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The New York Islanders are an American professional ice hockey team based in New York City that competes in the National Hockey League (NHL). They are a member of the league's Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Barclays Center, located in the borough of Brooklyn. The Islanders are one of three NHL franchises in the New York metropolitan area, along with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, and their primary geographic fan base resides on Long Island.
The team was founded in 1972 as part of the NHL's maneuvers to keep a team from rival league World Hockey Association (WHA) out of the newly built Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in suburban Uniondale, New York. After two years of building up the team's roster, they found almost instant success by securing fourteen straight playoff berths starting with their third season. The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships between 1980 and 1983, the seventh of eight dynasties recognized by the NHL in its history. Their 19 consecutive playoff series wins between 1980 and 1984 is a feat that remains unparalleled in the history of professional sports.
After the end of the dynasty, the franchise ran into problems with money, ownership and management, an aging arena, and low attendance. Their woes were reflected in their gameplay as the team has not won a division title since 1987–88, or a playoff series since 1992–93. After years of failed attempts to rebuild or replace Nassau Coliseum in suburban Long Island, the Islanders relocated to the Barclays Center following the 2014–15 season.
Eight former members of the Islanders have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, seven of whom – Al Arbour, Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, Bill Torrey , and Bryan Trottier – were members of all four Cup-winning teams. Pat LaFontaine is the most recent inductee, having been honored in 2003.