With Islanders gone from Brooklyn, another perceived slap, as "Barclays bingo" ignores hockey

Norman Oder photo

The New York Islanders played their last game ever in Brooklyn 3/3/20, with their season cut short by the coronavirus crisis, and the divorce has been a little awkward, despite the goodbye photo on Flatbush Avenue.

Others have piled on to the observations, as I cited 4/14/20, that the flaws in the arena and game presentation alienated fans and even injured players, though it kept the team in New York, buying time for that new Belmont arena.

Photo from Lou Lamoriello parody account

See these articles:

• The Empire Strikes Back, 3/18/20, Brooklyn Saved the New York Islanders, But It Never Became Home
• amNY, 3/22/20, Toxicity aside, Islanders fans should be thankful for Barclays Center stay
• NY City Lens, 3/14/20, Brooklyn Iced
• Eye on Isles, 3/17/20, Islanders: Barclays Center gets unceremonious end it deserves

A few other observations

Matthew Benedetti, writing for NY City Lens, captured a culture clash between the Nets and the Isles:

The traditional organ music that played throughout the second intermission at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 3 had abruptly switched to louder rap music as the players took the ice for the third period. Oblivious Islander fans seemed unphased by the contrived attempt to stir the crowd via Biggie Smalls, many preferring to scroll through personal devices instead.

Sean Shapiro, in a 3/25/20 article for The Athletic, noted:

The video board isn’t over center ice and there isn’t a hockey press box. Like we do in Nashville, the media members are mingling with fans on the upper-concourse level when moving to and from the elevator or restroom.
There is a reason it makes sense that the Islanders are getting a new facility soon out on Long Island.

A final slap

"Not to mention that if you walked around the concourse on a non-game day you'd have no idea that the New York Islanders played there 41 times a season," wrote Michel Anderson in Eye on Isles.

Yesterday, as noted by Eye on Isles and in several testy Twitter responses, the Barclays Center tweeted "Barclays Center Bingo," offering 24 things arena visitors might have done, including three Nets references and even mention of (infrequent) boxing, with no reference to the Islanders' five-year sojourn.

Pretty sure the #Isles also played some games there...

— CordUp 🔌🍋 (@CordUpTime) April 27, 2020