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The Islanders fans are singing the national anthem before the first game.
Islanders fans sing the national anthem as the team gets ready to play.
7:59 PM
The New York Islanders have been waiting for a long time.
The Islanders opened the doors to their new arena on Saturday night, four years after they won the bid to build a new home. The Flames were the Islanders' first home game of the season after the team spent the first 612 weeks of the season on the road.
Lonny Lehman, a first-time season-ticket holder from East Meadow, New York, is looking forward to having a home again. It has been a long time since. Our politicians failed us. Our new owners kept us here and they're going to have a nice following.
The campaign started more than a decade ago by previous Islanders owner Charles Wang. The proposed Lighthouse Project was part of the plan, but went nowhere. Four years later, Nassau County voters rejected an attempt to secure public financing for a new arena, and the team moved to Brooklyn.
The team's future is no longer in doubt now that the new arena is here. The team this season? That may be a different story.
The Islanders, who advanced to the NHL semifinals last season, returned home in last place in the Metropolitan Division and were rudely greeted in New York by the Flames. The Islanders were behind 2-0 during the first period.
Fans were abuzz in and around the complex, away from the on-ice product. Lehman praised the Islanders owners, saying: "They're fantastic." I wish they owned the Jets.
The home opener tickets were sold out months in advance and there was a waiting list. The cheapest seats in the corner for the first game were listed for less than $200 on StubHub.com, while the most expensive seats were listed for more than $1,000.
The coliseum has a capacity of 13,917 and the arena has a capacity of 17,250.
"This is awesome," Saltsberg said. This is more luxurious than the Coliseum was. Everything is moving in the right direction. The team seemed to turn the corner after they announced the arena.
The Islanders lost four straight games on their first road stretch of the season. They don't play more than two games in a row on the road until January, when they play four games in a row.
Holly Baratta, who bought season tickets for the last season of the Coliseum but didn't get to use them because of limited seating due to the coronaviruses, hopes they can bring the Cup home.
The players got to practice on the ice at the new rink on Thursday and were impressed.
Mathew Barzal said it blew him away. I saw the eating area and the gym when I walked in, and I couldn't wait to see more. The entire facility and the rink were very high-end. We're a lucky group.
The Associated Press contributed to the report.
