Coliseum Memories: Longtime organist echoes the Barn's feelings of home

Paul Cartier began his run as the Islanders organist in 1979, just as the Islanders' Stanley Cup run was starting. His music has been part of the Coliseum ambiance ever since.

News 12 Staff

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May 11, 2021, 2:30 AM

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Updated 1,325 days ago

Paul Cartier began his run as the Islanders organist in 1979, just as the Islanders' Stanley Cup run was starting. His music has been part of the Coliseum ambiance ever since.

"This is home you know," he says. "It's hard to explain it any other way and I'm sure any old time Islander fan will tell you the same thing."

Cartier's keystrokes have helped bring life to the Barn. He says the fans aren't just an audience - they're family. And the Coliseum, warts and all, is his Carnegie Hall.

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"Some people say it's a dump and what do our fans say, they say it's our dump," he says.

Cartier says nobody can take away the Nassau Coliseum memories from the Islanders faithful.

"If you're here and a true hockey fan, and that's all you're worried about, there's probably no better building to watch a professional hockey game," he says.