The Montauk Lighthouse

The Fishsticks Jersey. Infamous for being one of the worst Jerseys in the NHL outside of that St Louis 3rd Jersey that Keenan refused to have his team wear. But the jersey did incorporate one good addition which managed to last beyond its fishstick life. The Lighthouse Patch. In Fairness I did find a version of the patch which incorporated the darker Islanders colors instead of the original lighter blues and oranges it came in.

The Lighthouse Patch represented one of Long Island's most famous and recognizable landmarks, the Montauk Lighthouse. The addition of this bit of LI history to the Islanders uniform added a bit more local flavor to the team. For those that haven't seen it, here's a picture of the Montauk Lighthouse. Although I think this is a pretty good representation of the Lighthouse, I did try to find one that tended to look a bit like the Lighthouse Hockey logo. I recommend looking through google images for more images as some of them were to me breathtaking.

Beyond being a symbol for the absolute end of Long Island, the Lighthouse itself is historic. It was commissioned by the Second United States Congress and President Washington in 1792. Construction began in 1796 and finished a few months later. As with anything that age, the Lighthouse has gained a great deal of history and has seen a great deal of change. The Armistad supposedly used the lighthouse as guidance to Connecticut. The shore the Lighthouse is on was formerly known as Turtle Rock. There was an additional 200 Meters between the shore and the Lighthouse when it was constructed which resembled a turtle shell. There has been a continual debate on how best to save the Lighthouse as the erosion rate means that even its current location will eventually be under water.

I mentioned quickly that it is the absolute end of Long Island. It is in more ways then one. The Lighthouse is as far east as you can go and still be in New York. The famed Long Island Expressway or LIE also ends/starts at the foot of the Lighthouse. Montauk itself has some of the most beautiful beaches in NY. As in the above picture most of Montauk is rather scenic outside of the regular tourist traps to be expected in such areas. One of the fights about the Lighthouse is that a possible seawall to protect the Lighthouse will ruin some of the nearby famous surf.

Both the Lighthouse in the Islanders patch and the Lighthouse in the Lighthouse Hockey logo appear to be representations of the Montauk Lighthouse. If you look around the web in short time you can find an angled shot of the Montauk Lighthouse with its buildings that actually match the shape of the shaded buildings in the Lighthouse hockey Logo. As I have complained about the current Islanders Jersey choices, I think the Lighthouse Patch is one of those that should return.

Of course the whole problem now is that whenever you mention Lighthouse and Islanders people automatically think its a tie in to the Islanders Lighthouse Project. Since the patch came around before Wang had the team or dreamed up the Lighthouse Project, its too bad. It was a great addition to the Islanders jersey without taking anything away. It only added the feeling of them truly being Long Islands team.  Its obvious that the Lighthouse Project and the idea for an actual Lighthouse (I believe?) silhouette at the future site is inspired by the Montauk Lighthouse.

So class, that's your history lesson today on the Montauk Lighthouse. I hope you all learned a little something more today, especially if your not originally from the NYC area. If you are from the NYC Area, take a trip to Montauk instead of the Jersey Shore. I can recommend the beach and the whole area as head and shoulders above anything that's along the Jersey Shore. Except of course that it's a four hour drive. Well worth it though.