From Elvis Presely to now Donald Trump, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum has seen its share of history. So, it was fitting that during Trump's rally this week he jokingly compared himself to drawing crowds like Elvis used to, in the building that Elvis once played in.
The "Barn" as it was often referred to is a multipurpose indoor arena that is best known as the former home of the New York Islanders, but the history is much deeper than just hockey.
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which is the official name, first opened on February 11, 1972 with an ABA game between the New York Nets and the Pittsburgh Condors. The original capacity was 15,000, and the arena was built on 63 acres of Mitchel Field, a former Army/Air Force base for $32 million dollars.
After an extensive renovation, the Coliseum reopened on April 5, 2017, with a concert by Billy Joel after an 18-month, $180 million renovation. The Coliseum offers 14,500 seats for basketball, MMA and boxing, 13,900 for hockey, up to 16,000 for concerts, and 4,500 seats for its theater configuration. During the Trump rally, it was estimated that the crowd was above capacity and reached nearly 20,000 people with more than double that outside watching on the big screens.
While the arena has always been associated closely with the Islanders, it's the Nets who were their first inhabitants. The Nets won two ABA championships in the Coliseum, with Dr. J (Julius Erving) leading the charge.
The Nets defeated the Utah Stars in the 1973-74 season for their first championship and then beat the Denver Nuggets in the 1975-76 season for their second ABA Championship, the final championship in ABA history.
The Nets would play their last game at the Coliseum in 1977 before moving to New Jersey.
The Coliseum also held multiple other sports, such as indoor soccer with the New York Arrows and later the New York Express. The Arrows brought home one championship. The New York Sets, a World Tennis team, played their first-ever match at the Coliseum in 1974 and won their first WTT Championship two seasons later. They then moved to Madison Square Garden.
With all of that history, and championship-level play, the Island will always be known as home to the Islanders. On Oct. 7, 1972, the first Islanders game in Nassau Coliseum was played against the Atlanta Flames. The first NHL goal in the building was scored by Flames forward Morris Stefaniw while Ed Westfall scored the first goal for the Islanders.
Three years after they began play, the Islanders’ first playoff win came against the New York Rangers 3–2. They would go on to clinch their first playoff series, defeating the Rangers in a best-of-three series.
The Islanders had almost unparalleled success in the Barn under Al Arbour. In the 1979-80 season, the Islanders won their first of four straight Stanley Cups.The names Bobby Nystrom,Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin and company would soon live in Long Island lore. Defeating Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers for their fourth straight championship would cement the Islanders and their home, Nassau Coliseum, as one of sports greatest all-time dynasties.
After the great dynasty years, the Islanders found it hard to find continued success and they soon left Uniondale for the Barclays Center for the 2015-16 season when voters rejected a proposal to keep the team in Nassau County. Charles Wang felt forced to move the Islanders out by the town of Hempstead.
Since the bad blood, the Islanders were slowly coming back on a part-time basis, moving back in the 2018-19 season, when they agreed to play 12 games at the newly renovated Coliseum. They now play at Belmont, appeasing many fans who wanted them to stay on the Island.
The Coliseum's history goes well beyond the Islanders and even sports.
Long Island's favorite son Billy Joel has played plenty in the building that sits only 15 minutes from where he grew up. Joel even has his own “retired number” in the Coliseum. His name hangs in the rafters, next to the great Islanders jerseys and championship banners.
The other names that have played this venue roll off the tongue like a hall of fame lineup. Led Zepplin, The Jacksons, The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, and yes, even Elvis Presley performed here. Elvis sold out four concerts in 1973 and again in 1975. He was supposed to play back in the Coliseum the year he died, only six days later.
With an eye to the future as you pull up, you see the WWE promoting their return to Saturday night's with their new show, "Saturday Night's Main Event," which will be held here in the coming months. It's fitting for wrestling who have such a rich and storied history with the Coliseum. This arena hosted Wrestlemania 2 in 1986, with the main event being Rowdy Roddy Piper against Mr. T.
With all due respect to the Long Island Nets and New York Riptide, who call this place home, the "Barn" now has a new piece of historical significance with Donald Trump taking the stage this week.