UBS Arena
Home of the New York Islanders at Belmont Park.
UBS Arena is a multi-purpose indoor venue in Elmont, New York, just beyond New York City’s borders. It opened in 2021 and serves as the home rink for the New York Islanders of the NHL, who had previously played at Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center. The arena sits on the grounds of Belmont Park, a well-known thoroughbred horse racing track, which inspired fans and sportswriters to give it the affectionate nickname "The Stable." For hockey games, it officially holds 17,250 people; for concerts and other select events, capacity can reach 19,000.
The Islanders’ path to a new home was long. By the mid-2000s, Nassau Coliseum was the fourth-oldest arena in the NHL, behind Madison Square Garden (twice renovated and still in use), Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena (built in 1961, replaced in 2010), and Edmonton’s Northlands Coliseum (built in 1974, replaced in 2016). It was also the league’s smallest arena until the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg’s smaller Canada Life Centre. Efforts to renovate or replace the Coliseum included the 2004 Lighthouse Project, which proposed a larger sports, entertainment, and residential district around the arena, featuring a minor-league ballpark and a 60-story tower. Nassau County approved a version of the plan, but the town of Hempstead never granted the needed zoning change, and the project was reported dead.
In May 2010, Jeff Wilpon, then COO of the New York Mets, discussed building a new Islanders arena in Queens’ Willets Point neighborhood, near Citi Field, and also talked about buying the team. That June, FanHouse reported that Wilpon and his father, Mets owner Fred Wilpon, had hired real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle (which worked on Madison Square Garden’s renovation) for a feasibility study. A Newsday source denied that report. Meanwhile, businessman Nelson Peltz was said to want to buy the Islanders and move them to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. On July 12, 2010, Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray announced an "alternate zone" for the Coliseum property that cut the Lighthouse Project to half its original size, making it, according to county executive Ed Mangano and developers, economically unworkable. Wang, Mangano, and the developers then abandoned the project.
Quick Facts
- Former Names
- Belmont Park Arena (planning/construction)
- Nickname
- The Stable
- Address
- 2400 Hempstead Turnpike
- Location
- Elmont, New York, U.S.
- Groundbreaking
- 2019-09-23
- Built
- 2019–2021
- Opened
- 2021-11-20
- Owner
- New York Arena Partners / (a joint venture of the New York Islanders, Oak View Group, and Sterling Equities)
- Operator
- New York Islanders
- Scoreboard
- Daktronics Inc.
- Surface
- Concrete
- Cost
- US$1 billion (including development)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
By the mid-2000s, the Islanders' previous home, Nassau Coliseum, was the fourth-oldest facility in the NHL and the smallest arena in the league. Various attempts to replace or renovate it, including the Lighthouse Project, failed due to zoning issues and a rejected public bond referendum. The team announced in 2012 they would relocate to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but that arena's hockey configuration was criticized for obstructed views and poor ice quality. In December 2017, New York Arena Partners—a joint venture between the Islanders, Oak View Group, and Sterling Equities—won a bid to construct a new arena at Belmont Park, beating a competing proposal by New York City FC for a soccer stadium. Groundbreaking was held on September 23, 2019, attended by New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and Islanders officials, alumni, and players. Construction was paused from March 27 to May 27, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the arena opened in time for the 2021–22 NHL season. The Islanders played their first game at UBS Arena on November 20, 2021, a 5–2 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Reader's Guide
UBS Arena represents the culmination of a long and contentious effort to secure a permanent, modern home for the New York Islanders after decades of uncertainty. The arena's construction at Belmont Park resolved the team's arena instability that followed the failed Lighthouse Project and the problematic Barclays Center arrangement. The $1.5 billion project and surrounding redevelopment were projected to generate approximately $25 billion in economic activity, including 10,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs, with goals for minority, female, and veteran-owned business participation. The project also spurred a $100 million investment in transit infrastructure, including Elmont station, the first new Long Island Rail Road station in nearly 50 years. The arena has hosted notable hockey events, including the first Stanley Cup playoffs game on April 21, 2023, and Alexander Ovechkin's record-breaking 895th career goal on April 6, 2025. It was originally scheduled to host the 2026 NHL All-Star Game, but that event was cancelled and replaced with a send-off event to the 2026 Winter Olympics, which was itself cancelled in October 2025; the 2027 NHL All-Star Game will take place at UBS Arena. The Professional Women's Hockey League's New York Sirens played six home games there in their inaugural season.
Did You Know?
- The arena is nicknamed 'The Stable' due to its location at Belmont Park, a famous thoroughbred racing venue.
- The first goal scored at UBS Arena was by Calgary Flames' Brad Richardson on November 20, 2021.
- Alexander Ovechkin scored his NHL record-breaking 895th career goal at UBS Arena on April 6, 2025.
- The project included the first newly constructed Long Island Rail Road station in almost 50 years, Elmont station.
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