The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multipurpose indoor arena, that is better known as the former home of the New York Islanders, located in Uniondale, New York.
The arena opened in 1972 and was built on 63 acres of Mitchel Field, which was formerly known as Army Airfield and later an Air Force base. However, now the grounds are used for sporting events, large exhibitions, concerts, and shows.
Now, the arena still stands after some renovations made, and much has come on and out of the arena since its opening in 1972.
Sports
Most would probably guess that the first event to happen at the Coliseum would have been an Islanders game, but most would be wrong. The arena was the first home for the New York Nets in the then-American Basketball Association – now the National Basketball Association. The first-ever event to take place was a game between the Nets and the Pittsburgh Condors on Feb. 11, 1972.
Led by Julius Erving, the Nets won two ABA championships in the Coliseum, defeating the Utah Stars in the 1973-74 season for their first championship, and beating the Denver Nuggets in the 1975-76 season for their second ABA Championship, the final championship in ABA history. The following season, the Nets joined the NBA as part of the merger with the ABA. The Nets would play their final season at the Coliseum during the 1976-77 season, before moving to New Jersey, playing four seasons at the Rutgers Athletic Center prior to the completion of the Meadowlands Arena.
The Coliseum also held indoor soccer, as they hosted the New York Arrows, and later the New York Express. The Arrows brought home one championship in their short-lived existence between 1978 to 1984. The Express would end operations from financial struggles after the 1986-87 season.
The New York Sets, a charter franchise of World Team Tennis, played their first-ever match at the Coliseum on May 7, 1974. In 1976, the franchise captured their first WTT Championship. Later, the franchise would rebrand to the New York Apples, and relocate their home arena to Madison Square Garden.
Although all of the sporting events that took place at the Coliseum were great in their own regard, none of those were as great as the birth of the decorated New York Islanders franchise.
The New York Raiders of the World Hockey Association were intended to play at the Coliseum for the 1972-73 season. However, Nassau County did not see the WHA as a professional league, leaving them to want…
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