The Old Barn

Does it count as a 'road trip' if the destination is 5 minutes from where you live? Perhaps it does if the destination is one that holds 43 years of memories for you!
On Saturday night, the NY Islanders played the last regular season NHL game at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Coliseum was born out of a desire to do 'something' with the old Mitchel Field Air Base, which had been abandoned in 1959 or so. Like most things here in Nassau County, the property, one of the most desirable in the County, has been a political football since the air base closed. In the early 1970's, Long Island had some good sports teams, and a decent arena was definitely needed. The New York Nets had been playing here, first at the old Long Island Arena in Commack, then at the Island Garden in West Hempstead. One of the American Basketball Association's better teams, the Nets had some star power with Rick Barry, Bill Melchionni, and eventually, Dr. J, Julius Erving on the roster.
Long Island was also a hotbed for hockey, and we loved our Eastern Hockey League team, the Long Island Ducks, who also played at the Long Island Arena in Commack. And with the new World Hockey Association coming along, it made sense for Long Island to build a large arena that would be home to the Nets, and to a hockey team, as well as to concerts, shows, etc., much like Madison Square Garden was in the city.
On February 11 1972, the New York Nets hosted the Pittsburgh Condors, and the story began. Through the years, the Coliseum hosted events of all types, including Elvis Presley in 1973 and 1975; Pink Floyd, who filmed "Delicate Sound of Thunder" here; The Grateful Dead (multiple shows); Madonna; Cher; Ringling Brothers Circus; all of the "ice" shows, like Ice Capades and Disney on Ice; the Harlem Globetrotters; And of course, all of the Oldies shows stopped here as well.
Sports, well, we've had them all here, from Roller Derby to indoor lacrosse, Arena Football, team tennis (the NY Sets), Wrestlemania, NCAA Basketball, AHL hockey, and of course, the Islanders.
It's been a great 43 year run, and I've had so many fun times there over the years, times that are etched in my memory forever, like:
The time I went on a date to a Nets game, and on arriving, the young lady and I were each handed a pair of panty hose and a loaf of italian bread. No, I have no clue why. She kept the panty hose, I kept the bread.
Sunday afternoon Roller Derby game, me, Phil Reilly, Brian Donnelly, and John Nowakowski. One of the last of the games in the fading original Roller Derby League, we were treated to a double overtime win for the NY team when Mike Gammon and Judy McGuire (Mrs. Gammon) scored on a double grand slam - talk about a well scripted ending!
John Conlon, Mike Kelly, Donnie Muller and I, at Islander games when the guys had season tickets in the late 70's. Typical game went like this; arrive half hour early, get beer, hang around lobby. Game time, get another beer, go to seat. Halfway through first period, get another beer. End of first period, get hot dog and beer. Start of second period, get beer and bring to seat. Halfway through second period, get another beer. End of second period, bathroom break, hot dog, and another beer. Start of third period, get beer and bring to seat. Halfway through third period, get 'last call' beer. Game ends, walk to car and drive home. Yes, back in those days, we actually did things that stupid.
Taking Billy and Tommy to Islander games when they were young, and the team was less than great. Saw them lose more times than I can remember, to the point where one day I asked Billy if he wanted to go to the game that night, and he said "nah, they never win". Sitting in the stands one February break, it was 'stick day', the boys got street hockey sticks at the matinee. Isles get out to like a 5-1 lead, and I figure, thank goodness, the kids are finally going to see a win! Nope. Caught from behind, they lose 6-5. Amazing.
The circus. Took the boys almost every year, always had fun, even with the ridiculously expensive souvenirs and food. Going to the circus with Mom & Dad, and Maureen's Mom & Dad, when the boys were young. Dad, the emphysema taking it's toll, fighting his way down to the seats, then forcing himself up and out to the concourse, coming back with those crazy twirly flashlights for the kids, with him smiling more than the boys.
And now, in what seems to have been barely a tick of the clock, it's over. The old barn is closing, getting the first renovation in it's 43 years of service. The building will close, for the most part, this coming August, and will undergo approximately 18 months of construction, before re-opening as a smaller, 13,000 seat arena, with adjacent sports and entertainment venues, including a multiplex movie theater and a bowling center. They say we will be getting a minor league hockey team here, and that's sort of a good thing; the Islanders will return to play a couple of pre-season and regular season games here as well, but, for the most part, it's pretty much the end for the Coliseum as we knew, and loved it.
So last Saturday, I knew it was going to be a bit of an emotional night at the old barn. I had two tickets for the game, and was planning on going with Karen, she's got a lot of memories of her own from all the years of going there. I'd even bought some special commemorative 'Old Barn" jerseys for us to wear. But Karen had other ideas about the game. As much as she wanted to go, she insisted that I go with one of the boys. She knows what a special connection the Islanders are for Billy, Tommy, and I, and she wanted me to share that last night with one of them. Billy and Gina had gone to the game last weekend, with Karen and her kids Dennis and Danielle, the grandkids, and I, so I asked Tommy if he'd go with me. We both brought our 'good' cameras, and got some wonderful shots of the old barn, of the Islanders warming up (wearing original look 1972 jerseys!), and some of the pre-game. The night went by in a blur, and was full of emotions. The pre-game ceremony was really well done, lots of great memories were re lived, and the game itself was a roller coaster of highs and lows, and ended as the first ever Islanders game did, in a frustrating loss.
As we left, Tommy and I weren't thinking, or talking about the building closing. We were going over our frustrations over the way the team is playing heading into the playoffs, because after all, we're fans (and as Rich Anderson always says, that word is derived from "fanatics").
In fact, it wasn't until yesterday afternoon, when I decided to watch the pre-game ceremony that I'd recorded on the dvr that it really hit me. The memories just flooded back, the games, the shows, the fun times, the disappointing times, all of them like they'd just happened. But more than that, it was the memories of the people I'd been with through the years that got to me. Some, like the boys, Karen, and her kids and grandkids, will still be with me when the building reopens and we watch whatever team lands there in the future, and we'll build great new memories to cherish.
But some folks, much like those games and shows in the past, are gone now, either through their passing on, moving away, or simply having lost touch through the years. And that leaves me with a great sense of sadness, especially since whatever opens up in late 2017 might be 'new and improved', with better amenities (like properly sized bathrooms), fancier furnishings, and a 'better' fan experience, but it sure won't be the same, and frankly, I'm not sure it will be as good. Because you see, with all of it's inherent issues, many of which have been part and parcel of the place since it opened, it really never was about the physical plant itself. The Coliseum was OUR place, the one place that brought Long Islanders together through the years. We don't have a 'downtown', like Manhattan does. When a city team wins a championship, they have a parade on Broadway, through the 'canyon of heroes'. When the Islanders won the cup, our parade took place on Hempstead Turnpike and through the Coliseum roadways and parking lots. Didn't matter that it wasn't like a NYC parade, because we're not NYC - we're Long Island. And our parades were, like many other things that happen here, built around what we have, done in a way that fit in with our surroundings. 
Sort of like the old barn itself. It was never as glitzy as MSG, nor as 'hip' as The Rock, or even Barclay's is. And unlike those places, the fans were as real as the guy who lives next door to you. While 99% of the lower bowl at MSG is all corporate season tickets, the Coliseum was mostly your neighbors from top to bottom, just regular folks who struggled each year to figure out how to afford the tickets to their team. And it's those folks who are losing the most with the team leaving and the building being 're-purposed'. And along with those folks, go their memories, which they will hopefully keep and cherish forever.