March 23, 2024
UBS Arena (Capacity: 17,255)
Elmont, NY
New York Islanders vs Winnipeg Jets
Final Score: 6 – 3
.
It was an NHL doubleheader for me on this very rainy day. Before seeing an 8 PM Rangers game, I started things off by attending a New York Islanders matinee in the building that finally ended the decade-long saga for the team to find a hockey home. The Islanders were born in 1972 and they quickly became a contender in the NHL. 14 straight playoff appearances were highlighted by the dynasty in the early 80s winning 4 Stanley Cups. After that core of Potvin, Trottier, Bossy and Smith departed, things went downhill for the franchise and they went from 1994 to 2015 without a playoff series win. Recent years have seen the team being rather competitive. The Nassau Coliseum was the long-time home for Islander games and this deafening building come playoff time was a personnel favorite of mine. However, it became quite outdated by the 2000s and the team understandably looked for alternatives. One option was just plain stupid as they left the Coliseum for an existing NBA arena in Brooklyn that was horribly misfit for hockey and geographically out of place for Isles fans. They partially returned back home to the Coliseum from 2018-2021 until they finally got a new arena that opened in the Fall of 2021. It’s a really great building and there certainly is a New York City feel to it. I would’ve liked more of a Long Island vibe, but it’s hard to pull that off and elevate an area that is essentially suburbia.
Prestige Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Location
The New York Islanders literally are just steps from being on Long Island as UBS Arena is located in Elmont. This tiny, but crowded hamlet is within the massive town of Hempstead and on the western edge of Nassau County (my interpretation of where Long Island starts) on the border of Queens / New York City. Most of the City’s numerous attractions are a good 30-45 minutes away depending on mode of transportation. Nearby land by the arena belongs to Belmont Park, home of the famous race track and third leg of the Triple Crown. For most of the hockey season, the track sits idle. Development is being done on some of the other open space as the team created an outdoor skating rink adjacent to the arena. In 2025, Belmont Park Village will open on the other side of Hempstead Turnpike beyond the new parking garage. The unique village seems to be geared towards luxury boutiques and high-end shopping, though there are indications there will be restaurants in here. We’ll see. Outside of that, Elmont contains lots of tightly clustered houses and the usual commerce sights seen through the Island on Hempstead Turnpike.
Location Ranking: 4.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
It’s a tough decision whether to go by car or mass transit as each has their drawbacks. There are five parking areas at UBS Arena, however the only one available to buy ahead of time is the Emerald lot. That is located on the other side of the racetrack, a solid 15-minute walk away. Closer to the arena, Ruby and Diamond lots aren’t for sale, while the Silver Lot and the Garage are options that are only available on the secondary market. The Cross Island Parkway runs by Belmont Park and in order to access Emerald Parking, make sure to use Exit 26D as that literally filters right into the parking area, which is great. Getting out on the other hand isn’t great because of the single lane back to the CIP and all the pedestrians walking back to the train station. Expect a bottleneck at the exit. Traffic in general on this part of Long Island can be awful and even worse is if you have to cross bridges to go through NYC to get here, leading to delays and frustration. I ended up using Mass Transit as that was most convenient to seeing the Rangers in the City after this game. The Elmont Station on the Long Island Rail Road is the “closest” station and that still requires a 15-minute walk to reach the arena. At least the walkway is covered as that was appreciated during the heavy rain that occurred at the game I saw. There are shuttle buses for both the train station and the Emerald Lot and they are easy to grab upon arrival, but a lengthy wait after the game. Access is via the Ronkonkoma Line or the Hempstead Line and it takes 35 minutes if you come from Midtown Manhattan (either via Penn Station or Grand Central Station). Trains come every 10-30 minutes and be careful on the one you pick to avoid a transfer in Jamaica (as a wise man once told me “Never Transfer at Jamaica”). Trains are quite crowded on the return trip and you’ll like be stuck standing.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 4.5 out of 8
Exterior
This is a beautiful square building that is a combination of red brick, tan accents, sea green walls and tinted arched windows. Even the UBS Arena signage blends in well. The best part is that it fits within Belmont Park as the design elements partially mimic what is seen on the outside grandstand. Additional touches include several circular lighthouse replicas at the top of the building (remember we’re on Long Island), plus small “BP” insignias nearby as well. Window placements and subtle variations give the arena a pleasant visual that comes together very nicely.
Exterior Ranking: 9 out of 10
Concourse
There is one entrance for general ticket holders as “The Great Hall” is located on the side of the building. It is indeed a great space, one that had Grand Central Station as inspiration with touches of Belmont Park sprinkled in. I liked this entrance a lot. Stairs and escalators bring fans to the main concourse which is roomy and characterized by white walls and long, thin horizontal light fixtures above. There are several bars around the area, some of them open to a view of the rink. For more room, two separate terraces provide outdoor lounges and bars that seem like a good place to go at intermission. It ended up being a smokers paradise and I hightailed it out of there once I realized fresh air was scarce. Back inside, don’t be fooled by there being just one area of escalators to reach the second floor. Several elevators can be found around the building and they are fast with minimal lines. The upper concourse has way more space than most other NHL buildings, something I’d expect given the open land and year that they built this arena. The overall look remains great with huge team wall murals and white walls. In fact, there’s a cleaner subway vibe to the tunnels that lead from the concourse to the arena (an NYC and not LI thing). Another great concourse feature is the upper end between Sections 226 and 232 as it brings you inside the arena with a few drink rails to stand and watch the game. Behind you are lengthy bars. Bathrooms throughout are quite plentiful with lines not much of an issue.
Concourse Ranking: 5 out of 5
Food
Next to the main entrance is Belmont Hall, a bar/restaurant with long tables that opens well before game time. It’s a great place to come before the game and wet your whistle. The menu is fairly standard and even though it is sit down, I’d argue the concessions inside has better variety. Street Tacos, Heros (Subs), Mediterranean, Steak, Sushi, BBQ…oh my! The item I was most intrigued by had to be “Fear the Schmear”: Pork Belly combined with Habanero Cream Cheese, Tomato and drizzled Honey on an English Muffin. Also underrated with few lines is “Mogu”, a modern Chinese kitchen from Farmingdale that brought Tso’s Chicken, Steak Eggrolls and Popcorn Wontons. For drinks, there were lots of options as well. The only local beer was from Blue Point Brewery and it seemed that cocktails were pushed hard. One stand had ten different ones including “Islander Smash”, a combination of Bourbon, Ginger Beer, Blackberries and Lime.
Food Ranking: 8 out of 8
Interior
Most NHL arenas offer little variety in seating bowl design and while that’s no different at UBS Arena, everything is generally executed well. The 100 level goes around the rink in an oval fashion and this is by far the biggest deck in terms of row numbers. Blue seats are plush and comfortable with row width and sightlines solid. Many of the closest rows to the ice are part of a club and this can lead to some real slow to return fans after intermission. There is then just one row of suites ringing around the arena, an advantage for the upper deck countered by how much real estate it takes up with each box essentially having four rows of seating. Above that, is a rather small 200 level as just 5-6 rows are in these sections because they then put a 300 level about 10 feet above the back wall. I have mixed feelings about this as I like the added height, however they are a decent bit from the ice and when you stare at them from down below, they just seem so far away (compare the 5th picture below with Toronto, who has a much better and closer 200 deck) At least sightlines are no issue as heads don’t get in the way and neither do railings or partitions in the upper levels, which is surprisingly not always the case even in newer arenas. The 300s stop at one end where the concourse opening is. Of course there are several clubs and they are both luxurious and generally tucked away from open view. The roof is a standard makeup of metal beams and quite close to the top row of seats (good for noise). I wasn’t wowed initially, but the more I looked and I walked, the more I liked this place. I just wish the 300s weren’t so far away.
Interior Ranking: 10.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
“She’s a beaut, Clark”. Perfect board as it’s not too massive and not too small with a video screen that is incredibly crisp. The cool part is that it looks like it is made up of four screens, when in actuality, it is one continuous display. They often section it into fours, but when there are times where they wrap video around, it is awesome. Replay frequency is adequate and during play, the game info is at the bottom and who is on the ice is at the top. A pair of ribbon boards go around the façade on a pair of levels and when they are blue and orange, it gives the building a nice glow.
Scoreboard Ranking: 4 out of 4
Displays
The introduction in the Great Hall is a little more Belmont-y than I’d like to see as references to the Islanders are few and far between. That shouldn’t take away from the incredible artwork displayed in two huge murals at the top, which ties in people and places on the Island. The main concourse walls feature more team oriented stuff, including a Hall of Fame with detailed plaques for the 15 members. Individual trophy winners are scattered on a separate wall display, along with some other scorer stats. My favorite feature is at the open end of the rink where a mini lighthouse sits next to the organ and the player is out in the open during the game. At the top of the area are logos for all the Islander Meetup groups around the country. What a novel idea and a great place for that. Tying in the community feel are fan-made posters that hang all along the wall between the 200 and 300 level. This is led by the Islanders Booster Club and it is homey touch. The team shows off their banners in the rafters beautifully as one end is for retired numbers, the other end is for Stanley Cups and the side are for Division and Conference crowns. I just would’ve liked to seen a detailed team history somewhere in the building.
Displays Ranking: 5 out of 6
Cost
The Fan Cost Index for the Islanders puts the team in the middle of the league rankings and tickets most frequent the $50 – $100 range. Through the team, the cheapest seat is $75, but you should be able to get something lower as long as it’s not the playoffs or a really big game. In fact, I was quite surprised to see how significantly ticket prices were being driven down. For our game, most of the time, the cheapest seats were going for $50 – $60. Then a few days before, they dropped significantly as hundreds of tickets were just $25 – $35. Maybe it was their six-game losing streak and maybe it was the rainstorm, but that is rare to get into an NHL game in the Northeast at that price. Sadly, parking is a ridiculous $38. Taking a train is cheaper at $10 – $20. Concession are rough too: A Sausage & Peppers sub for $14, a soda for $7 and a beer for $15. The most egregious thing I’ve ever seen is the $11.99 price for a single donut in Islanders colors.
Cost Ranking: 5 out of 8
Fan Support
This is a tough one, because I feel like as a group, you can put Islander fans up there in terms of passion with any of the top fan bases in the NHL (see the Tavares game and any playoff contest at the Coliseum). However, they don’t number all that much and you certainly have a large share of Rangers fans on the Island. There are times that the building looks more empty than other places fielding comparable teams. This season, coming off a playoff berth and with an average team overall, the Islanders were 19th in attendance in terms of % capacity. For the game that I saw, about 1/3rd of the building was disappointingly empty. They will sellout near and during the playoffs though.
Fan Support Ranking: 5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Maybe it was the 6-game losing streak that the team was on or maybe it was the rainstorm they went through to get in, but the atmosphere was lacking on this day. You can’t blame the team as they built a 4-0 lead and I expected the crowd to get on their feet or do something to acknowledge, “wow, they are playing so well” and it didn’t happen. Just average noise and passion was seen, something I’m not accustomed to as Isles fans have the ability to create a raucous atmosphere. That does happen come playoff time, but it will never reach the insanely deafening levels that the Coliseum reached, despite building efforts like the roof being only 93 feet high helps compared to the Coliseum at 90 feet. Now despite my overall disappointment, there were still elements that shined. After a goal, the Islanders have one of the best sequences for a celebration as the horn is followed by the “Woo” guy, which the crowd echoes. There is then a celebratory organ theme and it is finished off by everyone doing the “Yes!” chant (see below). I love tradition and this is a good one that has gone on for awhile. The most common crowd cheer is “Let’s Go…Islanders” and the volume (like the atmosphere) can vary. I’d still argue it’s one of the more participatory “Let’s Go (team)” in the league. Finally, there is the Blue and Orange Army, a group of a few dozen people in a dedicated section (329) behind the goal that stand, bang on a drum and chant at times. They can add positively to the atmosphere. Think MLS Supporters Group, however the big difference is that (as of 2024), the group is not all that inclusive and is generally derided among other Islander fans for being closed-minded and at times, flat-out jerks. The lack of growth in this section the last dozen years is telling and we’ll see what the future is given many other Islander fans have not had positive experiences with them.
Atmosphere Ranking: 9 out of 14
Other Stuff
The best thing I’ve seen in an arena in a long time is a Complimentary Charging Station. This was super clutch on this day as seeing two games in one day drained my phone with no time to charge it. This fantastic little thing in the concourse featured lockers where you can punch in a pin, charge your phone for a while and then be on your way. All free!…..A nice feature of Belmont Hall is that the metal detectors aren’t as hectic as near game time and once you are through and in the restaurant, you don’t have to go through them again to enter the arena…..Nice touch as when you enter a section, the floor has the seat numbers and which direction they go. That’s usually a guess and hope for the best in not disrupting a bunch of people…..The lease with Empire State Development prohibits tailgating in the parking lots, a sad change from what was the scene around the Coliseum…..UBS Arena cost $1 Billion!….Expect to be asked multiple times to participate in the 50/50 raffle as those people asking are everywhere.
Game
The Islanders jumped all over the Jets as Cal Clutterbuck scored twice in the opening period. Dominating pretty much in all facets, the Isles had five goals on the board before we were halfway through the game. Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck was pulled (most goals weren’t his fault) and the 3rd period was uneventful as the teams went through motions. New York won 6 -3.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
