Islanders fans cite Matthew Schaefer as reason for first attendance increase in 5-year history of UBS Arena

Attendance for Islanders games increased year-over-year for the first time in the five-year history of the $1.1 billion UBS Arena despite the team's late-season collapse and failure to make the playoffs for the second straight season. The boost, fans and team officials said, is due to the arrival of 18-year-old rookie star Matthew Schaefer, a feeling of hope for the team's future and new management.

The Islanders averaged 16,439 fans per game during their 41-game home schedule at the 17,255-seat arena this season, a 2.87% increase from last season’s average of 15,979, which was the lowest total of the team’s five seasons in Elmont.

Season-ticket holder Mitchell Klee, 23, of Port Washington, said Schaefer's arrival changed “everything.”

“We haven't had a superstar in God knows how long," Klee said, "so I think it's that. Every jersey is a Schaefer jersey, which is cool to see. I feel like whenever he touches the puck, it's always this huge deal and people are freaking out."

The Islanders sold out 21 of their final 24 home games and had 26 total sellouts. The team slumped in March and fired coach Patrick Roy with four games left in the season, replacing him with Pete DeBoer.

Only 16,918 fans attended the penultimate home game on Sunday, a 4-1 loss to Montreal that eliminated the Islanders from playoff contention, and 15,231 attended Tuesday's regular-season finale against Carolina.

Klee acknowledged the disappointment of missing the playoffs, but said, "I think they've set the foundation" for success in the future.

Schaefer said "it's hard to explain" how much he has enjoyed his relationship with Islanders fans after Tuesday night's season finale.

"It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in front of fans," Schaefer said. "It’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey. When you come out and the fans are chanting your name and cheering behind us, it’s the coolest feeling ever."

UBS Arena opened in November 2021 and averaged 17,085 fans per game in the first season. The Islanders experienced annual drops over the next three seasons, which fans said were due to the team's lackluster play and traffic and transportation problems that have plagued the area. The Islanders have made the playoffs twice in the past five years. The transportation challenges remain but fans interviewed by Newsday said they are getting used to the commute and are more likely to tolerate the traffic to watch Schaefer and a winning team.

"Like any Long Islander, we're just so used to the traffic it's par for the course," said Kelly Breslin, 52, of Medford. "You just got to deal. It's what you do for the team."

Fans also pointed to the Islanders having a more fan-friendly approach under new general manager Mathieu Darche, who replaced former president Lou Lamoriello before the season.

"A drastic change, even for season-ticket holders," said Stacy Salomides, of Island Park. "They do a lot more for us. They're bringing us in. They're bringing the fans together. It's been a great experience.”

The Matthew Schaefer Effect

Kevin Strohm, a 52-year-old former Brentwood resident who now lives in New Jersey, said he went to about eight games this season.

“One reason attendance is good this year? This young man [Schaefer] right here," said Strohm, pointing at the back of his 11-year-old son Nick's No. 48 jersey. "And ownership does a very good job making these kids feel welcome and want to come back out.”

Schaefer has blossomed into a star, finishing with 23 goals, which tied him with Rangers Hall of Famer Brian Leetch for the most goals by a rookie defenseman.

Schaefer's arrival on Long Island required some luck. The Islanders won the NHL Draft lottery in May despite having only a 3.5% chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick. 

"The hockey gods smiled on us," Islanders director of pro scouting Ken Morrow said the night of the lottery.

Islanders president of business operations Kelly Cheeseman said the combination of Schaefer and an improved team has helped reverse the downward attendance trend.

“We knew Matthew was a good player,” Cheeseman told Newsday. “But I think there was still a debate at that point between Mathieu Darche and Patrick [Roy] whether he's going to make the team. Then he makes the team, and he’s doing what he's doing, now he’s breaking records. That’s how it all works.”

Schaefer scored his first NHL goal in the Islanders' home opener against the Capitals on Oct. 11, which was a sellout. But attendance was sluggish after that — the next seven home games averaged only 14,973 fans per game.

In the 17 home games before the season-ending 24-game stretch, UBS Arena had a crowd below 15,000 eight times.

Lauren Hindman is an assistant professor in Hofstra’s sport management program who spent five years as the senior director of marketing for the Texas Stars, the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate. Hindman said having a star player doesn't always translate into growing a team's fan base and the key isgetting fans to connect with the player.

"That's where we really are seeing the Islanders’ marketing strategy around Matt Schaefer and Matt Schaefer's personality pay off," Hindman said. "He is resonating with this fan base, and he is becoming someone fans feel like they kind of know. He's not just the athlete under the helmet. He's got a personality that fans have really gotten to see in a short period of time.”

New regime, new approach

Darche, 49, was hired as the general manager in May to replace Lamoriello, who was criticized for giving long-term contracts to underperforming veteran players. Islanders ownership wanted to improve the team's relationship with the fans, and Darche has been taking a more fan-facing, personable approach to how he runs the team, something Islanders fans were not accustomed to under Lamoriello, who did little community outreach.

Season-ticket holder Will Chiarucci, 35, of Bellmore, said the change has been refreshing.

Chiarucci said he's happy he isn't "having to deal with the silence of Lou Lamoriello. There’s a lot of transparency within the organization with Mathieu Darche being here. Nothing's hidden from anybody. The fan events have been really good this year, no doubt about it.”

The events for season-ticket holders included a preseason barbecue at The Park at UBS Arena, which has become a popular spot for fans to hang out before games, where fans got to meet the players and a meet-the-team event on the day of the men’s Olympic gold-medal game. 

Fans had the opportunity to skate on the UBS Arena ice, and on the new Isles + UBS Arena app they can earn points, which can convert directly to merchandise and food. The Islanders also launched their "On The Island” docuseries on YouTube, giving fans behind-the-scenes looks of the season. 

Parking woes persist

Fans have good things to say about UBS Arena, once they get inside. It's getting there and back home that is the problem.

The arena is on the grounds of Belmont Park near the Nassau County-Queens border. It sits near the Cross Island Parkway and Hempstead Turnpike, about two miles north of the Southern State and Belt Parkways and three miles south of the Grand Central Parkway.

UBS Arena was built and privately funded by New York Arena Partners, which is a joint venture of the Islanders, Oak View Group and Sterling Project Development, which is an affiliate of Sterling Equities.

"You can go to any New York venue and most venues around the world, there's not too many perfect ones,” Cheeseman said. “There's a lot we can improve on. A lot of it is just availability and more of it. But at the same time, can we do more? Can we do more with the Long Island Rail Road to build on that? That will help, because then you can alleviate some of the parking concerns. There's a lot that goes on here, and we definitely have focus on fixing some of those things.

“But there's certain things — there’s only so far you can go.”

Breslin is a half-season-ticket holder who drives to games “just because I'm not a fan of taking the train all the time.” She said the traffic becomes worst when she hits the Cross Island Parkway near the arena but overall “it’s not bad.”

“Sometimes on a Friday night game, that could be pretty taxing," Breslin said.

Bob Barker, the president of the local Locustwood Gotham Civic Association, has dealt with UBS Arena event-goers parking in the surrounding neighborhoods to avoid paying for arena parking. He said the issue has gotten “75% better,” as they have worked with local authorities to restrict parking on the streets in the area, but he said fans have gotten “slick” and are parking even deeper in neighborhoods. He said “we have to wait and see.”

“When they built it, they didn't take the community into consideration," Barker said. "They just built it and said, ‘OK, we'll see what happens.’ But now the impact of it is just a big burden to the community, where still a lot has to be done. After five, six years, we're still working on this, how best we can navigate through this process.”

Train pain

The Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station is also about a half-mile away from UBS Arena. Shuttles are available to and from the station, but long lines have been an issue.

Chiarucci takes the train to every game after driving to Hicksville. He said the LIRR “has been really, really convenient for a lot of the fan base.”

Cheeseman encourages fans to take the train, despite the challenges.

“If we're ultimately helping increase train ridership, that's a good thing,” Cheeseman said.

Josh Fisher, a 25-year-old season-ticket holder from Nesconset, said the shuttles were more reliable and frequent this season.

"We knew coming into this, this was going to be a 5-to-10 year construction project," he said. "So I think people forget that sometimes, and need to be patient with that.”

Other fans have complained the swarm of pedestrian traffic to the train slows down cars trying to leave the Emerald Lot.

Season-ticket holders Rick Kern of Roslyn Heights and Ric Stark of Oceanside said that problem could be alleviated if a pedestrian walkway was built from the LIRR station over the lot and toward the arena.

Kern, 60, said fans rushing to catch the train are cutting in front of traffic, and that "could be a little dangerous, so my feeling is they really should do something."

The LIRR, contacted by Newsday, said building a walkway would be up to the Islanders.

“LIRR property ends at the metal bollards just before the blacktop of the parking lot,” MTA spokesperson Dave Steckel said in an email. “Past that point is UBS property and they are free to pursue any future projects.”

UBS feels like home

Chiarucci said he has been to every NHL arena, and said that UBS Arena is “hands down” a top-five venue in the league. He noted how the team was “in limbo” 10-15 years ago, and “we're very thankful” to have a home like UBS Arena.

“I feel like this is kind of the first year it actually kind of felt like our stadium,” Klee said. “It was kind of weird where it felt like we were playing in the stadium, but it didn't feel like there was much life to it, even when they were winning games and they were in the playoffs and stuff.

“This year has been the best year.”

Newsday's Andrew Gross contributed to this story