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Islanders’ Brooklyn debut gets mixed reviews

New Jersey Devils v New York Islanders

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 21: The New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils drop the opening puck during a preseason game at the Barclays Center on September 21, 2013 in Brooklyn borough of New York City.The game is the first professional hockey match to be held in the arena that is slated to be the new home for the Islanders at the start of the 2015-2016 season. The Devils defeated the islanders 3-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Last night saw Barclays Center in Brooklyn get its first shot at hosting hockey as the Islanders faced the New Jersey Devils. While the Islanders came away as 3-0 losers, it was the arena being judged the hardest and the reviews are mixed as Allan Kreda of The New York Times reports.

Coaches and players seemed to love Barclays Center. Isles coach Jack Capuano praised the atmosphere. Travis Hamonic also had a rave review.

“It’s an unbelievably cool place,” he said. “It makes you look forward to being here. I thought the rink was great.”

As for the fans, the people who will have to pay hundreds of dollars for tickets, there were some complaints.
“You get the creature comforts of a new arena, but I was unimpressed with the spectator area,” 23-year-old Megan Leach said. “There were a lot of terrible sight lines.”

When the New York Islanders announced they would be moving to Brooklyn in 2015, fans were curious how a building constructed without hockey in mind, Barclays Center, would work out. Now they have an idea what needs to be worked out before the team is there full-time.

Related: Video: Devils’ Jacob Josefson scores first goal in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center

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