Today, the New York Islanders are forever linked with the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where the franchise built one of the greatest dynasties in NHL history by winning four consecutive Stanley Cups during the early 1980s. However, Long Island’s hockey legacy almost unfolded very differently. Before the Islanders were even created, another professional hockey team was on the verge of making the Coliseum its home.
When Nassau Coliseum opened in the early 1970s, it was one of the newest and most modern sports arenas in the country, making it an attractive destination for professional hockey. At the same time, a new rival league known as the World Hockey Association (WHA) was preparing to challenge the NHL by launching a 12-team league for the 1972-73 season.
One of the WHA’s founding franchises, the New York Raiders, viewed the newly built Nassau Coliseum as the ideal home venue. League officials believed placing the Raiders on Long Island would give the new organization a strong foothold in the New York market while providing the area with its first major professional hockey team.
Those plans never materialized.
When WHA representatives approached Nassau County officials seeking permission to use the Coliseum, local leaders rejected the proposal. County officials did not consider the WHA to be a legitimate major professional league and declined to allow the Raiders to become tenants in the brand-new arena.
That decision ultimately changed the course of hockey history on Long Island.
Around the same time, influential sports executive William Shea, the man widely credited with helping bring Major League Baseball’s New York Mets to Queens during the 1960s, was working on a different mission bringing an NHL franchise to Long Island.
Shea approached then-NHL President Clarence Campbell with a proposal to expand the league into the New York metropolitan area. The idea was not immediately welcomed. The New York Rangers opposed another franchise entering their market, fearing increased competition for fans, revenue, and media attention.
To overcome those objections, the NHL approved an expansion franchise under significant financial conditions. Original Islanders owner Roy Boe was required to pay a $6 million expansion fee to the NHL, along with an additional $5 million territorial indemnity payment to the Rangers for entering their protected market.
With those agreements finalized, the New York Islanders officially joined the NHL in 1972 and moved into Nassau Coliseum, beginning what would become one of hockey’s most successful franchise stories.
Meanwhile, the Raiders were forced to find another place to play. Unable to secure the Coliseum, they became tenants at Madison Square Garden, sharing the building with the Rangers. The arrangement proved unsuccessful, as the team struggled to attract fans throughout its inaugural season.
Poor attendance and financial difficulties quickly caught up with the franchise. After just one year, the Raiders folded in their original form, relocating to Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where they rebranded as the New York Golden Blades in an attempt to revive the organization.
Looking back, the rejection of the Raiders’ proposal by Nassau County proved to be one of the most significant decisions in Long Island sports history. Had county officials welcomed the WHA instead of waiting for an NHL franchise, the Islanders may never have been established, and the region could have missed out on decades of memorable hockey, including four Stanley Cup championships and one of the league’s greatest dynasties.
In hindsight, a single decision about arena access helped shape the future of professional hockey on Long Island, forever cementing the Islanders’ place in the area’s sporting history.
Leave a Reply