Maven's Memories: From Long Island Arena to UBS Arena

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was the best arena in the NHL to watch a hockey game.
UBS Arena will be the best arena in the world to watch the beloved Islanders in action.
I speak with authority since I also hold the unofficial title of "Arena Maven."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm the only active hockey journalist who covered each of the Original Six arenas, dating back to seeing my first hockey game at the old Madison Square Garden in 1939. (I was seven.)
I've studied Maple Leaf Gardens, Montreal's Forum, Chicago Stadium, Detroit Olympia and Boston Garden as well.
Toronto's rink -- carefully designed by Leafs boss Conn Smythe -- had the best sight lines of all. That is, until The Barn -- that is The Coliseum -- opened in 1972.

At the time, NHL President Clarence Campbell toured the Coliseum and may have shocked a few Canadians when he unequivocally stated: "This is the perfect place to watch a hockey game. The sightlines are magnificent."
And so they were. You could be watching a game from the very last row and not worry about any interference. As the late hockey historian Ira Gitler once said, "It's as perfect as a hockey rink could be."
And Ira was a Rangers fan!
The Coliseum's history is rooted in an earlier ice palace constructed in Suffolk County; the town of Commack to be precise.
As Long Island's population began soaring in the post-World War II years, one man envisioned the possibilities of a pro hockey arena on the Island. His name: Tom Lockhart, who wore an assortment of hockey hats.
He was at once Business Manager of the Rangers and President of the Blueshirts farm team, the New York Rovers. In addition, he ran the Metropolitan Hockey League whose games were played as Sunday afternoon preliminaries before the Rover matches at MSG
And that's not all. Lockhart founded and was boss of the Amateur Hockey Association of American (now USA Hockey) as well as president of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League.
"I could see how hockey could boom on the Island," said Lockhart, "and I found a good site in Commack."
Lockhart orchestrated construction of the Long Island Arena and, for a short time, transferred the Rovers to Commack. Eventually, the Eastern League team was bought by Long Island electrical supply magnate Al Baron. The Ducks were born and would become legendary.
"We built a terrific fan base," said Baron, whose Ducks would host teams from such diverse locales as Nashville, Clinton and Greensboro as well as New Haven and Johnstown, among others.
The team was colorful and drew big crowds. Players such as John Brophy, Ray Crew, Buzzy Deschamps, Norm Ryder and John Muckler became local heroes. Muckler later became the general manager.
"Pro hockey had become a hit on the Island," Baron asserted, "and it was the Ducks who paved the way for the Islanders.'

By the start of the 1970s, Nassau County backed construction of the Coliseum in the hopes of drawing a major league hockey and basketball team although at the time, the NHL wasn't interested.
But when the World Hockey Association was formed in 1971 to compete with the NHL a year later, all previous bets were off.
"No way we wanted a WHA team in the new Nassau arena," said Rangers president Bill Jennings.
With the support of William (Bill) Shea, who helped organize the New York Mets, the NHL approved both an Atlanta and Long Island franchise for the 1972-73 season.
"We knocked the WHA out of the box," said Bill Torrey who became the Islanders architect and a Hall of Fame legend in his own time.
Meanwhile, Al Baron sold the Ducks and for one season, the WHA's Chicago team sponsored the Long Island Cougars.
Once the Islanders launched their maiden season, Tom Lockhart and Al Baron had become forgotten hockey heroes and the Ducks survived only in legend.
As for the spanking new Coliseum, it quickly became the pride of the Island because it was so sagely blueprinted and so easy on the eyes.
"Even the press box had the best view in the league," said Stan Epstein, the first producer of Islanders hockey for Chuck Dolan, the founder of Cablevision and SportsChannel, telecasters for the Nassaumen.
Ah, but UBS Arena will not only be infinitely better than any hockey rink in the world, it will introduce innovations in seating and an assortment of amenities that dazzled me on a tour of the structure.

My expedition literally covered every inch of the building from end to end and top to bottom.
For starters, what impressed me most was the "bowl," or lower arena, which is the largest by far of anything like it in the NHL or anywhere else.
That means more fans will have an up-front view of the ice than anywhere on earth.
To duplicate the unique Coliseum crowd roars, the architects have provided a low ceiling designed for high decibel counts.
There are eateries of every kind sprinkled through all levels and a unique Islanders dressing room - the oval design of which was supervised by The Boss, Lou Lamoriello. The egg shape ensures that all players can see each other.
A train buff like The Maven was especially impressed by Long Island Rail Road plans to construct an up-to-date station across from UBS Arena. That's a year in the making.
Here are a few other gems:
* The most deluxe event level suites I've ever seen.
* The entrance with its staircase will be nothing short of majestic.
* Corridors are wide; restrooms are all over the place.
* Standing viewing areas are situated at the top of both bowls.
* To call the scoreboard "massive" would be an understatement.
* There's a bar in the middle of the section at the top of the upper bowl behind the net.
* And you can get a Heineken anywhere you turn.
Or as my pal, Benny Hogue, would say, Magnifique!
Learn more about UBS Arena here. Follow @UBSArena on Twitter.