So long, Nassau Coliseum

Tonight, the New York Rangers will play their final regular season game at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The building has been home to the New York Islanders since they came into the league, but is easily the most dilapidated building in the NHL. Every time I’ve been in the past five years, my shoes have stuck to the ground, I’ve spent way too much time in the wrong line, thinking I was getting a beer only to be funneled in to the bathroom, and felt my seat was going to break underneath me.

But despite that, since I grew up on Long Island, I have some nice memories of Nassau Coliseum. It was significantly easier for my father to take me to Ranger/Islander games there than at MSG. After all, the Coliseum was a 15 minute drive, not an hour train ride. Instead of dealing with the disaster that is the parking lot, we parked at Nassau Community College and walked over.

I remember my favorite pre-1994 Ranger, Tony Amonte, scoring on a breakaway on Glenn Healy (I think it was Healy). I was, oddly enough, the only Ranger fan in my section (my dad’s an Islander fan), and I had a few people smiling when I jumped and celebrated.

It’s too bad Milbury gutted the Isles and destroyed the franchise for 20 years. The Isles weren’t relevant in hockey from the 90s until this season, and I think it took away some of the potential excitement of the rivalry as I was growing up. Granted, the Rangers were awful from 1997 through 2004, so I’m not sure how much of a rivalry it would have been. But hey, it’s still kind of funny looking at what Milbury did. I think even Isles fans can look back and laugh now….20 years later.

When I finished grad school, I mostly went to the Coliseum once a year with my dad, seeing one Ranger/Islander game a year. The Islanders weren’t really relevant in hockey until this season, a point that I constantly reminded my father of, but the games were always exciting. Plus, we always had good seats. My most recent game: Third row, center ice. Those tickets were cheaper than the obstructed-view 400s at the new MSG.

Hey, the Coliseum had its pros, and that was one of them.

One thing I have to give Islander fans credit for: The chicken dance was creative. For some reason, that’s not done at games anymore, but it was always funny to hear. Other teams do it now, and I’m actually bummed the Isles stopped.

As a Ranger fan, I don’t really remember the Rangers losing games that I went to there. Maybe I just have a selective memory, but I’m going to just assume the Rangers were undefeated in games I went to (don’t spoil this one for me). I have a soft spot in my heart for that really crappy arena, and I’ll be a bit sad to see it go. Even if the Isles return from Brooklyn, it won’t be at the Coliseum.

So long, Nassau Coliseum. It’s been fun, but you’re starting to get that Gary Busey feel to you. Kinda cranky, bat-poop crazy, and very run down.