The Islanders and Belmont Park are finally entering the home stretch.
The past few weeks have marked a major transformation in Nassau County. Belmont Park’s reopening has ushered in a new era for the Islanders’ home next door at UBS Arena, with collaborative plans turning the neighboring properties into a full-fledged entertainment campus. One of the most ambitious possibilities is an outdoor hockey game on the racetrack’s expansive infield.
“The NHL has talked about it as well,” Kelly Cheeseman, the Islanders’ director of business operations, told The Post.
“I think we’d love to see that.”
The newly opened racetrack will be fully operational months before the Belmont Stakes in June, when it can accommodate as many as 50,000 spectators. Unlike the old, imposing concrete grandstand, the redesigned venue is already attracting hockey fans with its more open and welcoming layout.
Several Islanders fans wearing team jerseys paid $10 for general admission to watch the afternoon races before walking a few steps to UBS Arena for the team’s dominant 6-0 home-opening victory over the Devils on Saturday night.
The sprawling park grounds create an inviting setting for racegoers and casual visitors, including fans attending a later event at UBS Arena, which opened in 2021.
“It’s really a campus now,” NYRA CEO David O’Rourke told The Post before the opening.
O’Rourke believes one of the redesigned venue’s biggest attractions, for first-time visitors and longtime racing fans alike, will be its enlarged paddock. The space allows spectators to get closer to the horses before they take to the track.
“I think [the track] has something for everyone at this point.”
Cheeseman also envisions the soon-to-be fan-accessible infield and surrounding grandstands hosting concerts, food festivals and wine events. Such programming would give the Long Island destination another feature unlike anything else in the area.
O’Rourke said the paddock, now twice the size of Belmont’s former version, could also function “as a mini amphitheater.”
“If you had a more quaint type of performance, you could do it right in the paddock.”
The racetrack’s expanded footprint forced the Islanders to relocate several popular free outdoor game-day activities, including shooting pucks at full-size nets with sticks used by former players, cornhole, fire pits, bounce castles and a stage. Those attractions now occupy a more compact area near UBS Arena’s Amex entrance.
The main change, aside from the reduced footprint, is that the area is no longer BYOB-friendly. A $5 beer garden has been added instead.
UBS Arena also has another new green space, ahead of its hosting duties for the NHL All-Star Game this February.
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A golf simulator was recently added on the arena’s suite level, offering virtual access to iconic local courses such as Bethpage and Shinnecock.
“We’re trying to really represent the culture of Long Island – golf is obviously one of those,” Cheeseman added.
The arena has also received several cosmetic upgrades, including synchronized light shows, smoke cannons and 90 additional seats.
Cheeseman said the Islanders have made “fun and creativity” a major priority this year, particularly as they look to attract younger fans energized by an exciting group of emerging talent already making an impact on the ice.
“Our young players like Matthew [Schaefer] and [Victor] Eklund, I think, speak well to the younger generation.”
The arena even introduced a kid-friendly frankenfood for the new season — a brie grilled cheese with gummy Nerds clusters melted that went viral quicker than a Schaefer wrist shot.
More family-friendly action is planned for blue and orange fans across Hempstead Turnpike at the connected Belmont Park Village shops, including a fall maze and other fun Halloween haunts later in October.
The luxury retail district has also been coming into its own since August, with a major leap in eight new openings like G-Star, Kiton and Monica Vinader.
Another 12, including Kate Middleton-worn Reiss and Boss, are slated to open by Black Friday, according to village president Valerie Leon.
“There’s a lot of curiosity and excitement,” she said, praising the expedited opening of the combined 20 storefronts.
A total 60 of Belmont’s 90 stores are game-ready this fall — with its final 30 good to go in early 2027.
Leon added that a “very exciting” upscale restaurant will also be announced in the new year.
Fans have plenty of Islanders and equestrian crossovers to look for ahead of that broader timeframe, as team-themed Dot cakes will make their way to kiosks at the open-air concourse, along with further activations around the All-Star Game.
Cheeseman anticipates the village doubling over for live music on game days.
Plenty is going on even when the Islanders are on the road, as the village will be holding SoulCycle partnership rides with Northwell Health on Oct. 17.
“It’s been a wonderful development, and we’ve definitely seen an increase in footsteps,” Leon said of the past few bustling weeks.
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