Now that they have had time to mourn the loss of The Barn, the one complaint fans have of their new state-of-the-art venue is the parking structure.
To leave the parking lot, you have to funnel into one lane to travel onto the Cross Island Parkway, producing a lot of traffic as a result.
In just its first season, however, it was bearable, knowing that eventually the Long Island Railroad would be an option to get to and from UBS.
Finally, it is happening. The LIRR announced on October 6 their two-way service from Elmont-UBS Arena will be available via select trains on the Ronkonkoma line.
LIRR built a third line running through Ronkonkoma and Hicksville that made this possible. There is still more parking to be made at the arena, but the exits via car are just too narrow. The train should hopefully alleviate that.
Islanders co-owner John Ledecky was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony. “We’ve got a lot of fans in Metro New York,” Ledecky said. “We have a lot of fans in New York City and it’s been a pain point sometimes for them to get out here. Now they have the ability to go from Penn or Grand Central Station in 30 minutes directly to the game.”
Major game-changer.
Another game-changer: the Islanders have signed their all-star center Mat Barzal to an 8-year extension. Barzal will make an average of $9 million per year over the course of the deal.
“There’s really no other place I’d rather be,” said Barzal about the extension. “The lifestyle is elite, and I have loved it here; literally every minute.”
The Islanders have had problems attracting big names in the free agent market in the past. They came off back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances before missing the playoffs last year. Some battles with Covid and an unprecedented road trip to start the season did not make for an easy start to the Isles’ disappointing season.
They return the same roster this season with the addition of young defenseman Alexander Romanov and look to make a push back to the playoffs. The Islanders are a very fan-oriented team, with the recent moves made by ownership reflecting that.
The new arena and opening of the train station are also strong indicators of just how much the Islanders adore their fans. “I absolutely love the fans here,” said Barzal. “They’re seriously so unique; one of a kind. Everyone is such a die-hard Islanders fan.”
A normal season at UBS will hopefully mean a resurgence for the Islanders. The fans will be in full force once again, raining down the signature ‘YES’ chants with every goal and probably all the way down the Ronkonkoma line.
“All aboard!!!!” John Ledecky concluded. “Next stop, UBS Arena!”
