HistoryOpinion

A Retrospective of Nassau Coliseum, by a Caps Fan

On Saturday, the Washington Capitals will play their Game 6 match-up against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum. It will be the last time the Caps will ever play a game at that arena. It also marks the last time I will ever watch a  hockey game there.

This organization was gracious enough to credential Caps Outsider for the New York games of this series. After Game 4’s overtime win, I left the locker room to walk halfway around the arena to the underground parking lot, which is where the coaches hold their post-game press conferences. When Barry Trotz finished speaking, I left the curtained-off area and walked through a tunnel and up to the glass. I looked up at all the seats where most of my hockey memories took place. A profound sadness came over me, knowing that after Saturday I will never be back to the dilapidated building that holds so many memories within those cinderblock walls; not only the memories of tens of thousands of Islanders fans but my own as well.

I was born and raised on Long Island but ended up becoming a Capitals fan through my dad’s side of the family. My dad’s uncle worked for the Capitals organization, and when we would visit other family members who resided in Gaithersburg and Silver Spring we would go to games at the Capitals Centre. I was definitely an outcast in that regard as I was the only Capitals fan I knew surrounded by Islanders and Rangers fans. My parents would take me to the Coliseum all the time since it was 20 minutes or so away from where I lived and tickets were relatively cheap and it saved money taking the train into Manhattan and going to see the Rangers. Going to Uniondale solidified my love for the sport of hockey more than anything else.

The view of the ice from press row

The first memory I have at the Coliseum was when I was about four years old. The Islanders took on the Flyers in a Patrick Division matchup. I was in the lower bowl and heard raucous chants of “[Ron] Hextall sucks!” emanate through the arena. I joined in with the chants while laughing at the same time. As a four-year old I thought it was awesome I got to say the word “sucks” without any repercussions from my parents. While I may not have understood what was happening around me I knew that I loved being there, watching a game and feeling the pulse of the crowd around me. A new hockey fan was born.

I also remember attending Islanders-Rangers games. While the rivalry has cooled down in many ways over the years, there was never a shortage of action during those games in the mid to late-80’s. I still maintain to this day the old Patrick Division matchups during those years were some of the best hockey ever played. It may not have been pretty, but was it ever physical. During those years you could sit with friends and bet among yourselves whether more fights would break out on the ice or in the stands, and it was usually close. There was one time my dad took me to an Islander-Ranger game in the late 80’s. There were probably ten fights that broke out on the ice and an equal number that broke out in the stands. As we were leaving the arena I was walking behind two guys, one in an Islanders jersey and the other in a Rangers jersey. One guy shoved the other into a door and they ended up throwing punches at each other. If it wasn’t for my dad pulling me back and keeping me safe I would’ve been seriously injured, so thanks for that, Dad.

Then there are all the players I saw skating on that sheet of ice. There was Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Gretzky, Mats Sundin, Bryan Trottier, Bobby Nystrom, Teemu Selanne, Brett Hull, Doug Gilmour, and Rod Langway, just to name a few. Countless hall-of-famers have played games there and I’ve seen a lot of them. There is one guy, in my eyes, who tops them all.  Having the chance to watch Peter Bondra skate on that ice with his speed and precision was breathtaking to me when I was younger. Bonzai is the reason why I fell head over heels in love with the sport of hockey and is why I’m as big of a Capitals fan as I am now (and if you’re around my age I’m sure you feel the same way). Being able to see him perform any time the Caps played at the Coliseum meant the world to me, and it still does now. While it would be crazy to compare Bondra to a guy like Gretzky statistically, deep down he is my Gretzky and watching him in Uniondale skate circles around the Islanders defense and fire a puck past their goaltender will be something I will never, ever forget.

Ice level from the crease where the visiting team defends twice.

And then there was the game when Clark Gillies had his number retired.

It was December 7th, 1996. I was 13 years old at the time and the Islanders faced the Capitals that night. The crowd was pumped up from seeing one of their legends get honored by the organization. The Islanders took the crowd’s energy and ran with it. The final score was 2-0 but it definitely wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The Capitals didn’t have a chance in the world that night. I was in the upper bowl behind the net where the Islanders shoot twice, sitting with my dad and my head hanging from the defeat. I was wearing my white Caps “Screaming Eagle” jersey and I remember getting harassed by everyone around me. I didn’t think much of it at that time, and in some ways I probably deserved it since I was wearing the jersey of the other team. There was a guy in the row behind me and two seats over giving me more grief than anyone else. He was drunk and I remember yelling “I’m going to kick your [expletive] ass!” I looked at him and realized he was twice my size and twice my age. I then looked at my dad to see if he was going to say something to the guy. He didn’t, which wasn’t a surprise to me. It wasn’t the fact that the guy threatened me which made me angry, but it was the fact that he threatened a teenager whose voice just dropped and he was much older and bigger than me. So then, in my brilliant 13-year old wisdom, decided that if my father wasn’t going to do something about it then I was. I put my left foot on my seat and kept my right hand down at my side in an attempt to conceal the fist I was making. I looked at the guy who threatened me dead in the eyes and took five seconds to convince myself to follow through with my genius plan. I used my leg to push off the seat and I lunged at the guy with my right hand cocked back. My dad then decided to do something about the situation by grabbing me in midair and pulling me down into my row, saying “next time you do that I’m dragging you out of here.” All the Islanders fans started laughing at me more and I was left to feel even more shame.

Writing for this site has even given me more memories at the Nassau Coliseum. I’ve been extremely fortunate to be credentialed at several Capitals-Islanders match-ups. I’ve been able to talk to many coaches, such as Bruce Boudreau, Dale Hunter, Adam Oates, and now Barry Trotz. I’ve been able to talk to the players and ask them questions about the game. I’ve been able to sit on press row next to guys whose articles I’ve read but work I’ve admired. I’ve had the ability to be in areas of the arena that four-year old me would’ve envied to be in. On Sunday I sat next to Bill Torrey, who was the Islanders general manager during their dynasty and arguably one of the best general managers of the last 40 years. We talked about hockey and the Coliseum for two periods. Even writing about it still makes me dumbfounded. But most of all, I’ve been given the ability to write about a sport I’ve loved my entire life and talking about it with people from all over the world.

However, the greatest memory I have at the Nassau Coliseum came this past December. I was able to take my son to his first hockey game and it happened to be an Islanders-Capitals game. While the result did not go the way I wanted to, being able to pass down the tradition my father passed to me down to my son meant everything to me. Seeing his eyes in awe as the players skated around the ice, hitting each other, and shooting the puck reminded me of myself at that age. He’s now a huge Capitals fan himself and talks about when we can go to another game. Every time he tells me he watched a hockey game on TV I can’t help but smile.

 

My son and I at his first hockey game in December, 2014.

Many fans around the league knock the Coliseum for being antiquated. It’s definitely old and the building has run its course. There are plenty of Islanders fans who have the mentality of “well, it’s a dump but it’s our dump!” I share that sentiment. That building should’ve been torn down at least ten years ago but it’s what we had. Each one of us has hockey memories in that building. When that building goes, so too will a big piece of our childhoods.

So on Saturday I will arrive at the Coliseum a few hours before face-off. I will get my credential and take the elevator upstairs where I’ll walk a long hallway to press row. I’ll then find my seat, set my laptop up, and take the elevator back down to the concourse. Then I will walk around the concourse for as long as I can, enter one of the gates that lead to one of the many sections of seats, and then just look around. It’s going to be a bittersweet evening for me. It hurts to know that after Saturday I will never be back there, but I’m glad that the Islanders will get the facilities they deserve.

Thanks for the memories, Nassau Coliseum.

Jeff

He is a college student who majors in finance. As a lifelong Capitals fan, he has endured all of the highs and lows the organization has gone through. Jeff is also a NHL contributor for Puck, Drunk, Love on the Bloguin network.

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