As we walked through the throngs of tailgaters in the Coliseum parking lot the afternoon of the New York Islanders first home playoff game, I don’t think anyone knew the Islanders would complete a sweep of the Penguins less than a week later. We, like many of the fans, were just enjoying the moment.
Though there was a lot of so-called experts picking the Penguins to beat the Islanders, we didn’t hear any of that.
On this night, in the parking lot at the Nassau Veteran’s Coliseum (I refuse to call it NYCB Live), there was nothing but positive energy coming from the fans, enjoying BBQ’s, beverages, companionship, bag toss, music, and spending time with families, some getting their first taste of Islander playoff hockey.