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UBS Arena

Coordinates: 40°42′42″N 73°43′34″W / 40.71179°N 73.72604°W / 40.71179; -73.72604
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UBS Arena
The Stable
UBS Arena in 2021
UBS Arena is located in New York City
UBS Arena
UBS Arena
Location near New York City
UBS Arena is located in New York
UBS Arena
UBS Arena
Location within the State of New York
UBS Arena is located in the United States
UBS Arena
UBS Arena
Location within the United States
Former namesBelmont Park Arena (planning/construction)[1]
Address2400 Hempstead Turnpike
LocationElmont, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°42′42″N 73°43′34″W / 40.71179°N 73.72604°W / 40.71179; -73.72604
Public transitMainline rail interchange Elmont
Mainline rail interchange Belmont Park
Bus interchange n1, n6, Q2 and Q110 local buses[2][3]
OwnerNew York Arena Partners
(a joint venture of the New York Islanders, Oak View Group, and Sterling Equities)
OperatorNew York Islanders
TypeArena
CapacityIce hockey: 17,255
Concerts: 19,000
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 23, 2019[4]
Built2019–2021
OpenedNovember 20, 2021[7]
Construction costUS$1 billion (including development)
ArchitectPopulous[5]
JRDV Urban International[6]
Stantec[6]
Project managerPopulous
General contractorHunt / Barton Malow JV
Tenants
New York Islanders (NHL) (2021–present)
New York Sirens (PWHL) (2024)
St. John's University men's and women's basketball (part-time) (2021–present)
Website
ubsarena.com

UBS Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. The venue is situated directly adjacent to the eastern limits of the borough of Queens in New York City. Opened in 2021, it is the home of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center. The arena officially seats 17,250 patrons for NHL games and up to 19,000 for concerts and other select events. Fans and sports writers have affectionately nicknamed the arena "The Stable", due to the arena being located at Belmont Park, a famous thoroughbred racing venue.

History

[edit]

The Lighthouse Project and Barclays Center

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The Nassau Coliseum was the second-oldest facility in the NHL, behind only the twice-renovated Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. It was also the second-smallest arena in the league, with only Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg being smaller. 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).[8] 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.[9][10]

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.[11]

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.[12] However, a source from Newsday indicated that the FanHouse report was not true.[13] There were also reports that businessman Nelson Peltz wanted to buy the Islanders and move them to Barclays Center in Brooklyn.[14]

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.[15]

In August 2011, Nassau County voters voted against a referendum that would have granted a $400 million public bond to construct a $350 million arena and $50 million minor league ballpark. The plan was presented by Wang as a last-ditch effort to keep the Islanders in Nassau County.[16] In October 2012, the Islanders announced that they would re-locate to Barclays Center in Brooklyn once their lease of the Coliseum expired after the 2014–15 season.[17] Meanwhile, a group led by Bruce Ratner (who had developed Barclays Center) secured an $89 million bid to renovate the Coliseum, aiming to host a minor hockey team as its main tenant, and have six Islanders games played there per season.[18][19][20]

As Barclays Center was designed primarily as a basketball arena, its hockey configuration was criticized by fans for having seats with obstructed views, while its ice quality was criticized as substandard by players.[21][22]

Arena deal, construction

[edit]
UBS Arena under construction (December 2020)

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, 18,000-seat arena and mixed-use district at Belmont Park, beating a competing proposal by New York City FC for a new soccer stadium. The new arena was projected to be completed in time for the 2021–22 NHL season.[23][24] In the meantime, the Islanders began to gradually play more home games at the Coliseum in the 2018–19 season.[25]

On September 23, 2019, the groundbreaking for the arena was held. It was attended by New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and officials, alumni, and current players from the Islanders.[26] In February 2020, it was announced that beginning with the 2020 playoffs, the Islanders would temporarily return to the Coliseum for all home games before moving to the Belmont Park arena for the 2021–22 season.[27]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, all non-essential construction projects in the state of New York were ordered to suspend operations beginning March 27, 2020.[28] Construction was allowed to resume on May 27, 2020; team officials expected construction to finish in time for the Islanders to begin to play in October 2021, despite the two-month pause.[29]

UBS Arena during an Islanders game (October 2022)

In July 2020, UBS was announced as the naming rights sponsor of the new arena under a 20-year deal, naming the facility UBS Arena.[30]

Opening

[edit]

The Islanders were to begin playing home games at UBS Arena for the 2021–22 season. To allow additional time for construction to complete, the Islanders' preseason home games were played at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut, home of their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. The team 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.[31]

Social and economic footprint of construction

[edit]
Belmont Park: UBS Arena (top left), west of the Belmont Park track (2021)

As the $1.5 billion project and surrounding redevelopment moved forward, it was announced that they would generate approximately $25 billion in economic activity, including major infrastructure improvements, 10,000 construction jobs, and 3,000 permanent jobs.[32] This was seen as a boost to the regional economy at a time when activity had slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33] The project partners set a goal of having 30 percent of contracting dollars for construction earmarked for state-certified minority and female-owned businesses, and a further 6 percent for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.[32] 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.[34]

Notable events

[edit]

Ice hockey

[edit]

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.[35][36] 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.[37]

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.[38]

UBS Arena is scheduled to host the 2026 NHL All-Star Game, having been awarded it during the 2024 NHL Stadium Series on February 18, 2024.[39]

The Professional Women's Hockey League's (PWHL) New York Sirens will hold some of its home games at UBS Arena starting on January 10, 2024.[40][41]

Basketball

[edit]

The first college basketball game at UBS Arena was played on December 3, 2021, between the nearby St. John's Red Storm and the Kansas Jayhawks as part of the annual Big East–Big 12 Battle. The Jayhawks won the game 95–75.[42] The Iona Gaels also hosted the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens on December 21, 2021.[43]

The New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) moved its 2024 Commissioner's Cup championship game against the Minnesota Lynx to UBS Arena on June 25, as the Liberty's home arena of Barclays Center was set to host the 2024 NBA draft the following night.[44]

Professional wrestling

[edit]

The November 29, 2021 episode of WWE's Monday Night Raw took place at the arena. The December 8, 2021 episode of All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite took place at UBS Arena,[45] as well as the taping for that week's episode of AEW Rampage, which aired on December 10.[46] On June 30th 2024, All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling co-hosted supershow Forbidden Door which aired live on PPV.[47][48]

Mixed martial arts

[edit]

On July 16, 2022, the arena held its first MMA and UFC event, hosting UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez.[49]

Concerts

[edit]

British singer Harry Styles held the arena's first public concert on November 28, 2021.[50] He also performed the entirety of his latest album Harry's House for the first time live on May 20, 2022.[51]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "PHOTOS: Belmont Park Arena Groundbreaking". NHL.com. September 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "NICE Service to USB Arena". Nassau Inter-County Express. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  3. ^ "Getting to UBS Arena on public transit". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Compton, Brian (September 23, 2019). "Islanders break ground for new arena on Long Island". NHL.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Baumbach, Jim (January 15, 2018). "Islanders' Belmont Arena Would Take About 3 Years to Open". Newsday. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Walker, Tom (August 13, 2019). "New York's US$1.3bn Belmont Park indoor arena approved – design team includes JRDV Architects, Populous and Stantec". CLAD News. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Schwartz, Peter (August 17, 2021). "Bridgeport Will Be The Islanders' Pre-Season Home Away From Home". NY Sports Day. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  8. ^ Young, Monte R. (September 28, 2004). "Visions of $200M Renovation". Newsday.
  9. ^ Martino, Jr., Michael (October 14, 2009). "Press Exclusive: Plug Is Pulled On Lighthouse". Long Island Press. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  10. ^ Rieber, Anthony (March 4, 2009). "Papers Reveal Isles Will Leave Without Lighthouse OK". Newsday. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
  11. ^ Mennella, Dan (May 12, 2010). "Mets, Isles talk about arena near Citi". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  12. ^ Botta, Christoper (June 14, 2010). "Mets Owners Working With Real Estate Firm on Queens Arena for Islanders". Fanhouse. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  13. ^ "Report: No firm hired in Isles relocation affair". ESPN.com. June 14, 2010.
  14. ^ Hirshon, Nicholas (January 7, 2011). "Brooklyn-Queens battle for the Islanders team brewing". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  15. ^ Caputo, Mike (July 12, 2010). "Zoning move cuts Lighthouse in half". LIHerald.com. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  16. ^ Caldwell, Dave (August 2, 2011). "Nassau Voters Reject Proposal to Fix Coliseum". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  17. ^ Gretz, Adam (October 24, 2012). "New York Islanders will move to Brooklyn in 2015". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  18. ^ Chaban, Matt (August 15, 2013). "Forest City's New York unit wins contest to redevelop Nassau Coliseum". Crain's Cleveland. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  19. ^ Fornabio, Michael (August 15, 2013). "Despite relocation speculation, Sound Tigers remain committed to Bridgeport". Connecticut Post. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  20. ^ Glaun, Dan (July 11, 2013). "Ratner, MSG picked as Coliseum finalists". The Island Now. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  21. ^ "Report: NHL to investigate ice conditions of Barclays Center". NBC Sports Washington. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  22. ^ Goldman, Shayna (February 28, 2017). "Concerns about NHL ice are heating up". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  23. ^ "It's official: New York Islanders heading back to Nassau County". abc7ny.com. Disney–ABC Television Group. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  24. ^ Soshnick, Scott (December 19, 2017). "NHL's Islanders Win Right to Build Arena at Belmont Site". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  25. ^ Roy, Yancey (June 21, 2018). "Cuomo: Islanders add 8 more games to Coliseum schedule". Newsday. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  26. ^ "Governor Cuomo Breaks Ground on New Belmont Park Arena". NHL.com. September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  27. ^ Stepien, Garrett (February 29, 2020). "Islanders will play all playoff games, 2020-21 season at Nassau Coliseum, Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirms". SNY. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  28. ^ Wright, Cory (November 20, 2021). "Islanders Beginning New Journey at UBS Arena". NHL.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  29. ^ Gross, Andrew (May 24, 2020). "Islanders' new Belmont arena expected to resume construction Wednesday". Newsday. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  30. ^ "UBS Secures Naming Rights to Future Home of the New York Islanders". NHL.com. July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  31. ^ Heyman, Brian (November 20, 2021). "Islanders fans praise UBS Arena as their new home". Newsday. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  32. ^ a b "NHL: UBS reaches 20-year pact for Islanders' arena naming rights". Reuters.com. July 22, 2020.
  33. ^ Berman, Jeff (July 22, 2020). "UBS Scores Naming Rights to New NY Islanders NHL Venue". ThinkAdvisor. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  34. ^ Lavacca, Katherine (November 16, 2021). "1st new LIRR station in 50 years opening just in time for Islanders homecoming". ABC7 New York. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  35. ^ Compton, Brian (November 20, 2021). "Islanders playing at UBS Arena for first time". NHL.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  36. ^ Best, Neil (June 29, 2021). "Isles likely will open next season on road, and Lou's OK with that". Newsday. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  37. ^ "Parise, Greene lead Islanders to first win at new arena". ESPN. December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  38. ^ Gross, Andrew (April 21, 2023). "Islanders surge with four goals late in third period to beat Hurricanes in Game 3, pull within 2-1". Newsday. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  39. ^ Rosen, Dan (February 18, 2024). "Islanders to host 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend". NHL.com. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  40. ^ Donkin, Karissa (January 1, 2024). "New York shuts out Toronto in 1st PWHL game as Canada's Shelton leads the way". CBC Sports. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  41. ^ Page, Matthew (November 30, 2023). "Islanders Home at UBS Arena to Host Four PWHL Games in 2024". The Hockey News. Toronto: Roustan Media. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  42. ^ "Kansas to Take on St. John's in Big EAST-Big 12 Battle". KUAthletics.com. June 2, 2021.
  43. ^ Rapay, Eugene (August 27, 2021). "Men's college basketball: Iona announces 2021-22 MAAC schedule". The Journal News. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  44. ^ Feinberg, Doug (June 18, 2024). "Liberty to play Commissioner's Cup final at UBS Arena in Long Island. Barclays out due to NBA draft". Associated Press. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  45. ^ Staszewski, Joseph (December 8, 2021). "AEW's MJF on simmering CM Punk feud and Long Island 'homecoming'". New York Post. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  46. ^ Middleton, Marc (December 8, 2021). "** Spoilers ** AEW Rampage Tapings for This Week". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  47. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (April 11, 2024). "AEW Announces Dates And Locations For 2024 PPV Events". Fightful. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  48. ^ Knight, Cain A. (April 11, 2024). "AEW announces full PPV schedule for 2024, including events on back-to-back weekends". Cageside Seats. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  49. ^ "UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Ortega vs. Rodriguez". ubsarena.com. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  50. ^ Mims, Taylor (October 29, 2021). "Harry Styles to Perform First Concert at New York's UBS Arena". Billboard.
  51. ^ Appler, Michael (May 21, 2022). "Harry Styles Lights Up New York With His 'One Night Only' Performance of 'Harry's House': Concert Review". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
[edit]
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Preceded by Home of the
New York Islanders
2021–present 		Succeeded by
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