Islanders show off campus construction at Barclays Center

July 10, 2015 Jaime DeJesus

BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by Jaime DeJesus

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Showing off the new digs!

Although it remains a work in progress, Barclays Center General Manager Steve Rosebrook joined New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow and center Anders Lee on Wednesday, July 8, to give members of the media a tour of the Islanders’ campus at Barclays, which is still under construction.

Design architect AECOM and Hunt Construction Group are behind the Islanders’ future state-of-the-art facilities, which include an oval-shaped locker room, a spacious players’ lounge, dining area, and meeting, training, x-ray and weight rooms. Although much work remains to be done before the estimated August completion date, management was thrilled to show off its promise.

“They’ll have a lot of amenities,” said Rosebrook. “The big thing here is that they’ve taken the best of the best from a lot of locker rooms around the country and a lot of hockey-centric buildings and I think they did a great job designing this place.”

Snow, a former player, is excited for his players and coaches to receive top-notch rooms. “We loved playing at Nassau Coliseum but when we take the tour, you’ll see what a first class facility is like,” he noted. “We’re really excited to call Barclays Center home.”

During the tour a lot of sheet rock was on display; however, the future camp seems bright for Brooklyn’s latest sports franchise.

From a player’s perspective, Lee is excited to spend plenty of time in the new facilities for the upcoming season. “It makes it easier to come to a place like this and get ready to play. Everything is so state-of-the-art. We’ll be in a locker room that’s going to be one of the best in the league. It’s going to help us out tremendously,” he said.

The main attraction of the tour was the locker room, which will feature wood locker spaces. The room’s oval shape will also add to team camaraderie, according to Snow. “The oval shape allows our players to communicate eye to eye. It’s a great way to bond. It’s a great way to build chemistry,” he said, joking that the players won’t want to leave.

The same evening, over 6,000 fans showed up for the team’s Blue and White Scrimmage, where Islanders’ prospects took the ice to give Brooklynites a taste of hockey before the season begins this fall.

Fans were already enthused. “I love (Barclays) and love every minute of it,” said longtime season ticket holder Craig Richardson, a member of the fanatic Orange and Blue Army. “I’m from Long Island and I’m not upset with the commute at all. I took the train in tonight and it took a little less than an hour to get here. I’ll be coming to every game this season.”

“I’ve been a fan for 10 years,” added Long Islander Tommy R. “I’m not disappointed at all. We needed a change. We needed a new building. It’s a bit disappointing since I used to drive to all the games 15 minutes. Now I take the train for over an hour but it beats moving to Quebec or Kansas City.”