UBS Arena

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Lore & Background

By the mid-2000s, Nassau Coliseum was the fourth-oldest facility in the NHL, behind the twice-renovated Madison Square Garden in Manhattan (which remains in use today), the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (built in 1961 and replaced in 2010), and Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton (built in 1974, replaced in 2016). It was also the smallest arena in the league, until the Atlanta Thrashers moved to the smaller Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg and became the new Winnipeg Jets. Various attempts had been made to pursue a renovation or replacement of the aging facility, including the Lighthouse Project—a 2004 proposal to renovate the Coliseum and build a larger sport, entertainment, and residential district around it (including a minor-league ballpark and a 60-story high-rise from which the proposal derived its name). While Nassau County approved a version of the Lighthouse Project, the town of Hempstead never granted a change in zoning that was required for its construction, and the project was reported to have been cancelled. In May 2010, Jeff Wilpon, then COO of Major League Baseball's New York Mets, had discussions with then-Islanders owner Charles Wang about constructing a new arena for the Islanders in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens, adjacent to the Mets' ballpark, Citi Field. Wilpon also discussed the possibility of buying the Islanders. In June 2010, FanHouse reported that Wilpon and his father, then-Mets owner Fred Wilpon, had begun working with real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle (who also worked on the renovation of Madison Square Garden) on a feasibility study of a new Islanders arena in Queens. However, a source from Newsday indicated that the FanHouse report was not true. There were also reports that businessman Nelson Peltz wanted to buy the Islanders and move them to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. On July 12, 2010, Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray announced an "alternate zone" created for the Coliseum property, downsizing the original Lighthouse Project to half its proposed size and making the project, according to then-Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and the developers, "economically unviable for both the developer and owner of the site". From that point, the Lighthouse Project would no longer be pursued by Wang, Mangano and the developers. In August 2011, Nassau County voters voted against a referendum that would have granted a $400 million public b

In Their Own Story

The first game at UBS Arena was on November 20, 2021, a 5–2 loss to the Calgary Flames. Brad Richardson scored the arena's first goal; Brock Nelson scored the first Islanders goal. The Islanders started 0–5–2 at the venue, finally getting their first home win on December 11, a 4–2 win against the New Jersey Devils. The first Stanley Cup playoffs game took place on April 21, 2023, a 5–1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, with Casey Cizikas scoring the first playoff goal. UBS Arena was scheduled to host the 2026 NHL All-Star Game, awarded on February 18, 2024, but the event was cancelled and replaced with a send-off event to the 2026 Winter Olympics that itself was cancelled in October 2025. The 2027 NHL All-Star Game will take place at UBS Arena. On March 1, 2025, Ilya Sorokin was credited with the first goalie goal in UBS Arena history, the 20th goalie goal in NHL history and the second in Islanders franchise history. On March 23, 2025, the arena hosted an international match between the Jerusalem Capitals and HC Tel Aviv of the Israel Elite Hockey League, the first time professional hockey teams from Israel competed in North America. On April 6, 2025, Alexander Ovechkin scored his NHL record-breaking 895th career goal at UBS Arena, surpassing Wayne Gretzky's record of 894.

Reader's Guide

On November 20, 2021, the Islanders played their first game at UBS Arena, a 5–2 loss to the Calgary Flames. The Flames' Brad Richardson scored the arena's first goal, while Brock Nelson scored the first Islanders goal. The Islanders started 0–5–2 at UBS Arena. Their first home win at the venue came on December 11, in a 4–2 win against the New Jersey Devils. The first Stanley Cup playoffs game at UBS Arena took place on April 21, 2023, when the Islanders defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 5–1. Casey Cizikas of the Islanders scored the first playoff goal in the arena. UBS Arena was scheduled to host the 2026 NHL All-Star Game, having been awarded it during the 2024 NHL Stadium Series on February 18, 2024. However, the event was cancelled and instead replaced with a send-off event to the 2026 Winter Olympics at the arena instead that itself was cancelled in October 2025. The 2027 NHL All-Star Game will take place at UBS Arena. The Professional Women's Hockey League's (PWHL) New York Sirens held six of its home games in the league's inaugural season at UBS Arena starting on January 10, 2024. For the 2024–25 season, the Sirens moved all of their home games to Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. On March 1, 2025, Ilya Sorokin was credited with the first goalie goal in UBS Arena history at 19:48 of the third period when an errant pass from Steven Stamkos ended up in his own net, the final goal of a 7–4 Islanders win over the Nashville Predators. It was the 20th goalie goal in NHL history and the second goalie goal in Islanders franchise history. On March 23, 2025, UBS Arena hosted an international match between the Jerusalem Capitals and HC Tel Aviv of the Israel Elite Hockey League. Jerusalem won 7–6 in overtime. This was the first time professional hockey teams from Israel competed in North America. On April 6, 2025, Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scored his NHL record-breaking 895th career goal at 7:26 of the second period against the Islanders, surpassing Wayne Gretzky's record of 894. However, the Islanders won the game, 4–1.

Did You Know?

• The first NHL regular-season goal at UBS Arena was scored by Brad Richardson of the Calgary Flames.
• Alexander Ovechkin scored his record-breaking 895th career goal at UBS Arena on April 6, 2025, surpassing Wayne Gretzky's record of 894.
• UBS Arena is nicknamed 'The Stable' due to its location at Belmont Park, a famous thoroughbred racing venue.
• The arena opened on November 19, 2021, with a private fundraising event featuring rock band Chicago.

The Quest for a New Home

By the mid-2000s, Nassau Coliseum was the fourth-oldest facility in the NHL and the smallest in the league. The Lighthouse Project, a 2004 proposal to renovate the Coliseum and build a larger district including a minor-league ballpark and a 60-story high-rise, was approved by Nassau County but the town of Hempstead never granted the required zoning change, and the project was reported cancelled. In May 2010, Jeff Wilpon discussed building a new arena in Willets Point, Queens, and possibly buying the Islanders. In June 2010, FanHouse reported the Wilpons were working with Jones Lang LaSalle on a feasibility study, though a Newsday source said the report was not true. On July 12, 2010, Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray announced an "alternate zone" that downsized the Lighthouse Project to half its size, making it "economically unviable." In August 2011, voters rejected a $400 million public bond for a new arena. In October 2012, the Islanders announced they would relocate to Barclays Center after the 2014–15 season. Barclays Center's hockey configuration was criticized for obstructed views and substandard ice quality.

Construction and Pandemic Challenges

In December 2017, New York Arena Partners—a joint venture between the Islanders, Oak View Group, and Sterling Equities—won a bid to construct an 18,000-seat arena at Belmont Park, beating a competing proposal by New York City FC. The groundbreaking was held on September 23, 2019, attended by Governor Andrew Cuomo, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and Islanders officials, alumni, and players. In February 2020, it was announced the Islanders would temporarily return to the Coliseum for all home games starting with the 2020 playoffs before moving to Belmont Park for 2021–22. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all non-essential construction in New York was suspended from March 27, 2020. Construction resumed on May 27, 2020, and team officials expected to finish in time for October 2021 despite the two-month pause. In July 2020, UBS was announced as the naming rights sponsor under a 20-year deal, naming the facility UBS Arena.

A Historic Opening and Unique Identity

The Islanders played preseason home games at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut, home of their AHL affiliate, to allow more construction time. They then played 13 consecutive road games to start the regular season. UBS Arena formally opened on November 19, 2021, with a private fundraising event featuring rock band Chicago. The arena officially seats 17,250 for ice hockey and up to 19,000 for concerts. Located in Elmont, New York, just outside New York City limits, the arena is at Belmont Park, a famous thoroughbred racing venue, earning it the nickname "The Stable" from fans and sports writers.

Economic Impact and Community Investment

The $1.5 billion project and surrounding redevelopment were announced to generate approximately $25 billion in economic activity, including major infrastructure improvements, 10,000 construction jobs, and 3,000 permanent jobs. This was seen as a boost to the regional economy during the COVID-19 pandemic slowdown. Project partners set a goal of 30% of contracting dollars for state-certified minority and female-owned businesses and 6% for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. The project led to an additional $100 million investment in transit and infrastructure enhancements, including Elmont station, the first newly constructed Long Island Rail Road station in almost 50 years. It also included the development of Belmont Park Village, an open-air luxury outlet center.

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