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Home at last: Islanders play opener at new UBS Arena

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NEW YORK — The New York Islanders‘ long wait is finally over.

Nearly four years after winning the bid to build a new home next to Belmont Park, the Islanders opened the doors to UBS Arena on Saturday night. The Calgary Flames were the Islanders’ first home opponent this season after the team spent the first 5 1/2 weeks of the season playing 13 road games.

“It’s a beautiful building,” said Lonny Lehman, a first-time season-ticket holder from East Meadow, New York, a short drive from the Coliseum. “(Looking forward to) just having a home again. … It’s been a long time coming. Our politicians failed us. Fortunately, our new owners kept us here and they’re going to have a nice following.”

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The Flames won 5-2 spoiling the debut of the new arena.

The Islanders are home at last
After a decades-long run at Nassau Coliseum, an indelible if flawed part of the Long Island hockey experience, and a brief stint at the Barclays Center while waiting for their new home, the Islanders finally opened the doors to UBS Arena. Here are the best moments from opening night.

The $1.1 billion building is the culmination of a campaign that started more than a decade ago by previous Islanders owner Charles Wang. First came the proposed Lighthouse Project in 2007 that was part of redevelopment plan, but went nowhere. Then, Nassau County voters rejected an attempt to secure public financing for a new arena four years later, and the unpopular move to Brooklyn in 2015 eventually saw the team splitting home games between Barclays Center and the Coliseum.

Now, the new arena is here and the years of uncertainty over the team’s future are over.

Lehman also praised Islanders owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, saying: “They’re fantastic. I wish they owned the (NFL’s New York) Jets.”

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Tickets for the home opener were sold out months in advance, and there was a waitlist for season tickets. Sellers were listing tickets for the first game from $230 for the cheapest seats in the corner to more than $800 on StubHub.com a few hours before puck drop.

UBS Arena has a capacity of 17,250 — larger than the 13,917 at the renovated Coliseum and 15,795 at Barclays Center.

“This is awesome,” Jason Saltsberg said. “This is definitely much more luxurious than the Coliseum was. Everything has been trending in the right direction. As soon as they announced the arena, the team seemed turn the corner and its all happening at once and its fantastic.”

The Islanders went 5-6-2 on their season-opening stretch of road games, including four straight losses. Twenty-five of their next 36 games will be at home, and they don’t play more than two consecutive games on the road until a four-game trip from Jan. 4-11.

“Hopefully, they can bring the Cup home,” said Holly Baratta, who bought season tickets for the last season of the Coliseum, but didn’t get to use them because of limited seating due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The players got a chance to practice on the ice at the new rink Thursday and were impressed.

“It absolutely blew me away,” the Islanders’ Mathew Barzal said. “I walked right in, saw the gym, saw the eating area and I couldn’t wait to see more. The entire facility and the rink and how it was set up was so high-end. … We’re a really lucky group.”



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Bucks Star Reveals His Retirement Plans

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(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

 

The Milwaukee Bucks were the No. 1 seed in the 2022-23 NBA season.

Sure, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in five games against the Miami Heat, but it doesn’t take away the fact that the Bucks are still one of the best teams in the league.

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Outside the dynamic duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday is an integral part of the Bucks roster.

Speaking of Holiday, the 33-year-old recently shared his retirement plans, via NBACentral on Twitter.

“I don’t want to play for any other team,” Holiday said.

Holiday says he wants to spend his entire career with the Bucks.

A crucial reason behind his decision is the fact that he believes the current Bucks team can still achieve great things in the NBA.

Holiday joined the Bucks ahead of the 2020-21 season, and the Bucks ended up being NBA champions that very season.

Moreover, Holiday is aging like fine wine.

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In the 2022-23 season, he averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game.

Holiday was named an NBA All-Star as well, his second career selection.

On top of being a reliable scorer and playmaker, his defense is his strongest suit.

The Bucks need a defensive anchor like him on the roster to lock down the best scorers on opposing teams.

All things considered, Holiday remains a key figure in the Bucks organization, and there’s a very good chance that he will spend the remainder of his career with the team.

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Holiday signed a four-year, $134.9 million contract in 2021 and can remain with the Bucks until the summer of 2025 if he opts into his player option for the final year of his deal.

The post Bucks Star Reveals His Retirement Plans appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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Video Shows Jimmy Butler Engaged In Intense Game

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(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

 

The summer is winding down for Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat and he is using the remainder of his time staying competitive.

No, he’s not being competitive on the basketball court.

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Instead, a video released by Butler on Instagram, and shared by ClutchPoints on Twitter, shows Butler playing some intense games of dominoes with others in London.

Throughout the video, Butler and his buddies are seen to be laughing, enthusiastically winning (and losing), and generally having a good time.

Butler has had a very busy summer.

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He sat out of the FIBA Basketball World Cup but did enjoy a lot of other sports.

Over the last few years, Butler has become a very big tennis fan and he was globe-trotting to catch some major games throughout the summer.

But he has remained relatively low-key aside from a few public outings.

Of course, he has been preparing for the new season in private, which is very important.

He was a key part of the Heat’s roster last season and his leadership was one of the reasons why they got so far in the postseason.

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Now the Heat are hoping to have a similar season in 2023-24.

However, there is one massive question mark floating above that team: Will Damian Lillard be a part of it?

Lillard wants to play for the Heat and the team would be very happy to welcome him.

But as training camp quickly approaches, it sounds like a deal between the Portland Trail Blazers and Heat might not happen.

If that is the case, Butler will remain the team’s leader when the season starts in October.

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It’s a good thing Butler is enjoying his summer and relaxing – he is going to need it.

The post Video Shows Jimmy Butler Engaged In Intense Game appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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Kevin O’Connell Delivers An Ultimatum To Players Amid Turnover Issues

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(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

 

It’s been a tough start to the season for the Minnesota Vikings.

Kevin O’Connell’s team sits on a 0-3 record, and even though they’ve been close in all three losses, they’ve shot themselves in the foot way too many times.

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Ball security has been their biggest issue thus far, with seven lost fumbles throughout the first three weeks of the season.

So, after RB Alexander Mattison fumbled twice and T.J. Hockenson also lost the ball in Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Head Coach sent his players a stern message: You won’t see the field or be a part of the team if you keep turning the ball over (via ProFootballTalk).

Besides turnovers, a complete lack of a running game has also made it tough for the Vikings to get their first win of the season.

Kirk Cousins has been fairly efficient and has put up some big numbers, but they continue to sit last in rushing yards per game and total rushing yards.

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Hopefully, Cam Akers’ arrival is going to do something to change that situation.

Up next, they have a date with the Carolina Panthers, who may have No. 1 pick Bryce Young back behind center after missing one game with an injured ankle.

Whatever the case, the Panthers’ defense has been fairly better than expected to start the season.

The Vikings can’t afford to lose the turnover battle again, and another loss could lead to some major changes, both in the lineup and in the organization.

The post Kevin O’Connell Delivers An Ultimatum To Players Amid Turnover Issues appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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