Have you ever wondered where the idea of playoff beards originated? Believe it or not, its roots can be traced to Nassau Veterans'Memorial Coliseum; even before the Isles won their first Stanley Cup. Left wing Clark Gillies is credited with the idea; designed to enhance camaraderie as the players embarked on their trail to The Stanley Cup. The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/stan-fischlers-stanley-cup-final-game-one-prediction] and New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/new-york-rangers/things-trending-in-a-positive-direction-between-rangers-and-john-hynes] will take their rivalry to the great outdoors on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Metlife Stadium as part of the NHL's 2023-24 Stadium Series games. READ MORE: Islanders Head Back Outdoors, Will Face Rangers at MetLife Stadium in 2024 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-new-york-rangers-metlife-stadium-stadium-series] That game will be the second of two that weekend at that location, as the New Jersey Devils will host the Philadelphia Flyers the day prior, on Saturday, Feb. 17. Steve Mayer, NHL Chief Content Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, and Dean Matsuzaki, NHL Executive Vice President of Events, provided more information on Saturday. Here are the important takeaways for Islanders vs. Rangers: As expected, the Islanders will host the game, as the Rangers can only be considered the home team if they are playing on Madison Square Garden ice, per their lease agreement. While the league announced that the Devils and Flyers will play a night game on Saturday, Feb. 17, no time has been announced for Sunday. The NHL shared that the weekend double-header will be televised on the ESPN family of networks and that the league is still working with the broadcasting partners to determine what time works best for the Islanders vs. Rangers matchup. The league does not have a timetable for a time announcement. However, their goal is to get an answer as soon as possible. As for how the Islanders being the home team affects season-ticket holders, this game will not be part of their package, and tickets to this game will have to be an additional purchase. Season ticket holders will get first access. Yes, that means for a second straight season, UBS Arena will host just one regular season game against the Rangers. While Citi Field and Yankee Stadium are local parks for the Islanders and Rangers and easier for both fans to get to, here's why the league settled on MetLife. With the Flyers and Devils also involved, East Rutherford. New Jersey made the most sense, geographically. Also, because the New York Giants and New York Jets play there, there are more amenities than your usual one-team stadiums. "MetLife Stadium, being one of the bigger stadiums that are adjacent to where our teams play -- it really is unbelievable -- It's just a matter of circumstance that we haven't been there yet," Mayer said. "It's one of the great stadiums in all of the United States. And the time has come that we're ready to play there, and let's make it unique and different by playing two games instead of one." The Islanders haven't played an outdoor game in 10 years, having played the Rangers at Yankee Stadium in 2014. "The New York Islanders are honored to have been selected by the National Hockey League to host a game at MetLife Stadium," Islanders President/General Manager Lou Lamoriello said (H/t NHLdotcom). "Our fan base is one of the most passionate in the NHL and deserve to experience this memorable event, along with our players and the entire organization. We look forward to playing our division rival inside one of the largest professional stadiums in the country." Why now? "The Islanders have had great success over those last 10 years. And, they continue to be on the verge of making the playoffs or being in the playoffs," Mayer said. "And we've always felt this is a team that we'd love to get in another game. Timing is perfect. This worked out great. "But the only reason why it's probably been 10 years is just because we have a lot of teams that we've been trying to give them a chance to play in one of these outdoor games, and now we've come back to the Islanders at a great time where I think their organization is making some changes -- all great ones -- and it'll be really fun to have them play the Rangers." The Hockey News will update you with more information on the event as it becomes available.
