From the NY Times:
The New York Islanders, who have played on Long Island since they began play in 1972, will move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, officials with knowledge of the deal said on Wednesday.
The deal was to be officially announced Wednesday afternoon at a news conference at the new arena in Brooklyn with Charles E. Wang, the owner of the Islanders, and Bruce Ratner, the owner of the Barclays Center.
Under the 25-year agreement, which has to be officially approved by the National Hockey League, the Islanders would move to the Barclays for the 2015-16 season.
The Barclays is already home to the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, which moved from New Jersey, and adding a hockey team would represent a major coup for Mr. Ratner. But unlike the Nets, the Islanders would keep New York in their name.
One less thing to threaten Flushing Meadows.
16 comments:
Traffic jams. I guess everyone can bike to the games,eh?
If you can't be an athlete, my friends, you can always be an athletic supporter.
Go Islanders.
The island of Long Island consists of Suffolk, Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn. So I guess the Islanders are still on Long Island...
Great news. The only way to get to the Coliseum was by car; now we can take the LIRR and 10 different subways. A great move on their part.
Probably the pro sports team in the area people care least about. There are yawns being heard all over Brooklyn.
They could locate the US soccer league there!
"The island of Long Island consists of Suffolk, Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn. So I guess the Islanders are still on Long Island..."
Thanks for the geography lesson, except people who live in Queens and Brooklyn live "in" NYC, not "on" LI.
well the logo only shows Nassau and Suffolk as part of the island - I suppose it would be an easy graphic change to throw in Brooklyn/Queens which are technically part of Long Island and yes NYC. I think it is a great move - LIRR goes right there, changed trains there many times, will be no hassle at all to get to a game.
The island of Long Island consists of Suffolk, Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn. So I guess the Islanders are still on Long Island...
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Their logo actaully cuts off Brooklyn and Queens, and the tip of the "I" points right to uniondale.
Funny, they ignored Brooklyn and Queens all along, but now they they realize that Long Island is nothing without NYC, they suddenly come around and say "but but B&Q was always part of us!"
The islanders, like long island itself, always were parasites.
The citizens of Nassau County are spared the cost of replacing that coliseum - at least for a few years.
Thanks for the geography lesson, except people who live in Queens and Brooklyn live "in" NYC, not "on" LI.
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Oh stop!!! You're both right. Ever look at a map?
Oh, well, guess there won't be any great light of Uniondale then!Farewell Fishsticks!
""citizens of Nassau County are spared the cost of replacing that coliseum""
No shit !
Taxes to pay off the bond to build a new complex were something like $450 per household for 15 years !
There is nothing wrong with that structure or its electrical system. The outside needs a reface and the parking lot need re-paving. People are bitching about seats being to small and no posh corporate private booths for Cablevisions huge Dolan family & friends.
How about some of these sports fans going on diets ? Take a look at some of those "Uniondale" familys in McDonalds across the street. Kids 4'11 and 200 pounds eating mountains frys, nuggets and jumbo sodas !
People fit in those isles and seats fine back in 1977. I'd go see KISS, Pink Floyd and wrestling all the time it was never a problem.
I was recently backstage with Gene Simmons of KISS working on some Ampeg SVT amps. The dressing rooms are fine there is even a small hospitality bar room restaurant back there.
If its good enough for Gene its good enough for hockey players !
Joe, i hate the islanders, but their building was shit. Literally. They had plumbing issues that would sometimes flood the locker rooms with sewage.
In addition, the building is full of asbestos and lead paint. The single-concourse setup is archaic, handicap accessibility is poor, and their is far less restrooms than what is needed in a modern facility.
Raw sewage in the dressing rooms fits Wong and his Islanders perfect
The buildings plumbing is constantly destroyed or vandalized by the local "basketball fans" almost every time the Knicks, Nets lose or have a problem.
Local animals walking distance from Roosevelt, Uniondale, Hempstead bust up stuff and throw M-80s down the toilets, smash cars, etc.
(Welfare recipients a good 3/4th of them)
Why should working Nassau county taxpayers (most who couldn't give to shits about Basketball or Hockey) pay to give a bunch of gang bangers and useless oozing sores of society a new building ?
Great area to shop for new sneakers (before dark) but you cant even leave your car alone for a 1/2 hour.
You find it gone or stripped to the frame on blocks !
Those people even know how to steal the registration and inspection stickers off windshields, stole meat from the circus animal train !
Islander Fan since 78 AND born and raised in Brooklyn. Plenty of Islander fans around me growing up. Why?? Because they were GOOD!. Winning cures everything.
Stop whining about the train,(there are articles from the MTA about how there will be more direct service from Hicksville and Babylon to Flatbush Ave). Stop whining about Brooklyn being an urban area and how long it will take to get there. I am coming to Brooklyn from WESTCHESTER BY TRAIN, so I don't want to hear a peep. Stop worrying about what The Ranger fans will think about the assymetrical setup of the arena. When they make fun of it, you can remind them that aside from the 1994 cup they bought from Edmonton, the last time they won the cup, Hitler just finished invading Poland. How sweet will it be when we hoist the cup and have TWO parades. One down Hempstead Turnpike and one down Flatbush Ave!
Is the arena perfect? No. Is it easy to park? No. But then again you don't hear all the Ranger fans that fled Brooklyn and Queens to live in Nassau and Suffolk complaining about going into Manhattan to see their team. I get the whole suburban identity of the team being lost now to an urban based arena. The fact still remains Brooklyn is still geographically part of Long Island and has a Long Island history. The Battle of Long Island was fought in Brooklyn. That means we can keep the identity of the team the way it is. There is no need for name change or logo change, maybe just include Brooklyn and Queens on the logo? Change can be hard, SO MAN UP!
BTW, I went the last home opener Saturday. I was sad about them leaving, but EXCITED about this team we have this year. We have a great line of prospects and stocked team this year to make some real noise. Also, our future looks brighter than ever. THAT is what is important. WINNING.
Let's Go Islanders!
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