October 2nd

October 2nd of next preseason the Islanders will be playing the Devils in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center.  This game should be consider as a trial run to see if the Barclays Center can work for the Islanders and the NHL.

The New York Islanders announced they will play the first National Hockey League game at Barclays Center, the new multi-million arena in Downtown Brooklyn, on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012. Ironically, they will play the New Jersey Devils, who moved from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. to their own arena in Newark, the Prudential Center. The game will also mark the first ever hockey game played in Brooklyn.
“We’re extremely excited to play the first NHL game in the new, state-of-the-art Barclays Center,” Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said in a statement. “We already have some of the most passionate fans in the league supporting our young team, and we are looking forward to expanding our base into Brooklyn.”
Speculation arising over the Islanders relocation has been fierce since Long Island voters rejected a $400 million bond plan to finance a replacement to Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale. With Barclays Center being able to handle an NHL-regulation ice rink, a move to Brooklyn may be easier for the Islanders than building a new arena or rehabbing the coliseum.

 http://www.knickledger.com/2012/01/n-y-islanders-preseason-game-in-brooklyn-stokes-potential-relocation-plans/

The New York Islanders will take on the hated New Jersey Devils just days after the arena’s scheduled grand opening that will feature multiple concerts by the rap mogul Jay-Z.
The Barclays Center announcement hinted of professional hockey in the area’s future, even though just one game is scheduled so far for the Nassau County-based team.
“We feel Brooklyn is an untapped hockey market that offers the Islanders with an exciting opportunity to grow its fan base,” Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said.
The news of the game was hinted at by Markowitz during an impromptu preview of his State of the Borough address Saturday at the Bay Ridge Community Council’s annual luncheon.
“It would be great to see some hockey at the arena,” the uncharacteristically tight-lipped Beep told us before zipping out of the Bay Ridge Manor on 76th Street, claiming that any official announcements will be made at his annual State of the Borough address tomorrow. “In Brooklyn, there should be an NHL team, no question.”

 http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2012/5/all_stateofboroughpreview_2012_02_03_bk.html