New York Islanders' Brooklyn debut packs 'hipster' marketing potential
Fans warm to hockey team's updates, new jerseys despite 'blue-collar' pride in brand
For the hipster newbies, just know this: They're even better live. You'd probably dig their earlier work. And their hardcore fans were more into them like, 30 years ago.
They're the New York Islanders, and their new management is banking on the NHL franchise becoming kind of a big deal in oh-so-trendy Brooklyn, a borough better known for its arts scene and mustachioed bartenders than its hockey.
Long the pride of Nassau-Suffolk County in southeastern New York, the suburban team moved last week to its new trendsetting digs in Prospect Heights.
Home ice is now inside the Barclays Center, a sparkling venue previously co-owned by rapper Jay Z and located steps away from a "cereal bar" that also sells designer sneakers and $130 US sweatpants.
It was, for some season ticket-holders, quite a culture shock. Particularly for Islanders fans who professed a "blue-collar" affinity for the team that last won the Stanley Cup in 1983.
"I'm in a whole new area here. Still trying to get my bearings," Seth Borsuk said outside the Barclays Center last week, two hours before the Isles were to face off against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Oct. 9 home opener.
Most of Islanders Nation braved a 90-minute commute by train to get there.
"I'm looking for directions. Where I used to live it was about a 15-minute drive to the [Nassau] Coliseum," Borsuk said, referring to the team's former stadium in the Long Island hamlet of Uniondale.
Out of the 'Mausoleum'
Derided as the "Mausoleum" by fans, the crumbling Coliseum opened in 1972 and was one of the oldest active arenas in the NHL. A referendum for a $400-million facelift using public money fell through in 2011.
In search of a new home in the lead-up to the expiration of their lease of the Coliseum, the franchise announced in 2012 that the Barclays Center had agreed to bring the NHL to a spot built primarily for basketball use.
Borsuk was among those who favoured the move to the state-of-the-art arena, though fans have griped about obstructed sightlines due to the building's asymmetrical design. Some were reportedly robbed of witnessing Islanders captain John Tavares's second-period goal from their seats.
For the most part, Borsuk has embraced the updates, wearing one of the new sleek black alternative jerseys reminiscent of the NBA uniforms worn by the re-branded Brooklyn Nets, who also play there.
"Honestly, I like the fact we're a city team," Borsuk said. "I think it's cool."
Capturing "cool" without alienating the grizzled traditionalists is a big part of what this latest branding push is all about, said Elisa Padilla, chief marketing officer of the Barclays Center.
That balance is reflected in the bus ads and billboards pasted throughout the city promoting "Tradition's New Home" — a slogan intended to assure Long Island hockey devotees their Islanders are merely getting a new arena and a brand tune-up.
"We know that Brooklyn is very hot. Brooklyn isn't Manhattan, and this is a team that's been built to win, and that has a new home in the hottest borough," Padilla said.
"We look at it as we're bringing the NHL to the Brooklyn borough. We're building a second professional sports team, and Brooklyn is very cool."
What is a hipster?
The Barclays Center team hopes to draw curious Brooklynites to discover hockey without having to leave their borough for Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, where the New York Rangers play.
As for welcoming the neighbouring "hipsters?" Islanders captain John Tavares is already tired of the question.
"I've been asked about it 30 times, and I still couldn't tell you exactly the description of what a hipster is," Tavares told Yahoo! Sports, though he said he just hopes they'll come to games.
Some home-game updates have been tougher to process than others.
Angry Islanders purists decried the team's new "shrill" subway-inspired goal horn when they heard it debut in September.
Barclays Center management quickly reverted to the original foghorn sound, a throwback to Long Island's maritime heritage.
"We were very respectful of their wishes. We think that the consumers come first," Padilla said, stressing that the new Barclays Center management is committed to allowing new Isles traditions to grow "organically."
Commentators also lamented the loss of the cheerleader-style Ice Girls who used to sweep the rink.
No more tailgating
Fans last week erupted into boos, chanting "We want Ice Girls" during a timeout as a co-ed crew in black shovelled the playing surface.
Ice Crew getting booed because it's no longer just scantily clad girls <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Islanders?src=hash">#Islanders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fanswillgetoverit?src=hash">#fanswillgetoverit</a>
—@CHN_AdamWodonGone, too, is the rich tailgating culture that saw pop-up tents and pre-game chanting take over the Coliseum's sprawling parking lot. (Although the Barclays Center is steps from the Atlantic Avenue subway station, it is not a car-friendly venue.)
Fans nevertheless improvised on the Long Island Rail Road.
"[The commute was] an hour and 20 minutes here, so our tailgate switched to the train," said Glenn Cortez, among a crowd of Islanders fans streaming out of the Atlantic Avenue subway station to attend last week's season opener.
"You can't barbecue on the train, but you can still hang out with your friends, talk, get pumped up," Cortez said.
"Bleedin' blue and orange till I die!" shrieked his son, Ryan Cortez.
Where did Sparky go?
For 16-year-old Eric Platt, one regrettable casualty of the Brooklyn move was the demise of the team's fuzzy blue dragon mascot.
"They got rid of Sparky. How could you get rid of Sparky?" the Suffolk resident said. "The kids, they go into a game and they're like, where's Sparky?"
There are no plans for a new mascot.
Isles followers can argue all day about tailgating, mascots, Ice Girls, jerseys, arenas and goal horns. As far as Bob Carr is concerned, all that matters is results.
"If they win, all things, all discretions are forgotten," he said.
Chicago beat the Islanders 3-2 in overtime in their Brooklyn debut on Friday, and 4-1 on Saturday in Chicago. They won their first game of the season against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.