Father and son, Islanders fans, make Nassau Coliseum a destination
Maxton Shafran can’t remember a time when the Islanders weren’t a driving force in his life.
The 11-year-old East Meadow resident attended his first game at Nassau Coliseum on Oct. 2, 2010 — which happened to be his first birthday. His parents threw a small party with family, but as soon as the cake was eaten, his father announced that he and Max had to go.
"I had to get him to the Islanders game," said Brad Shafran, 45. "My wife? I don’t think she was thrilled with me, but we threw on an Islanders jersey that I think he got for his birthday and we headed over to the Coliseum.
"Max’s eyes lit up when we walked in and he still gets that same look every time."
"Every time’’ has been close to 200 games as father and son have bonded over the years. And they didn’t want that bonding experience to end during the pandemic.
So when the Islanders resumed playing at the Coliseum this winter without fans, the Shafrans drove to the empty parking lot outside the building before the season opener just to soak in the atmosphere. Then they went home to watch the game on television.
"I said after the game, let’s do this every night," Brad said. "We live all of four stoplights away."
The two have made it a ritual to stop by the Coliseum and take a photo before every home game. Sometimes they do it on the way to Maxton’s hockey practice — he plays right wing for the AA Nassau County Lions. Sometimes they drop by after school. Every time since the first visit, they have taken a photo.
"It definitely gives me something to look forward to," said Maxton, a sixth-grader on a hybrid schedule at Woodland Middle School in East Meadow. "It definitely gives me something to focus on other than school and playing hockey."
Said Brad: "Even though we can’t go in still and watch games, it’s like we’re making a memory out of something, and I think that’s good for both of us. I don’t know if it’s given us purpose, but it’s given us a destination. It’s become a part of our schedule and something we can do together."
Father and son have tried to think of ways to make it special. One night, they got a room at the Marriott next door, requesting one with a view of the Coliseum. Another night, they were able to buy tickets on the secondary market and got to see the Islanders play at the Devils.
Perhaps the family’s creativity in their devotion to the Islanders should not be surprising, considering all the things they did to see games pre-pandemic.
"When he was little, I would drive to the game with Max and we would watch two periods," Brad said. "Then between periods two and three, my wife would drive over and wait for us in the parking lot so he could go home to sleep. I would take him out to her and then come back and watch the third period."
During a stretch from 2013-15, the family went to 100 of a possible 110 home games. Their last home game was Feb. 21, 2020, at the Coliseum.
On Thursday, the Islanders allowed fans in for the first time, inviting 1,000 Northwell Health front-line workers and family. On Thursday, the team will allow approximately 1,400 fans — based on the 10% capacity limit set by health officials of New York State — to enter the arena. The Islanders have released tickets on a limited basis for seven games, all to season-ticket holders. and have sold out each one.
Brad, who is not a season-ticket holder, says they likely will buy tickets to at least one game on the secondary market. He plans to continue to stop by every game and take a photo of his son so they can commemorate what is slated to be the Islanders’ final full season at the Coliseum before they move to UBS Arena.
Said Brad: "It’s been a lot of fun."
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
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