Lamoriello: New arena will have 'Coliseum atmosphere'

New York Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello believes the team's new arena at Belmont Park will give fans a feeling of nostalgia.

"I think what you're going to see is a Coliseum atmosphere in a new facility," Lamoriello told season-ticket holders Friday, according to Newsday.com's Andrew Gross.

"This is state of the art," he continued. "I think that when the fans see the results, they're going to be ecstatic."

In 2015, former Islanders owner Charles Wang moved the franchise's home games from Nassau Coliseum, which is known as one of the most raucous buildings in the league, to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In 2017, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arranged for the club to share home contests between the two buildings.

Lamoriello claims the arena at Belmont Park will replicate many of the features that made Nassau Coliseum so special for Islanders fans.

"I think the major point of it is it's going to be a hockey facility," Lamoriello added. "They've paid 100% attention to the atmosphere in the building, the way the seats are located for the hockey experience and tight to the arena. It's not like some of these new arenas. When you talk about old arenas, you talk about Boston Garden. But you go to a new arena, everybody says it doesn't have the same atmosphere."

The Islanders were given the go-ahead to resume construction of the arena at Belmont Park in May after pausing work at the site in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New York will play all of its home contests during the 2020-21 season at the Coliseum before moving to Belmont Park the following campaign.