Ex-Islander De Haan: Canes benefiting from avoiding Nassau Coliseum
If anyone on the Carolina Hurricanes knows how rowdy the crowd at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on Long Island can get, it's former New York Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan.
The Hurricanes haven't been forced to contend with such an atmosphere during their second-round series against the Islanders, as the first two games were played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
De Haan, who spent his first five NHL seasons with the Islanders before signing a four-year contract with the Hurricanes last summer, believes the change in venue is to the detriment of his former club.
"It's great for us," De Haan told Newsday's Andrew Gross on Thursday. "It's good for the away team. It kind of negates the home-ice advantage to a certain extent. I've played there (the Coliseum) and it's loud and you do feed off of that. Whether you think of it or not, you do feed off the momentum of the crowd and it seemed to elevate everybody on the bench. But it is what it is. That's Mr. Bettman's decision, so, whatever."
The Islanders split their home games between the two arenas during the regular season. It was announced that their first-round playoff series would be played at the Coliseum, but the remainder of their postseason would take place at the Barclays Center, citing that "Nassau Coliseum does not qualify as an NHL major-league facility."
Playing the one series at the Coliseum required a letter from Nassau County executive Laura Curran to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The Islanders took full advantage of the two contests played on Long Island, sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins to begin the playoffs.
Here's a look at the team's arena splits during the regular season:
| Arena | Record | Attendance | Max. capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nassau Coliseum | 12-7-2 | 13 514 | 13 900 |
| Barclays Center | 12-6-2 | 11 248 | 15 795 |
New York opened its second-round series against the Hurricanes by dropping two games at the Barclays Center and now finds itself trailing 3-0 with Game 4 slated for Friday in Raleigh.
The Islanders moved to the Barclays Center in 2015 despite the arena being built primarily for basketball. Obstructed seating views and a lengthy commute from Long Island have drawn the ire of fans, while players have complained about poor ice conditions.
Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders' sole home between 1974 and 2015, underwent renovations prior to the 2017-18 season. A $2.1-billion development project at Belmont Park, which includes a 19,000-seat arena for the Islanders, is expected to be ready by 2021.