Yahoo Sports Long Island Nets Will Play Six Home Games In Canada; Nassau Coliseum Unknow Future The Reason?
After losing the New York Islanders for good in the fall of 2021 to UBS Arena in Belmont Park, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum still had a few teams calling it home.
However, due to rumblings of a potential new group taking over Nassau Coliseum and the grounds around it — and also due to a lack of fan support — the New York Riptide, an indoor box lacrosse team, elected to relocate to Ottawa ahead of the 2024-25 season.
They've rebranded and are now the Ottawa Blackbears after six years on Long Island.
On Aug. 6, Las Vegas Sands and Nassau County came to terms on a 42-year lease.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said that the Coliseum would need work, and depending on how Vegas Sands views the arena, it may not remain standing.
With the Islanders and Riptide gone, the Long Island Nets, the G-League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, is the only team calling The Coliseum home.
But for how long?
The LI Nets released their 34-game regular season schedule, breaking the news that only 18 of their 24 home games would be at Nassau Coliseum.
The other six will be played at Bell Place in Laval, Quebec, the home of the Laval Rockets, the Montreal Canadians AHL affiliate:
Jan. 25 vs. Toronto 905
Jan. 26 vs. Toronto 905
Feb. 5 vs. Greensboro Swarm
Feb. 8 vs. Delaware Blue Coats
Mar. 13 vs. Memphis Hustle
Mar. 14 vs. Memphis Hustle
Looking at Nassau Coliseum's schedule, they don't have anything listed on those dates.
All six games in Laval will be in 2025, but what's a tad weird is that there will still be home games at Nassau Coliseum between and after the final game in Laval.
While the team stated that they would provide updates at a later date regarding why the arena change was made, the reason is likely due to the future of Nassau Coliseum.
It's sad to see what's happened with "Fort Neverlose".
With the opening of UBS Arena, Nassau Coliseum certainly got the short end of the stick, with singers, bands, and other events choosing the brand-new state-of-the-art arena in Elmont.
We do not know if The Coliseum will be upgraded in some way, shape, or form or if it will be torn down completely.
It will be up to Las Vegas Sands whether to host shows and other events in addition to operating a casino, which still has yet to be approved.
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum has stood in Uniondale since 1972, the Islanders' inaugural season.
Hopefully, it will continue to stand tall and be put to good use.
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