the facility came to light as the 2015-16 season rolled on.
While most NHL arenas have a built-in cooling system underneath the playing
surface, this was not the case at Barclays Center and the ice quality suffered as
a result. Both home and visiting players complained of the inadequate ice, a
major problem considering this could not only impede skating ability, but also
make it more likely for injuries to occur. However, fans in the stands had a
hard enough time seeing the ice at all, with poor sightlines being another
common complaint.
Even to
the outside observer, the aesthetics of the arena just looked off. Because the
rink had to be awkwardly shoehorned into the building, this left a massive gap where
seats would normally be behind the west end goal and the overhead scoreboard hovering
over the blue line instead of at center ice. The best way to describe it is
that it all just looked out of place, like imagine if you were watching a game
and someone, I don’t know, parked their car right next to the rink or something
like tha-
Yeah, if
you watched any Islanders home games on TV around this time, you knew I was
going to bring up the SUV. The vehicle, typically a Honda Pilot, sat directly
alongside the corner boards, facing the television cameras for the duration of
the game. While not necessarily distracting to the viewing audience (especially
compared to the far more obnoxious digital ad overlays used by broadcasters in
recent years), the presence of a rinkside SUV was certainly impossible to
ignore and remains the first thing that comes to mind for me when thinking
about this period in the Islanders’ history.
Absurdity aside,
the team put together an impressive debut season at Barclays, finishing 2015-16
with a 45-37 record. In the first round of the playoffs against the Florida
Panthers, the Islanders had home ice advantage, leading to them winning the decisive
game six at home for the first win in a playoff series since 1993. However, the
Islanders would not be going much further in the postseason as they were eliminated
by the other Sunshine State team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, one round later.
The same
problems largely remained at Barclays Center in the next two seasons, though
the Islanders were unable to meet the same level of on-ice play from their
inaugural campaign. The team would barely miss the playoffs in 2016-17 before nearly
being the worst team in the Metropolitan division in 2017-18. The uninspiring production,
along with the continued issues with the arena, led to attendance falling off
significantly. By the start of the 2018-19 season, the team made the decision
to move back to the Nassau Coliseum for a significant number of home games
after their original arena underwent major renovations in their absence. This,
along with the greenlighting of a new arena in nearby Elmont, spelled the beginning
of the end for the Islanders’ time at Barclays. However, the team still planned
to split their home games between Nassau and Barclays for the next handful of
seasons.
The 2018-19
season proved to be a return to form for the Islanders, as they posted their
best record of the 82-game era at 48-34 to easily reach the playoffs. Due to
scheduling conflicts with the Nets also making their respective postseason, the
Islanders ended up splitting their home games in the playoffs as well, as the
first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins would start out at Nassau. The change
worked out brilliantly for New York, as they handed the Penguins a four-game
sweep. With the Nets eliminated in the first round, the Islanders were free to
host the Carolina Hurricanes at Barclays to open the second round. In a twist
of fate, though, the positive vibes evaporated as soon as they got back to
Brooklyn, with the Hurricanes getting a sweep of their own to knock out New
York and return to the conference finals.
For the
2019-20 campaign, the number of home games at Barclays Center was further
reduced from 20 a season prior to 13, as Nassau Coliseum officially took back
its place as the team’s primary home. The Islanders began the season red hot,
winning 10 straight games between October and November and going a further
seven games without a regulation loss. However, they cooled off significantly later
on in the season, finding themselves fighting for a wild card spot coming into their
March 3rd bout with the Montreal Canadiens.
Although
technically still in the hunt for the playoffs, the Canadiens were sitting much
further back from the wild card battle, coming into Brooklyn five games behind
the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final spot. In order to make the playoffs, Montreal
would essentially need to win every game and get some help. While the Canadiens
were well aware of the importance of their game against the Islanders, the victory
here would prove even more crucial than they realized at the time.
The
Canadiens counted on franchise staple and future Hall of Famer Carey Price at goaltender,
as he came into the Tuesday night contest with a .910 save percentage and a
26-29 record. As for New York, they gave the start to their backup netminder in
Thomas Greiss, who had a 16-11 record in his appearances with a strong .916
save percentage to follow up his Jennings Trophy-winning season the year before.
Once the game got underway, though, the Islanders would show why they entered
the game on a three-game losing streak.
After a couple
early scoring chances were turned away by Price, Montreal would ultimately be
the ones to break through as forward Brendan Gallagher tipped a point shot from
defenseman Ben Chiarot past Greiss with six and a half minutes to play in the
first period. Just two minutes later, the Canadiens utilized similar tactics
again by Phillip Danault getting in front of Greiss, creating a perfect screen
as defenseman Jeff Petry fired a shot from the point himself, which got through
Danault’s screen and into the net for a 2-0 lead. This snowballed into the
final minutes of the period, with an Islanders turnover in front of the net teeing
up Quebec native Charles Hudon from the slot, who made no mistake as he ripped it
for a 3-0 lead at the break.
That would
be all for Greiss in this game, as he was pulled to start the second period in
favor of regular starter Semyon Varlamov. While the defense responded to the
goalie change, holding the Canadiens to just five shots in the second period, it
wasn’t enough to stave off Montreal entirely as forward Paul Byron found the
back of the net on a shorthanded try, set up by a turnover forced by teammate
Joel Armia.
Although
Brock Nelson ended Montreal’s shutout bid in the third period to make it a 4-1
game, the most infamous moment from this game was unfortunately right around
the corner. In a battle with Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen in front of the
New York net, veteran Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk was inadvertently clipped
in the face by a skate blade as Lehkonen fell to the ice, causing Boychuk to
immediately make a hurried exit to the locker room. The incident caused a severe
injury to his right eye, requiring approximately 90 stitches to help heal and ending
his regular season. To take a brief detour here, Boychuk would thankfully make
a recovery in time for that year’s playoffs (moved to August due to the COVID-19
pandemic), but unfortunately also sustained a head injury in his first game
back and would only play in two other games during the Islanders’ postseason
run.
Returning
to the game at hand, the 4-1 score would remain for much of the final frame,
until Canadiens forward Jordan Weal took advantage of a misplay and broke through
to essentially put the game out of reach with less than five minutes remaining.
A couple garbage time goals ensued, with defenseman Ryan Pulock capitalizing on
a five-on-three power play opportunity for the Islanders before the Canadiens
responded with an Armia empty netter, eventually putting the final at 6-2 in
favor of Montreal.
The win
moved the Habs to 31-37 on the season, as the Islanders fell to 35-30. Price
grabbed his 348th career victory with 20 saves on 22 shots, while
Greiss took the loss after allowing three goals on 12 shots in the first period.
The Islanders ultimately would not win another regular season game that season,
losing three more contests before the NHL concluded the regular season just
over a week after the Canadiens-Islanders matchup as a result of the pandemic. The
two additional games which were planned to be played at Barclays Center obviously
never came to be, leaving the March 3rd matchup as the unexpected
sendoff.
After the
abrupt halt to the regular season, the NHL was left with the conundrum of how
to dole out playoff spots with most teams not having played the same number of
games. Ultimately, the league decided to allow a temporary expansion to the
postseason to 24 teams based on winning percentage. Consequently, the Canadiens
were able to reach the postseason with the final spot in the Eastern
Conference, beating out the Buffalo Sabres by seven percentage points. Had they
lost their game against the Islanders, it would have been the Sabres leap-frogging
them for the remaining spot. However, with the Canadiens taking care of
business, it set them up to upset the Penguins in the first/qualifying round
before their luck ran out against the Philadelphia Flyers one round later.
Speaking
of unexpected playoff runs, the Islanders took their 35-33 record into the
first round of the postseason, with all Eastern Conference matchups prior to
the conference finals being played in Toronto. Despite the lackluster results
to close the regular season, the Islanders only picked up steam as the playoffs
went on, defeating the Panthers before disposing of the Washington Capitals in
five games. They then held off the Flyers in seven games to reach the
conference finals against the Lightning in Edmonton, but Tampa Bay were not to
be denied as the Islanders’ Cinderella run ended in six games.
Despite
the overall bizarre arrangement between the Islanders and the Barclays Center, it
at least was home to some memorable moments in what was a hit-or-miss stretch
for the team. However, it was one of those ideas that was never exactly destined
for long-term success. After playing the full 2020-21 home slate at Nassau
Coliseum, the Islanders moved about 10 miles west to the UBS Arena in Elmont
upon its completion in November 2021, a facility much more equipped for NHL hockey.
Meanwhile, the Barclays Center is still going strong today, having just hosted
the NBA Draft as I’m writing this and continuing to host the Nets and other
events going forward.
After the
abrupt halt to the regular season, the NHL was left with the conundrum of how
to dole out playoff spots with most teams not having played the same number of
games. Ultimately, the league decided to allow a temporary expansion to the
postseason to 24 teams based on winning percentage. Consequently, the Canadiens
were able to reach the postseason with the final spot in the Eastern
Conference, beating out the Buffalo Sabres by seven percentage points. Had they
lost their game against the Islanders, it would have been the Sabres leap-frogging
them for the remaining spot. However, with the Canadiens taking care of
business, it set them up to upset the Penguins in the first/qualifying round.
Speaking of unexpected playoff runs, the Islanders took their 35-33 record into the first round of the postseason, with all Eastern Conference matchups prior to the conference finals being played in Toronto. Despite the lackluster results to close the regular season, the Islanders only picked up steam as the playoffs went on, defeating the Panthers before disposing of the Washington Capitals in five games. They then held off the Flyers in seven games to reach the conference finals against the Lightning in Edmonton, but Tampa Bay were not to be denied as the Islanders’ cinderella run ended in six games.
Despite the overall bizarre arrangement between the Islanders and the Barclays Center, it at least was home to some memorable moments in what was a hit-or-miss stretch for the team. However, it was one of those ideas that was never exactly destined for long-term success. After playing the full 2020-21 home slate at Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders moved about 10 miles west to the UBS Arena in Elmont upon its completion in November 2021, a facility much more equipped for NHL hockey. Meanwhile, the Barclays Center is still going strong today, having just hosted the NBA Draft as I’m writing this and continuing to host the Nets and other events going forward.
