Wednesday afternoon brought special and long anticipated news by mouth of long-term owner Charles Wang that, finally, there is a legitimate answer to the repeated question he and the whole of the organization have been facing in recent years.
“Hello, Brooklyn.” Was the opening statement at the brand new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The looming question of where this storied franchise will be playing in the future has been answered in the form of a city that technically, if not obviously geographically, will remain on Long Island.
"Our goal from the outset was to have the Islanders play in a local, world-class facility that possesses the amenities our fans deserve,” Wang said. "I'm happy to announce we achieve that goal with today's announcement."
The current lease at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is set to expire at the end of the 2014-15 season, and the new will be slated in Brooklyn on a 25 year deal – the long term that maintains and assures the stability that the organization has been hopeful for. The brand new facility in which the New York Nets currently play is just 25 miles from the Islanders current location, and a shared stay is something that the two clubs are accustomed to, having shared the Nassau Coliseum through the first five years of the Islanders’ existence.
Wang, who had been pushing for a new arena with the grand plan entitled “The Lighthouse Project,” was never able to acquire the adequate funding from the state and investors to complete the project. The team has been subjected to rumored ties to leaving the state including cities such as Quebec and Kansas City.
"I know Wang has spent the better part of a decade in pursuit of a new local home for the Islanders because he is as passionate about this area," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "To finally be in position to say to New York Islander fans you don't have to worry about the future of this club, the club is staying local, you'll be able to get to it easily -- for us, for Islander fans, I know for Charles and Bruce Ratner (Barclays Center majority owner and developer) it is a dream come true."
"Charles got offers to move the team out of our state, and very good offers, and Charles wouldn't do that," Ratner said. "Charles wanted to keep them in the state of New York, local. Charles Wang is the real hero today. He has kept this team in New York state. So we welcome the Islanders. We welcome their fans. We welcome the new Brooklyn fans and we're all going to enjoy hockey here. It's a wonderful thing for everybody."
Uniondale’s New York Islanders, who were granted a team in 1972, have been at the bottom end of the standings well over the past decade, and at the helm of their problems during the last decade has been the desperate need for a new arena. In fact, many players have been unwilling to sign with the Islanders simply because of this fact. Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum’s construction began in 1969, and was opened with the debut of the New York Islanders February 11, 1972. The facility has been expanded twice, and currently seats a total of 16,250. Being the second oldest arena in the National Hockey League with seemingly the least amount of improvements, it is officially time to say goodbye to this historic site which the Islanders enjoyed so much success in the early 1980’s.
Though the team has been relatively unsuccessful compared to their success in the 1980’s, the legacy of times past will live on through their young and dynamic roster. Fortunately enough for the hockey world and as paid tribute to greats such as Mike Bossy, Brian Trottier, Denis Potvin, and Billy Smith, the team will keep the name and logo that has remained the same since their inception into the league in 1972, which is something that Hall of Famer Mike Bossy takes to heart.
"Absolutely," he said in applause of Wang’s accomplishments. "Charles' main goal was to keep the team local, and he succeeded in doing that. As much as people may be upset because it's not going to be in Nassau County they should be happy because he kept the team in New York."
The Islanders achieved a feat that has only been done by one other team in National Hockey League history when they recorded four straight Stanley Cup Championships from the 1979-80 season through 1982-83, and came up just shy of extending it to five straight in 1983-84 when the lost out to the rising Edmonton Oilers in the finals. The Oilers would then display a showing of dominance through the next handful of seasons by winning five Cups over the next seven years. Prior to the Islanders first Cup, the mighty Montreal Canadiens had won four straight.
Though the new arena seats a maximum capacity of 15,000 with a possible expansion of 500 making it the smallest in the NHL, Gary Bettman points to the success of the relatively small capacity in Winnipeg, which is the same in capacity as the Coliseum.
The relocation, although not substantially far away from its’ current location, will help revitalize the Islanders’ organization and fans in the very near future. With eleven bus lines that lead to the arena and the Long Island Railroad that runs right into the Barclays Center, the transit issue that haunted Nassau Coliseum will be largely eradicated. Also, given the fact that the arena will be much closer in proximity to divisional rival teams such as the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, this will also draw a fair number of supporters to the new arena which will see these respective teams four times each per year in the regular season.
"I took the subway here. It is easy to get here," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said as he welcomed the marriage of the arena and franchise. "There is more mass transit under this building than any other stadium in New York City, and that makes it more accessible for everybody.
"The fans from the team's current home in Nassau County can just take the LIRR, it stops just right across the street," he added. "Let's not forget the team is named for the island we are standing on."
The movement of the home arena isn’t the only movement to watch out for on Long Island. This young Islanders team, headed by the 2009 first overall draft pick John Tavares and a score of young talent, remain hopeful to return this once legendary franchise to success. In the wake of the last lockout and the new cap-era, the Islanders are poised to return to form, and the new arena will do nothing but fuel the fire that is the passion for New York Islander fans, staff, and players for years to come, and thankfully will be on the attack from the same state, with the same name and crest on their sweaters.
- Kendall Grubbs
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