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Work crews at Nassau Coliseum removed the sheet of ice for the final time today, as the Islanders will finally set up shop at Barclays Center starting next season.
The removal was captured in a series of tweets by Newsday videographer Bobby Cassidy, beginning with the removal of the dashers and the loosening of the molding surrounding the ice and culminating in the final scraping of shavings via forklift plow thingy contraption (scientific term).
Some folks prefer to believe the Islanders will come back to Nassau in the future, either temporarily or permanently. But those are debates and dreams for another time.
Today, it's about a playing surface that's seen a lot of history being removed for the first time in 43 years without the prospect of returning in October.
Sad day at Nassau Coliseum, ice is coming out for the final time @nyislanders #isles pic.twitter.com/KdHATiEWSB
— Bobby Cassidy (@casswriter44) May 5, 2015
Worker uses blow torch to loosen molding that keeps ice in place, as ice comes out at Coliseum for final time #isles pic.twitter.com/0tev28SvZT
— Bobby Cassidy (@casswriter44) May 5, 2015
Ice comes out at Nassau Coliseum for final time #isles @nyislanders pic.twitter.com/fEzBMnZqOf
— Bobby Cassidy (@casswriter44) May 5, 2015
The same crease, same building - Smith, Garth, DiPietro, Halak - ice comes out at Coliseum for last time #isles pic.twitter.com/SjjQMDVmSv
— Bobby Cassidy (@casswriter44) May 5, 2015
There goes the @nyislanders logo as ice comes out at Nassau Coliseum for last time #isles pic.twitter.com/EEIoR5Hlm9
— Bobby Cassidy (@casswriter44) May 5, 2015
Almost gone - The ice comes out at Nassau Coliseum for last time #isles pic.twitter.com/m4VC9Btt4O
— Bobby Cassidy (@casswriter44) May 5, 2015
Ice out, Nassau Coliseum, done. #isles pic.twitter.com/XCkewvmz3A
— Bobby Cassidy (@casswriter44) May 5, 2015
Thanks very much to Cassidy for posting the images and we look forward to his next Islanders video on Newsday.com.
UPDATE: As usual, Bruce Bennett nails it with a fine pic:
End of Nassau Coliseum ice pic.twitter.com/sNmmgirf4N
— Bruce Bennett (@Bruce_Bennett) May 5, 2015