Islanders' Nassau Coliseum to Close Indefinitely

The Islanders won’t return to Nassau Coliseum for the 2020-21 season, despite New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s February announcement that the team would spend all upcoming home games at the Uniondale arena.

The arena’s operating company, Onexim Sports and Entertainment, plans to close Nassau Coliseum indefinitely, according to Bloomberg.

Onexim is owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who previously owned the Brooklyn Nets. The company, which runs the arena through a lease with Nassau County, is reportedly seeking investors to take over its operations and its roughly $100 million of loans, according to Bloomberg. The firm could also surrender its lease to lenders.

Tuesday's announcement came three months after the Coliseum closed its doors to operations because of the coronavirus pandemic. As an entertainment company, Onexim makes a significant portion of its revenue from live events, most of which were canceled this year.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges to arenas across the country, and our Coliseum is no exception without hockey to anchor the venue," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said in a statement Tuesday. "Nassau County is encouraged that Onexim is speaking to their lenders and other potential investors."

Last year, the Islanders split their time between the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The team was expected to spend one final season in the Nassau Coliseum before moving to Belmont Park Arena in Elmont, NY, in 2021.

Belmont Park’s construction began in 2019 and was originally expected to be completed by 2021. However, construction on the arena was halted in March, under Cuomo’s ban on non-essential construction as part of the state-wide coronavirus closures.

The Islanders played at Nassau Coliseum for 43 years, until the arena was closed for a $180 million renovation in 2015. With construction Belmont expected not to be completed until 2021, the Islanders have not yet made a statement on where they will play during the 2020-21 season. 

Neither Onexim nor the Islanders responded to requests for comment following the announcement.