Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum , commonly known as Nassau Coliseum or simply The Coliseum , is a multi - purpose indoor arena in Uniondale , New York , on Long Island . The Coliseum is 19 miles ( 30 km ) from New York City . It was home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League for more than 40 years until their move to Barclays Center in 2015 . History . Opened in 1972 , the Coliseum occupies 63 acres ( 255 , 000 m² ) of Mitchel Field , site of a former Army and Air Force base . The facility is located in an unincorporated area of the Town of Hempstead , within the Uniondale 11553 Zip Code . The New York Raiders , intended by the fledging World Hockey Association to be their flagship franchise , was initially slated to play in the brand - new Nassau Coliseum . However , Nassau County didn ' t consider the WHA a professional league and wanted nothing to do with the Raiders . Nassau County retained William Shea to get an NHL team to play in the new building . The NHL responded by hastily awarding a franchise to Long Island - - the New York Islanders , which forced the Raiders to play in Madison Square Garden , in the shadow of the New York Rangers . The Coliseum had been home to the New York Nets basketball team of the American Basketball Association and later the National Basketball Association from 1972 – 1977 . The Nassau Coliseum hosted minor league hockey prior to the awarding of the Islanders franchise , a gimmick brought back in 2005 , when the Islanders - affiliated Bridgeport Sound Tigers ( AHL ) played two " home games " at the Coliseum in the absence of NHL hockey due to the lockout . It originally had a capacity of 12 , 000 to 15 , 000 depending on the event , but in the early 1980s the maximum capacity was increased to around 18 , 000 . It currently seats 16 , 234 for hockey , up to 17 , 760 for concerts and 17 , 686 for boxing and wrestling . On April 17 and April 18 , 2009 , the Bridgeport Sound Tigers , the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders , played two of their home playoff games against the Wilkes - Barre / Scranton Penguins at the Coliseum due to a scheduling conflict at the Sound Tigers ' regular home , the Arena at Harbor Yard . Redevelopment . The Coliseum was the second - oldest arena in active use by a National Hockey League team ( after nearby Madison Square Garden ) , and until the return of the Winnipeg Jets to the league at the 15 , 004 seat MTS Centre in Winnipeg , was the smallest arena in the NHL by total seating capacity . The arena has been considered obsolete for many years , and various Islanders owners have been trying to replace the arena for over ten years . The Lighthouse Project . Team and county officials announced in 2004 a plan called The Lighthouse Project to renovate the Coliseum . The centerpiece of the project was a 60 - story tower designed to look like a lighthouse . Other plans include new housing , athletic facilities , a minor league baseball stadium , restaurants , and a hotel . The project would also add trees , water and other natural elements to the area . On August 14 , 2007 , Islanders owner Charles Wang and the Lighthouse Development Group partnered with Rexcorp to create a new plan , changing the overall project scale . The 60 - story " lighthouse " evolved into two 31 - story buildings connected with a footbridge at the top . The project as a whole was transformed from a simple renovation of the Coliseum property into a transformation of surrounding properties . Plans called for more 2 , 000 residential units ( 20 % affordable housing ) , a hotel , a convention center , a sports technology center , of retail space , and a sports complex adjacent to the renovated Coliseum . The overall project was slated to cost roughly $ 3 . 75 billion . Construction was not planned to begin until at least mid - 2009 . Nassau County approved the entire Lighthouse Project in 2006 on a 16 – 2 vote , and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement was completed after a state - mandated environmental review . The Lighthouse Project was then expected to go before the Town of Hempstead for approval on a change in land zoning . However , the approval was never granted . After the October 2009 deadline passed , the " Long Island Press " reported the cancellation of the Lighthouse Project . Wang has denied the report . In May 2010 , Mets COO Jeff Wilpon had discussions with Wang about constructing a new arena for the Islanders near Citi Field . Wilpon has also discussed the possibility of buying the Islanders . In June 2010 , the website FanHouse reported that Jeff and Fred Wilpon , the owner of the Mets , began working with real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle ( who also worked on the most recent renovation of Madison Square Garden ) on a feasibility study of a new Islanders arena in Queens . However , a source from " Newsday " indicated that the FanHouse report was not true . There were also reports that businessman Nelson Peltz wanted to buy the Islanders and move them to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn . 2011 proposal to replace arena . On July 12 , 2010 , Town Supervisor Kate Murray ( R - Hempstead ) announced an “ alternate zone ” created for the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum property , downsizing the original Lighthouse Project to half its proposed size and making the project , according to Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and the developers , " economically unviable for both the developer and owner of the site . " From this point , the Lighthouse Project would no longer be pursued by Wang , Mangano and the developers . On May 11 , 2011 , the Islanders and Nassau County executives announced that county residents would vote on a referendum for approval of a $ 400 million public bond issue for a new plan to replace the Coliseum . The plan including the construction of a new $ 350 million arena as well as a $ 50 million minor league baseball ballpark nearby , and was presented by Wang as a last - ditch effort to keep the Islanders on Long Island . However , voters in the Nassau County rejected a proposal by a 57 % to 43 % margin on August 1 , 2011 . On October 24 , 2012 , the Islanders announced the team would move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn following the expiration of their lease after the 2014 - 2015 season . The Islanders played what would be their final game at the Coliseum on April 25 , 2015 , beating the Washington Capitals 3 - 1 in game 6 of the first round of the playoffs against the Washington Capitals forcing a Game 7 , held in and won by Washington , ending the Isles ' run at the Coliseum ; in Game 6 Cal Clutterbuck of the Islanders scored the final NHL goal in the building , an empty netter at 19 : 07 of the third period . Renovation . Not long after the Islanders announced their move to Brooklyn , Forest City Enterprises , the owner of Barclays Center , was chosen to perform a study on development possibilities for the Nassau Coliseum site . A request for proposal was issued as a result of this study to transform the arena into a smaller sized venue and its surrounding parking lot into an entertainment hub with theaters , sports bars , retail , and more . Four competing proposals were submitted in May 2013 , and two finalists were selected by Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano in July 2013 , including one from a group led by Forest City Ratner . Ratner ' s proposal called for a reduction of the Coliseum ’ s seating capacity to 13 , 000 and an aesthetic revamp of the arena ’ s interior and concrete facade designed by SHoP Architects , the firm which designed the Barclays Center , which would cost the group approximately $ 89 million . As part of his bid , the Islanders would play 6 games per season in the arena , the Brooklyn Nets would play one exhibition game , and a minor league hockey team would call the arena home . On August 15 , 2013 , it was announced that Forest City had won the bid for the renovation of the Nassau Coliseum and its surrounding property , pending approval from the Nassau legislature and zoning changes from the Hempstead town government . The bid was approved unanimously by the Nassau legislature on September 24 , 2013 .