Comments on: Bettman: Brooklyn might not be a viable destination for Islanders

By: hojo20

hojo20 — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:38:02 +0000

Yeah I want the Islanders to stay. No need to uproot all that history. As a Whalers fan, I know what its’ like to have your team relocate and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone (except in Carolina)

By: arysoh

arysoh — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:56:37 +0000

Inaccessible?!?!? The LIRR goes right to Atlantic avenue not to mention changing them to the Brooklyn Islanders would open them up to a larger fan base as Brooklyn has 4 million people in it. Wang is an embarrassment with his handling of Neil Smith and Lafontaine. The Barclay center can hold 15k which is about 3 or 4k less than NVMC but when is the last time the isles had an actual sellout??

By: jdny

jdny — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:03:28 +0000

Brooklyn would be viable if the arena was built with hockey in mind. Wang should have approached Ratner before he ran to the Russian. The original plan may have been salvaged (the Gehry plan) and it would have accommodated hockey. Everyone wins. Transportation for LI’ers would be much easier with LIRR downstairs. The coliseum was inaccessible without a car. Wang was too busy trying to get Lighthouse to work even though the residents and politicians obviously didn’t want it. The fact is the Isles are moving – will it be Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens or Quebec?

By: AlohaMrHand

AlohaMrHand — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:49:07 +0000

Gary Bettman should be relocated

By: lesleyvissersfacelift

lesleyvissersfacelift — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:02:34 +0000

Brooklyn is not viable, but Phoenix is viable. Just like Atlanta was viable. Sure, Gary, you Jackass.

By: tmjm621

tmjm621 — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:35:13 +0000

Although i cant disagree with he ownership comments…it does bother me that people like to take shots at them and make it sound like its easy. It isnt……itd be cool to see them come here to albany hahaha….but ik thats a dream

By: bleed4philly

bleed4philly — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:20:43 +0000

The Islanders are a great example of what bad ownership can do to a franchise.

By: hockeyflow33

hockeyflow33 — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:03:21 +0000

It would be nice to see the NHL force the sale of the Islanders. There’s too much history there to let them leave

By: pavelfitzgerald

pavelfitzgerald — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:34:19 +0000

It would be sad to see the Islanders leave the Isle after years of the NHL’s ridiculous fight for Phoenix but it does make perfect sense when you remember that Gary Bettman is the Commissioner

By: bloggersarenotjournalists

bloggersarenotjournalists — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:27:10 +0000

I totally agree that the Isles need to relocate

They need to relocate Garth Snow and Chuck Wang.
Once they do that the Islanders fans will be back with winning hockey.

But ya, it would be sad, Nordiques sound familiar?
And it wasn’t just people in QC that were all about the Nords, they had a solid fanbase throughout the Maritimes. Many french NB’ers rooted for either the Habs or Nords and Halifax had plenty of Nord fans when their AHL farm team was there.

And poof .70 Canadian dollar, and they were gone.
No fight from the NHL like we see with the Coyotes, a guy in Denver had a bunch of cash and the Denver market and NHL loved it and went running.

Of course Denver should have a team, but the way the Nords left was truly disgusting

By: bcisleman

bcisleman — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:23:15 +0000

Here is an interview of Barclay’s owner / developer Bruce Ratner by Isles’ play by play guy Howie Rose. The tone of the interview is clearly that Ratner does not want the team to leave NY. Barclay’s might be a temporary venue while NVMC is extensively renovated, a new arena is built in Uniondale or a new arena is built elsewhere–probably Queens on the old Shea site next to CitiField.

By: kitshky

kitshky — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:57:54 +0000

How disgusting would it be for the NHL to let a team with the history and rabid fanbase (despite ownerships best efforts to alienate them) like the Islanders to leave a market like Long Island …. and fight against all logic to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix regardless of how much it costs the League and other owners.