Sports

Hockey

New York Islanders

Islanders move to Brooklyn

The Islanders' planned move to Brooklyn is already paying dividends, according to <a href="/topics//Forbes_Magazine">Forbes magazine</a>. The publication valued the Islanders at $155 million in its annual list of <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a> franchise valuations, up 4 percent from last year's number.
The <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Isles</a> also moved up in Forbes' <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">National Hockey League</a> rankings to 27th from 29th in the 30-team league. The average team value is $282 million.
The Islanders' revenues during in the 2011-12 season, Forbes found, rose to $66 million from $63 million in 2010-11, another reason for the uptick in value. However, the magazine said, the team took a $16 million loss, twice as much as the previous season. But the future looks brighter, not just with the promise of new revenue streams and potentially better ticket sales at Barclays Center.
NHL owners have locked out the players and have canceled 422 regular-season games for the 2012-13 season, but the Islanders are likely to <a href="/topics//Benefit_(designer)">benefit</a> from a revenue-sharing proposal when the lockout is settled. 
The Islanders, who declined to comment on the Forbes report, were barred from receiving revenue-sharing money under the previous collective bargaining agreement because of their relatively large market. The new proposal would benefit teams struggling the most.
"You can see how the new CBA in the <a href="/topics//National_Basketball_Association">NBA</a> helped smaller-market team values, like in New Orleans and Memphis," said Mike Ozanian, the Forbes writer who puts together the list.
<a href="/topics//The_Move_(musician)">The move</a> to Brooklyn comes with some drawbacks, notably the small capacity for hockey -- the Islanders are hoping for a seating capacity of 15,000 once some reconfigurations are made before they move in for the start of the 2015-16 season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs lead the Forbes list with a $1 billion value, and the <a href="/topics//Glasgow_Rangers">Rangers</a> were second at $750 million.
But for the first time in years, there's promise.
"It's not an emerging market they're moving to -- Brooklyn's hot," said Andrew Zimbalist, sports economics expert and a professor at Smith College. " . . . It's already emerged."

SPISLES29

After Barclays move, Forbes' boosts Islanders' valuation

charles wang - cropped

The moment the news broke that Charles <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Wang</a> will move his <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">New York Islanders</a> to Brooklyn, last year's failed referendum to rebuild the county's Coliseum instantly acquired a postmortem political purpose: cover. 
 After all, both County Executive Edward Mangano, who faces re-election next year, and <a href="/topics//Hempstead,_NY">Hempstead</a> Supervisor <a href="/topics//Kate_Murray">Kate Murray</a>, who was re-elected last November, can accurately say that voters spoke, and rejected the Islander-centric project as proposed. When talks after the August 2011 vote failed to produce an alternative plan, Wang moved on. 
 <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> who opposed the borrowing deal cite what they saw as flaws in Mangano's whole approach -- and suggest ways it might have been negotiated differently, ways they say could have gained the support needed to make a deal and keep the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>. Those arguments are, of course, speculative and moot. 
 &nbsp; 
 CHANGE OF FOCUS: After losing a Democratic primary to Bridget Fleming, who faces Sen. <a href="/topics//Kenneth_LaValle">Kenneth LaValle</a> (R-<a href="/topics//Port_Jefferson,_NY">Port Jefferson</a>) next week, Jennifer Maertz told backers she's focused on helping <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrat</a> Joe Dujmic in the race to succeed the late <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> Assemb. James Conte. <a href="/topics//Chad">Chad</a> Lupinacci is the <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">GOP</a> candidate. 
 &nbsp; 
 <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">SUFFOLK</a> SLUGFEST: In the race to succeed retiring Sen. <a href="/topics//Owen_Johnson">Owen Johnson</a> (R-<a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a>), Legis. Rick Montano (D-<a href="/topics//Brentwood,_NY">Brentwood</a>) points to an <a href="/topics//Albany,_NY">Albany</a>-area house owned by opponent Assemb. Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore) to suggest Boyle makes his main home there, not <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">Suffolk</a>. But Boyle has publicly called the charge "shameful" and responds he and his wife are living in East Islip. Boyle's campaign has a TV ad that criticizes Montano for having backed legislation that would place homeless sex offenders in locations kept secret during site selection. More of the harsher stuff is expected in the campaign's final days. 
 &nbsp; 
 EARLY MURMURS: With Jon Kaiman identified as the leading candidate for the top job at the Long Island Power Authority, his departure as North <a href="/topics//Hempstead,_NY">Hempstead</a> supervisor -- if and when the time comes -- has generated buzz of a behind-the-scenes rivalry in Democratic circles over who would succeed him. Those reputed to be interested include county legislators Wayne Wink (D-Roslyn) and Judi Bosworth (D-Great Neck). The pick to fill the vacancy pending a supervisor's election would belong to the town council members, a majority Democratic. Gerard Terry, Democratic town leader, is widely believed to favor Bosworth.

Opinion

Columnists

Dan Janison

POJANI29

Coliseum referendum becomes political cover

Charles Wang Nassau Coliseum cropped

Business around Brooklyn's new Barclays Center is booming on event nights, and it will only get better when the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> hockey team moves there from the <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a> in 2015, according to area entrepreneurs. 
 "It literally looks like a parade coming down the street when events open and close," said Qiana DiBari, co-owner of Va beh', an Italian eatery that opened on Dean Street blocks from the arena a year ago. 
 For the <a href="/topics//Barbra_Streisand_(musician)">Barbra Streisand</a> concerts this month, Convivium Osteria, an established Mediterranean eatery on Fifth Avenue, was booked a month in advance. 
 Nearby, Melt, a farm-to-table restaurant, experienced a 50 percent increase in traffic on those nights and when <a href="/topics//Jay-Z">Jay-Z</a> headlined there in September. Franny's, a well-known artisanal pizza place a 10-minute walk from the arena, added staff on those nights to accommodate the preconcert crowd. 
 "There's been a significant jump in business when there are events. They bring in high-rollers willing to spend more," said Michael McCabe, Melt's executive chef. 
 The eatery now touts itself as located "around the corner from the Barclays Center" on its website, and McCabe said he gave walking directions to event ticketholders arriving at the nearby <a href="/topics//Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> Atlantic Avenue Terminal. Concertgoers spent an average of $50 per person, about $20 more than usual, said McCabe. 
 &nbsp; 
 <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> news welcomed 
 When the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>' plan to move was announced last week, business owners were elated. 
 "I thought, 'Wow, this is great for business,' " said Francine Stephens, co-owner of Franny's and a native of <a href="/topics//Great_Neck,_NY">Great Neck</a>. Though admittedly not a sports fan, she said family and friends from her hometown regularly ask her about the new arena. "Everyone is excited about Barclays," she said. 
 Michael Pintchik, who owns dozens of buildings between Atlantic Avenue and Grand <a href="/topics//United_States_Military_Academy">Army</a> Plaza, was in a meeting with a restaurateur looking to open in one of his spaces across the street from the arena when word spread about the Islanders' move. 
 "The restaurant owner's face just <a href="/topics//Lit_(musician)">lit</a> up," said Pintchik. 
 The Islanders are expected to play at least 41 home games at the arena each year, meaning cafes, small stores and mom-and-pop shops can bank on even more traffic for those days, said Robert Boland, chairman of the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at <a href="/topics//New_York_University">New York University</a>. 
 "It makes all of the economics directly around the arena better," he said, adding "If you are a restaurant or a bar that opened near Barclays, there's a far greater opportunity for you." 
 "It's not clear what the typical eventgoer will be like yet," said Boland. 
 So far, business owners said their fears about snarled traffic and an uptick in noise, crime and trash on event nights haven't been realized, but it's too soon to declare the arena a complete success. 
 &nbsp; 
 <a href="/topics//Brooklyn_Nets">Nets</a> to open regular season 
 A big test will come this week when the <a href="/topics//Brooklyn_Nets">Nets</a> open their regular season Thursday against the <a href="/topics//New_York_Knicks">Knicks</a>. Whether basketball fans will pack the cafes and trendy bars that concertgoers seem to enjoy remains to be seen. 
 Parking remains a challenge and many regulars have stayed away from restaurants on concert nights, business owners said. Michelle Pulixi, co-owner of Convivium Osteria, worries about the area losing an <a href="/topics//Atmosphere_(musician)">atmosphere</a> that's more laid back than Manhattan's tourist hubs. 
 "I'm concerned about the neighborhood getting a midtown feeling. That's not why we moved here 12 years ago," said Pulixi. 
 Franny's, which currently seats 40 people, is moving into a larger space farther from the arena next year, said Stephens, explaining "hopefully, concertgoers and regulars can enjoy a meal at the same time. There has been a shift that the regulars are staying away because of tourists, so I'm definitely looking forward to the expansion." 
 Pintchik said the popularity of the arena is also driving up real estate prices and could add more big commercial restaurants and retail to the area, which is prized for its boutiques and cafes. He lost a bid for the three-sided parcel on Flatbush Avenue, where Triangle Sports sat, a prime spot across from Barclays. Red Sky Capital paid $4.1 million for the property, but hasn't announced plans for tenants. 
 "I think you will see something good there because they paid a premium price," Pintchik said.

NYBARC28

Business up near Barclays on event nights

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Of all the positives the Islanders have gained from their deal to move to Brooklyn in 2015, the biggest one may be something that can't be quantified in added revenue dollars or new season-ticket holders or points in the standings. 
 It's perception. People around the <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a> -- fellow executives, opposing players and their agents -- finally might start to see the Islanders in a new light even before they play a game at <a href="/topics//Barclays">Barclays</a> Center. For that matter, even before the puck gets dropped on this locked-out season. 
 The slightest change in the way hockey people think about the Islanders could make all the difference in how general manager Garth Snow is able to shape his roster going forward. 
 It's the difference between thinking <a href="/topics//John_Tavares">John Tavares</a> was crazy for signing a six-year, $33-million extension last fall and thinking Tavares now is the building block for a team that will have a fancy new home in just a few years. 
 It's the difference between free agents scoffing at calls from Snow on July 1, thinking about what a drag it is to spend even a night at the Coliseum and its no-frills surroundings, and free agents wondering what the new facility will look like and whether the team can contend. 
 "I've never had any answers to the questions I hear [from free agents]," Snow said on a <a href="/topics//Toronto">Toronto</a> radio station this past week, "and that's because I'd have the same questions myself if I was in their shoes." 
 Now potential additions can look at the Islanders' roster and not see a team that's in year five of a grinding, cost-effective rebuild. They can see what the Islanders have going forward, not what they've been missing for too long. 
 There still are huge question marks that will affect Snow's operation, ones that will be determined by the collective- bargaining agreement that results from the current lockout: 
 Revenue sharing: The Islanders may be headed for <a href="/topics//Barclays">Barclays</a> Center and better revenue streams, but they still are near the bottom of the league in revenue. If a new CBA calls for revenue sharing for the bottom 10 teams in the league, the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Isles</a> will qualify, adding much-needed money for upgrades. 
 Cap hits vs. actual salary: The Islanders have, for several seasons, dragged themselves above the salary-cap floor with bigger cap hits and unreachable bonuses rather than actual payouts. A new CBA likely will eliminate that practice, meaning the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Isles</a> will have to find real players to pay to make the floor. 
 Contract limits: Snow, as directed by owner <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Charles Wang</a>, never offered front-loaded deals to any of the big-name free agents to whom the Islanders made offers. If the new CBA restricts contract lengths to five or six years and doesn't allow front-loading, it's a much more level playing field. 
 Between those systemic changes to the financial structure of the league and the Islanders' move, suddenly this team doesn't seem so hapless. 
 "I don't think we change our mentality, because we've been focused on a plan for a long time," Snow said. "The answers we get back may be more positive now." 
 The Islanders still have holes to fill. <a href="/topics//Travis_Hamonic">Travis Hamonic</a> can be an elite defenseman, but the franchise is thin on the blue line, and 2009 first-rounder Calvin de Haan's latest major shoulder injury exposes that lack of depth. 
 Besides Tavares, consistent scoring has been an issue for a few seasons. The <a href="/topics//Rick_Dipietro">Rick DiPietro</a> saga continues, though perhaps the hockey world will realize now that DiPietro isn't the future in goal (that would be <a href="/topics//Kevin_Poulin">Kevin Poulin</a> and Anders Nilsson). Nor is DiPietro emblematic of everything that is wrong with the Islanders. He's a player with a bad contract. Every team has one, or more. 
 That is what comes from perception. The Islanders looked cheap in their rebuild, but with a new, more restrictive CBA and a new home on the horizon, they suddenly look shrewd, perhaps better able to take advantage of other teams' mistakes and overpayments. 
 Snow and his coaching staff will have to translate this to the ice when the league resumes. But the Islanders went into this lockout still one of the league's punching bags. They're coming out with some momentum. Funny how perception can change like that.

SPISLES28

Perception of Islanders now? From negative to positive

tavares - cropped

<a href="/topics//Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> officials are confident that fans will take the train to follow the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">New York Islanders</a> when the team moves to Brooklyn, and say the agency will be ready to serve them.
The LIRR has been making major investments in its Brooklyn line for years, partly in anticipation of the boost in ridership that would come with the opening of the <a href="/topics//Barclays">Barclays</a> Center, just across the street from the railroad's Atlantic Terminal.
In the few weeks since the opening of the arena, which was built on former LIRR property, officials said ridership to Brooklyn on event nights is up 260 percent. With no parking at the arena, located about 30 miles from the <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a>, the LIRR is an attractive option, railroad president <a href="/topics//Helena_Williams">Helena Williams</a> said.
Penn Station-bound trains often carry 60 percent more passengers when the <a href="/topics//Glasgow_Rangers">Rangers</a> play at <a href="/topics//Madison_Square_Garden,_NY">Madison Square Garden</a>, officials said. Williams called that ridership jump evidence that <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">Suffolk</a> county residents will be willing to take the train to see the Islanders. The team's current home, the Nassau Coliseum, is not within walking distance of a train station.
"There's some irony in the fact that it will now be easier to get to an Islanders game by Long Island Rail Road," Williams said.
But George Schutz, president of the official Islanders Booster Club, said he's not convinced fans used to driving to the game will be willing to buy a train ticket instead. Schutz, 56, has held Islander season tickets for 10 years and said he can drive to the Coliseum from his <a href="/topics//Malverne,_NY">Malverne</a> home in 15 minutes. Going to Brooklyn by train could take three times as long, he said.
"I can't see a lot of people with children who have to go to school in the morning on the Long Island Rail Road," Schutz said. "I think a lot is going to change as far as who goes to games." 
Williams said the LIRR will add service as necessary to accommodate fans when the team moves in 2015, as it has for the <a href="/topics//Brooklyn_Nets">Brooklyn Nets</a> <a href="/topics//National_Basketball_Association">NBA</a> team home games.
The railroad plans to restore some of the overnight Brooklyn service it eliminated in 2010 to save money. Beginning in March, trains will run as late as 2 a.m. on weekdays.
The Brooklyn line is to get another major overhaul in 2019, when LIRR trains start running to and from Grand Central Terminal as part of the <a href="/topics//Metropolitan_Transportation_Authority">Metropolitan Transportation Authority</a>'s East Side Access project. 
Coinciding with the completion of that project will be the introduction of "Cross-Boro Scoot Service" between Jamaica station and Atlantic Terminal. The shuttle-like service will be provided using a new train platform at Jamaica.
The LIRR has made other major investments in Brooklyn -- the railroad's original New York terminal when it was created 178 years ago. The railroad spent five years and $108 million transforming its dingy old Flatbush terminal into the bright, sleek Atlantic Terminal, which opened in 2010.
The railroad also spent $164 million rehabilitating its Atlantic Avenue Viaduct. The project, completed last year, replaced a mile-and-a-half of tracks, concrete and steel.
Fred Mangione, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Barclays Center, acknowledged that the trip to the arena "may not be as quick as the Coliseum right in their backyard," but said officials will work with the LIRR to serve Long Island fans, as they have been for the last month.

Long Island

LILIRR26

LIRR says it'll be ready for Islanders fans

barclays crop

No one knows when the NHL will start this season, but Islanders owner <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Charles Wang</a> feels good about where his team will finish if it does. 
 "Yes, we're going to make the playoffs," Wang said on SiriusXM radio Thursday afternoon. "We should have even done it last year, but we didn't. And we're disappointed. We're going to make the playoffs and we're going to have a great run." 
 Still basking in the glow of Wednesday's announcement that the Islanders will move to Brooklyn in 2015, Wang said his team will be competitive not just on the ice but for some of the marquee free agents who have declined to join the Islanders in the past because of the rundown <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a> and the uncertainty surrounding the team's future. 
 The Brooklyn deal, he believes, will change all that. 
 "I think we've never said we're not involved in big-time free agents. Our track record has been to offer [deals] to big-time free agents," Wang said. "They've been concerned about where we're going to be. [The Coliseum] is not an environment where everything is first-class -- we know the Coliseum is a little bit old, being kind. All of those things will be gone. 
 "We've never said [to our management], 'No, you can't have free agents.' We've made a lot of offers and they've decided to go somewhere else. We believe we will be in the hunt in getting some now." 
 Wang also addressed the small seating capacity of <a href="/topics//Barclays">Barclays</a> Center, saying Islanders fans will find room among the 15,000 or so seats that will be available. 
 "If you look at the Coliseum, we have about 16,200 seats in the arena. I wish I could say to you, 'Gee, we're sold out every night.' As you know, we're not," he said. "Yes, we should be so lucky as to have a problem [in Brooklyn] of not having enough seats. When we say 14,500, we're talking about unobstructed seats. We have to work on it. At 15,000, it's really good, it's an intimate environment." 
 Wang also talked about <a href="/topics//Rick_Dipietro">Rick DiPietro</a>, who still will have six years left on his 15-year, $67-million deal when the Islanders move to Brooklyn. DiPietro is playing in Germany while the lockout continues. 
 "I don't know how many years specifically he has . . . We felt that he was the franchise goalie and wanted to keep him here," Wang said. "It wasn't one of those fancy, funny deals with big money up front, signing bonus. He certainly took less than what he could have gotten, given his status, and we made a long-term commitment. We believe in him. He's truly an Islander. 
 "I can't say what's going to happen. We know, the healthy Ricky DiPietro, we know what he can do. We hope that's what we get going forward. You can't find a kid with better heart when it comes to being an Islander." 
 Wang even addressed the lockout, though at risk of a heavy fine from NHL commissioner <a href="/topics//Gary_Bettman">Gary Bettman</a>. 
 "I think it makes everyone nuts -- players, owners, management," Wang said. "I think they will work it through. I think everybody's heart is, let's get hockey on the ice. I think they're doing their best and I hope it gets resolved soon."

SPWANG26

Charles Wang says Islanders will make playoffs if NHL season is played

So how do the Rangers' owners feel about the Islanders' pending move to Brooklyn, placing them closer than ever to their longtime rivals' home base?
Just fine, thank you.
"We've had a great relationship with the Islanders for probably 40 years now; we expect that to continue,'' Hank Ratner, president and CEO of The <a href="/topics//Madison_Square_Garden,_NY">Madison Square Garden</a> Company, said Thursday night. "We've got a great rivalry on the ice. We expect that to continue as it has in the past. We wish them all the success.''
Might the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Isles</a> prove more of a business threat in Brooklyn?
"We'll see what happens,'' Ratner said. "We look at it that the Islanders are still in the marketplace. If they go to Brooklyn, I think they'll continue that traditional rivalry. It's a great thing for us, the Islanders and the sport of hockey.''
Even though the Islanders are on-ice rivals, the Garden has a stake in their success because <a href="/topics//MSG_Network">MSG Network</a> owns their TV rights. So wouldn't a more relevant, successful Islanders franchise <a href="/topics//Benefit_(designer)">benefit</a> the network? "If that makes them more relevant,'' Ratner said. "It's the Islanders. They're very important to us.''
Among the options discussed for the Islanders over the years was an arena adjacent to the <a href="/topics//New_York_Mets">Mets</a>' home in Queens. When asked at the <a href="/topics//World_Series">World Series</a> how he feels about the planned move to Brooklyn, Mets owner <a href="/topics//Fred_Wilpon">Fred Wilpon</a> said, "I was expecting that. [Owner <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Charles Wang</a>] tried so hard. For years he tried, and he just can't afford it. And the Barclays Center is really nice." 
 With David LennonThe Dolan family owns
controlling interest in the
Rangers, Madison Square
Garden and <a href="/topics//Cablevision">Cablevision</a>.
Cablevision owns Newsday.

SPRAT26

Rangers are fine with Islanders' move

hank ratner - cropped

The impending departure of the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">New York Islanders</a> for their new home in Brooklyn has left the fate of the <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a> in doubt, and sports economists, local developers and lawmakers are divided on whether the 40-year-old arena can stay open past 2015. 
 <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> owner Charles <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Wang</a> announced Wednesday that the team had signed a 25-year lease with the Barclays Center beginning with the 2015-16 season. 
 The team's departure will leave <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> County with a critical decision: maintain, refurbish or replace the existing Coliseum and hope to pack it with concerts, family events or conventions or demolish the arena and start from scratch, experts said. 
 "I can't see any positive scenario where it would survive without a professional sports team," said developer <a href="/topics//Scott_Rechler">Scott Rechler</a>, Wang's partner in the failed $3.8 billion Lighthouse Project for the 77-acre Hub property. Wang and <a href="/topics//Scott_Rechler">Rechler</a> abandoned the project in 2009 after the Town of <a href="/topics//Hempstead,_NY">Hempstead</a> said it was too dense. 
 The track record of arenas remaining viable after losing a pro team is poor, with many shutting their doors after years of making little profit, said Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at <a href="/topics//Smith_College">Smith College</a> in Northampton, Mass. 
 Without public transportation or a major metropolitan center, Zimbalist said investing in the Coliseum is not worth the risk. "Preserving or building a new arena does not make sense," he said. 
 County Comptroller George Maragos said the Coliseum needs no sports franchise to thrive. He said the Coliseum was able to fill seats with concerts and other events throughout the 2004-05 hockey lockout. "We can upgrade the existing facility to make it more enticing to attract premier concerts and events," Maragos said. 
 Legis. David Denenberg (D-<a href="/topics//Merrick,_NY">Merrick</a>) said a new or rehabilitated arena could supplement other new development at the Hub, such as sports medicine or alternative energy firms. 
 With or without the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>, the challenge of developing the Hub area has not changed. 
 Building the rest of the property, while keeping the arena, would require an above-ground parking structure, an expensive project. Demolishing the Coliseum would cost roughly $20 million, according to private engineers who analyzed the cost as part of the defeated 2011 Coliseum referendum. 
 <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> County Executive Edward Mangano is preparing to select a master developer next week for the Hub property, considered among the most valuable plots of land in the county. 
 The candidates are <a href="/topics//Plainview,_NY">Plainview</a> developer Donald Monti, <a href="/topics//Garden_City,_NY">Garden City</a> developer Edward Blumenfeld and <a href="/topics//Patchogue,_NY">Patchogue</a>-based Baldassano Architecture. Blumenfeld is promoting a sports and entertainment venue that would not include a stand-alone arena. Walter Paulik, a consultant for Baldassano, said their plans call for development in the area surrounding the Coliseum but he would not say if that included an arena. Monti was unavailable for comment. 
 In a report prepared for the defeated 2011 referendum on borrowing up to $400 million to build a new arena, county consultant Camoin Associates wrote that without the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>, the arena would not be "economically viable. The county has said that it would be forced to close down the Coliseum if the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> were to leave." 
 Mangano's office declined to comment Thursday. 
 Lee Igel, a professor of sports management at the <a href="/topics//New_York_University">NYU</a> Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, said the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>' departure "will force officials to drop their old assumptions and consider what it is that they want for this community." 
 Eric Alexander, who heads Vision <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a>, a smart growth group, said if the Coliseum is to survive, <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> must be creative, and possibly retrofit the arena as a convention center or a venue for mixed martial arts. "How many Elmo and friends [shows] can you really do?" he said. 
 With Randi F. Marshall 
 and James T. Madore

Nassau

POISLE26

Hub development a challenge as Isles quit

liCOLIjcw CROPPED mg

The <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> know where they will be in the future. Will having a new Brooklyn address give their current players and potential free agents more peace of mind? 
 "A day like today provides certainty," <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> general manager Garth Snow said after the news conference Wednesday in the lobby of Barclays Center, heralding the 2015 arrival of the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>. "We know where we'll be playing, and that's in a state-of-the-art facility. That's always a big asset." 
 There have been numerous reasons Snow hasn't been able to attract any big-name free agents the past few summers, though one potential major headache was avoided in September 2011, when <a href="/topics//John_Tavares">John Tavares</a> signed a six-year, $33-million extension nearly a year ahead of restricted free agency. 
 Snow made competitive offers to defensemen <a href="/topics//Paul_Martin">Paul Martin</a> and <a href="/topics//Dan_Hamhuis">Dan Hamhuis</a> in the first week of free agency in July 2010, but both signed elsewhere; Ben Hankinson, Martin's agent, said at the time that the uncertainty of the franchise's future beyond 2015 was a factor in Martin spurning the Isles for the Penguins. 
 A losing team has been the biggest reason Snow has struggled to hit free-agency jackpots, with the Isles having missed the postseason for five consecutive seasons. But a new arena and a home for the future may finally be something that tips the scales in the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>' favor rather than turning players off. 
 "Sure, [a new arena] is a factor, no question," said Allan Walsh of Octagon, who represents former Islander PA Parenteau among numerous other <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a> players. "It's one of several factors. It's a little early to predict how this move will play out for players, but now that they know where they will be, it's something I and my clients would certainly consider." 
 With the lockout in effect, the Isles are barred from communicating with their players, but players tweeted their approval. 
 <a href="/topics//Michael_Grabner">Michael Grabner</a>, currently playing in his hometown of Villach, Austria, posted on Twitter: "Fans and families deserve a nice arena to go watch hockey and for us it's a great facility." 
 <a href="/topics//Matt_Moulson">Matt Moulson</a> is still training near his offseason home in <a href="/topics//Connecticut">Connecticut</a> and skating with a junior team coached by his father-in-law. He didn't have the full details on Wednesday's announcement, but he's still as excited about the Isles' future, even if his present is fairly uncertain. 
 "Our building in the past definitely was a little bit of a problem in getting free agents to commit long term," Moulson said. "We didn't know where we were going to be. It's exciting to finally have a new place to call home, even if it's a little bit of a tough situation right now because none of us can be in touch to find out what's happening." 
 Snow has always said that winning will be the thing that makes the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> attractive to free agents, both outside and inside the organization. With Wednesday's announcement, though, the worries about all of the <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a>'s myriad problems are starting to disappear. 
 "You realize [when you're at the Coliseum] that you need something new," Snow said. "That's why today is such a great day."

SPSNOW25

Isles GM Garth Snow has a selling point now with new arena

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Yes, <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Charles Wang</a> is disappointed about leaving. His goal from the start was to keep the Islanders in Nassau County. 
 The pursuit of replacing <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a> began the moment he bought the Islanders in 2000, and it led him down an exhausting road filled with political battles, architectural renderings and public hearings. 
 Finally, he decided he had enough, which is why the Islanders are headed to the <a href="/topics//Barclays">Barclays</a> Center in Brooklyn once their lease with Nassau County expires in June 2015. 
 "When you have a good alternative," Wang said, "at some point you take the alternative." 
 This was inside the lobby of the <a href="/topics//Barclays">Barclays</a> Center Wednesday, moments after he stood on a dais alongside New York City Mayor <a href="/topics//Michael_Bloomberg">Michael Bloomberg</a>, <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a> commissioner <a href="/topics//Gary_Bettman">Gary Bettman</a> and arena owner <a href="/topics//Bruce_Ratner">Bruce Ratner</a> and opened the show by saying, "Hello, Brooklyn." 
 This was not the new-arena celebration Wang envisioned more than a decade ago, and he acknowledged that. 
 "After 12, 13 years, you feel a little bad," he said of leaving <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a>. "It's sort of a bittersweet thing, but at the same time, here, we're home." 
 Then Wang smiled. More than once Wednesday he said this was a day to look ahead, but even he seemed to find it hard to follow his own advice, considering what he'd done to try to make Nassau County work. 
 Said <a href="/topics//Gary_Bettman">Bettman</a>: "I know firsthand he spent the better part of a decade and tens of millions of dollars in pursuit of a new home for the Islanders." 
 Wang refused to estimate how much money he has lost while running the Islanders; a Newsday review of the team's finances in May 2009 showed he spent $208.8 million to keep the franchise operating. That's after spending $74.2 million to buy it and assuming $97 million in liabilities. And that's not counting what he spent on arena plans. 
 "We tried everything we could," Wang said. "We wanted to stay there originally. We didn't have the opportunity to do it. Now we have this great, great, great alternative." 
 Wang said he sometimes wonders "what if," especially about his Lighthouse Project, a mixed-use development plan for the area surrounding the Coliseum. 
 Back when Wang was promoting the plan, he used to say he envisioned his grandchildren driving by the development on the Meadowbrook Parkway and saying, "Hey, grandpa built that!" 
 He pursued the Lighthouse Project for several years, changing the designs a few times at the request of others before abandoning it when he couldn't come to an agreement with the Town of <a href="/topics//Hempstead,_NY">Hempstead</a> regarding the overall scope of the project. That was in 2009. 
 Then came the referendum in August 2011 that would have built a new publicly financed arena; Nassau taxpayers, however, resoundingly voted it down. Wang denied that was the final straw in his long quest for a new home in Nassau County. 
 "It was a long shot," he said Wednesday of the referendum. "We knew that, OK?" 
 The night it was voted down, Wang responded to the disappointment by announcing his intentions to evaluate every option for the future Islanders home that came his way. 
 "Everybody that had a concrete offer, we looked at," he said, "and then we decided what we wanted." 
 Enter Brooklyn, with a 25-year lease at the arena he wanted to bring to Nassau County. 
 "Now we have an opportunity to have a home that's just beautiful," he said. "You walk around, it's mind-boggling."

SPWANG25

After years of trying to keep Islanders in Nassau, Charles Wang chose alternative

<a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> owner Charles Wang did not hesitate when asked whether the team's scheduled move to Brooklyn in 2015 would bring with it a new name.
"No," he said. "We're the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">New York Islanders</a>."
That goes for the colors and logo, too.
But at the very least one aspect of the logo presumably will have to be altered: the depiction of <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> itself.
Brooklyn geographically is on the same island as <a href="/topics//Uniondale,_NY">Uniondale</a>, of course, but the far west end of the land mass is not shown on the current logo, including the part where the Barclays Center is located.

SPNAME25

Charles Wang says move to Brooklyn won't affect name

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The <a href="/topics//Brooklyn_Nets">Nets</a>' move to Brooklyn already has been a spectacular marketing and re-branding success, even before the team has played its first regular-season game there. 
 Can the Islanders' repeat that kind of magic during and after their move to the borough? 
 "I think playing in the <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a> for the past decade has been a drain on the franchise and on the fans," <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a> commissioner <a href="/topics//Gary_Bettman">Gary Bettman</a> said. "This will be uplifting, to say the least." 
 There are several things working against the Islanders in matching what the <a href="/topics//Brooklyn_Nets">Nets</a> have done, branding expert Peter Shankman said. 
 First, the Nets were there first. Second, basketball generally is more popular than hockey. Third, the Islanders have no plans to change their name or logo to reflect <a href="/topics//The_Move_(musician)">the move</a>. 
 Regarding reason No. 1, Shankman said, "It's like you're trying to follow this incredible announcement. At best you seem like a hanger-on and at worst no one cares." 
 Regarding No. 2, he said, "Will they be able to grow that brand? Of course they will. But let's be honest: I love hockey, but it's not basketball." 
 Shankman suggested the team <a href="/topics//Embrace_(musician)">embrace</a> the fact hockey traditionally is not as familiar in urban areas as basketball is. 
 "If I were in marketing I would target a whole new campaign based on: What is hockey?" he said. 
 Michael Stone, CEO of the Beanstalk Group, a brand licensing agency, called the Islanders' move another phase in developer <a href="/topics//Bruce_Ratner">Bruce Ratner</a>'s plan to brand the Barclays Center "as an iconic sports venue, similar to <a href="/topics//Madison_Square_Garden,_NY">Madison Square Garden</a>." 
 Despite the Islanders' announcement that they would not change their name and logo, Stone said, "<a href="/topics//The_Move_(musician)">The move</a> should generate renewed interest in the team and its merchandise, as well as ultimately garner more traffic for the Barclays Center." 
 While it is unclear whether Nets part-owner <a href="/topics//Jay-Z">Jay-Z</a> is inclined to become a hockey fan, the Islanders could <a href="/topics//Benefit_(designer)">benefit</a> by association with the Nets, their long-ago co-tenants at <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a>, given their new and improved image. "You can cross sell, cross market, create value for ticket-holders and sponsors," Barclays CEO <a href="/topics//Brett_Yormark">Brett Yormark</a> said of the Nets-Islanders relationship. "That, I think, is the dream. I think everyone benefits."

SPMARK25

Islanders brand should grow in Brooklyn

The <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> have not averaged more than 14,500 fans at <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a> since 2002-03, so on the surface it should not be a concern that Brooklyn's Barclays Center currently seats only that many for hockey. 
 But that figure would represent the smallest capacity in the <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a>, a distinction now held by the 15,004-seat MTS Centre in Winnipeg, home of the <a href="/topics//New_York_Jets">Jets</a>. 
 Commissioner Gary <a href="/topics//Gary_Bettman">Bettman</a> insisted yesterday the size of the new arena is "not an issue." 
 For one thing, he said, there are tentative plans in place to boost the seating for hockey to 15,000 or slightly more than that. 
 For another, he said the size of the arena would create a superior viewing experience for fans. 
 "If you walk the concourses and see the bowl we think the intimacy of this building is going to make watching hockey a terrific experience," <a href="/topics//Gary_Bettman">Bettman</a> said. 
 The <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> Coliseum seats about 16,200 for hockey. Bettman said "the extra thousand seats aren't going to make that much of a difference." 
 The <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> averaged 13,191 in paid attendance in 2011-12, next to last in the <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a>. The <a href="/topics//Winnipeg_Jets">Winnipeg Jets</a> averaged 15,004, 100 percent of capacity. 
 <a href="/topics//Brett_Yormark">Brett Yormark</a>, Barclays CEO, said the added seats probably would be squeezed into the west end of the rink, perhaps as part of a high-end hospitality area. 
 With indications the Islanders planned to stay in <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> County, the Barclays Center was built to create the best possible sight lines for basketball. 
 Rather than center the hockey rink on the arena floor, it is shifted toward one end, so it is not possible to see the near-side goal from that side of the building, rendering many seats unusable because of obstructed sight lines. 
 During a tour of the Barclays construction site in February, the outlines of a hockey rink already were taking shape. 
 That day Bob Sanna, an executive vice president of Forest City Ratner in charge of construction, said getting the arena ready for a hockey game would not be difficult. 
 "That, physically, is easy to accomplish," he told Newsday. He added the building always was designed with a regulation rink in mind and with plenty of locker room space to house a home team. 
 The Islanders' scheduled preseason game against the <a href="/topics//New_Jersey_Devils">Devils</a> Oct. 2, which would have been the first sports event at the arena, was to be a test run for hockey there. It was canceled because of the ongoing NHL lockout.

SPARENA25

Gary Bettman: Barclays Center size doesn't matter

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<a href="/topics//Mike_Bossy">Mike Bossy</a> had one question for Charles <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Wang</a> when the Islanders owner informed one of the franchise's greatest players Wednesday morning that the team would be leaving <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> Coliseum for Brooklyn's Barclays Center in 2015. 
 "I asked him, 'Is my banner coming, too?' " <a href="/topics//Mike_Bossy">Bossy</a>, the team's vice president of business development, said Wednesday after the Brooklyn news conference. "I'm extremely pleased for [Wang]. There's no doubt there's some mixed feelings with the success we had as a team in the Coliseum and the success I had personally there, but life goes on." 
 As word filtered around the <a href="/topics//Hockey_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">hockey</a> world of the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Isles</a>' big move, several members of the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Isles</a>' <a href="/topics//Stanley_Cup">Stanley Cup</a> dynasty era weighed in on a future without a Coliseum. 
 "You're kidding," said <a href="/topics//Denis_Potvin">Denis Potvin</a>, the captain of the 1980-83 Cup teams and currently a broadcaster for the <a href="/topics//Ottawa_Senators">Ottawa Senators</a>, when informed of the news by The <a href="/topics//Hockey_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">Hockey</a> News. "Even though my relationship with the Islanders is very minimal, I was a big supporter of them trying to get the vote for [a new arena last summer] and keep the team in <a href="/topics//Uniondale,_NY">Uniondale</a>. But one thing about Mr. Wang, he likes a lot of control and obviously he's not willing to give up the franchise, which is a good thing for continuity. Maybe they can better position themselves to be competitive in that building. That's the best I can hope for." 
 Bill Torrey, the general manager and architect of the championship teams, also expressed shock when reached at his home in Florida. Torrey is still an adviser for <a href="/topics//Pittsburgh_Panthers_(football)">the Panthers</a>. 
 "I've heard rumors this was under consideration but it's a bit of a surprise, frankly," Torrey said. 
 <a href="/topics//Mike_Bossy">Bossy</a> has been a part of the Islanders' business and community development program for several years, so he is well aware of the shortcomings of the Coliseum and the long road Wang has traveled to try and start construction on a new arena. 
 He said he will be sad for the Islanders to leave <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> and the old barn in which so much history was made. 
 "But whatever you did is always in your heart, in your memories," <a href="/topics//Mike_Bossy">Bossy</a> said. "That never changes."

SPPLAY25

Former Islanders have mixed feelings about leaving Nassau Coliseum

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For many longtime Islanders fans, Wednesday's announcement that the team was leaving <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> County for Barclays Center in Brooklyn was a cruel blow.
"I feel like I got poked in the eye," said Ronnie Kind, a season-ticket holder and vice president of the team's official Booster Club, which was organized in 1972. "They might as well move to <a href="/topics//Quebec">Quebec</a>," said Kind, who lives in <a href="/topics//West_Islip,_NY">West Islip</a>. "I normally go to 30 games a year; in Brooklyn, I might see three." 
Kind, 50, knows about road trips. He also helped organize excursions for members of the club, whose number has dwindled to about 130, to see the team play in arenas in <a href="/topics//Ottawa">Ottawa</a>, Philadelphia and elsewhere.
"The texts and the phone have been going all day," he said, "and I can tell you, they're going to lose a good portion of the older fan base. It's all about the transportation."
Fans in <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">Suffolk</a>, and to some extent, in Nassau County who work on <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a>, will be averse to taking the <a href="/topics//Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a>, which has a stop at Barclays Center, to weeknight games and back, and arriving home close to midnight. And driving, for Kind, "is out of the question. How long would it take to get there in rush hour?"
Larraine D'Errico of <a href="/topics//Levittown,_NY">Levittown</a>, who has had season tickets with her husband, John, since 1973, said the train wasn't the answer for them. "We're not going to renew next season," she said in a phone conversation. "I'm very upset. We're older and we're not going to deal with the traffic. We have friends that have gone there [to Barclays] and it took them forever."
D'Errico doesn't blame owner Charles <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Wang</a>. "I'm furious with Nassau County," she said. "I understand Wang's problem and I was all for his plan. He was willing to pay, but there were people who had their own agendas."
She was also upset with younger, homegrown fans losing the team's legacy. "My grandson Michael has been going to games since he was 6, and he's a die-hard," D'Errico said. "Now what?"
Gary Harding, 49, of Huntington, a former president of the Booster Club and a season-ticket holder since 1988, said the distance is a detriment and there are personal ties as well.
"My wife is just as passionate a fan as I am," he said. "We met at a game, and when I texted her this morning, I told her, 'Well, we won't be going there every night.' Maybe we'll look into going on some weekends."
Others were relieved that at least the team didn't leave <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a>.
"Keeping them in the area is probably the most important thing," Don Becker, 39, of <a href="/topics//Valley_Stream,_NY">Valley Stream</a> said. "It's the best thing for the team."
Longtime fan <a href="/topics//Jim_Moeller">Jim Moeller</a>, 37, of <a href="/topics//Centerport,_NY">Centerport</a>, said he plans to attend more games in Brooklyn than he has in recent years because he works in Manhattan.
"I think it's fantastic," he said. " . . . Now I can take a train to Brooklyn.
"It gives them a little bit of life. It gives them a little bit of a jolt, which they need."
With Carl MacGowan

SPFANS25

Many longtime Islanders fans upset

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Islanders fans on Wednesday reacted to the club's planned move to Brooklyn with disappointment and resignation -- and relief that the team is staying in <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a>. 
 Fans said they weren't surprised: The failure of a referendum last year to renovate 40-year-old <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> Veterans Memorial Coliseum likely sealed the Islanders' fate, they said. 
 "I think it's terrible for <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> County," said Don Becker, 39, of <a href="/topics//Valley_Stream,_NY">Valley Stream</a>. But, he added, "Keeping them in the area is probably the most important thing. It's the best thing for the team." 
 Longtime fan Jim Moeller, 37, of <a href="/topics//Centerport,_NY">Centerport</a>, said he plans to attend more games in Brooklyn than he has in recent years because he works in <a href="/topics//Manhattan,_KS">Manhattan</a>. 
 "I think it's fantastic," he said. " . . . Now I can take a train to Brooklyn. 
 "It gives them a little bit of life. It gives them a little bit of a jolt, which they need." 
 But Matthew Szekalski, 21, of <a href="/topics//Bay_Shore,_NY">Bay Shore</a>, said he was disappointed by <a href="/topics//The_Move_(musician)">the move</a> and said he would go to fewer games in Brooklyn. "On top of the ticket prices, I'm going to have to pay for a <a href="/topics//LIRR">LIRR</a> ticket," he said. "I can't imagine [Islanders] ticket prices won't go up, so it's going to be more expensive." 
 <a href="/topics//The_Move_(musician)">The move</a> would hurt business at Champions restaurant in the <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> Marriott hotel in <a href="/topics//Uniondale,_NY">Uniondale</a>, said senior food and beverage manager Anthony Camoia. The restaurant, across the parking lot from <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a>, prominently displays autographed <a href="/topics//Bryan_Trottier">Bryan Trottier</a> and <a href="/topics//John_Tavares">John Tavares</a> jerseys. 
 Depending on the opponent, he said, business often doubles when the Islanders play at the Coliseum. Already the restaurant has lost business because of the <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a> lockout, Camoia said. 
 "It shows you what it would look like" to lose the Islanders permanently, he said. 
 Fans said they hope the team finds new fans in Brooklyn and Queens. Moeller said <a href="/topics//The_Move_(musician)">the move</a> might help the club attract star free agents. 
 "Better Brooklyn than out of town," said Jameson Canning, 23, of Mineola, who took photographs Wednesday outside the Coliseum. "At least we can still go to the games." 
 After years of rumors that the Islanders would leave <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a>, Becker said he was happy they will be a train ride away. 
 "They're only moving 20 miles away," Becker said. "It's certainly better than seeing them win the Stanley Cup in Portland or Seattle or Kansas City."

LIREAX25

Islanders fans: At least the team will stay in NY

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Losing the Islanders to almost a decade of political backbiting and foot dragging ought to knock some sense into Nassau's leadership. 
 For eight years, there never seemed to be a shared sense of urgency about the importance of remaking the area around <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a>. 
 Like Charles <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Wang</a>'s Lighthouse, an ambitious proposal the Islanders owner made in 2004 to remake Nassau's last major undeveloped area into a sports, entertainment, housing and business complex, too many local projects never get done. 
 That reality, in a middle-class region under continuing economic duress, made watching Wednesday's news conference at the <a href="/topics//Barclays">Barclays</a> Center in Brooklyn almost painful. 
 Yes, the idea of building an arena in Brooklyn had -- and still has -- critics. Developer Bruce <a href="/topics//Bruce_Ratner">Ratner</a>'s vision of what Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn could be was almost as audacious as Wang's dreams for Nassau. Ratner is likely to continue fighting critics because the project, which calls for affordable housing and other new buildings, is far from finished. 
 Wang, as an excited team owner rather than a frustrated developer, sat Wednesday alongside Ratner, <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">National Hockey League</a> Commissioner <a href="/topics//Gary_Bettman">Gary Bettman</a> and <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> Mayor <a href="/topics//Michael_Bloomberg">Michael Bloomberg</a> as Brooklyn gratefully and gleefully embraced Wang and his team. 
 Not one of them talked about the Islanders' patchy record -- because they know that getting the storied franchise is more than about landing a winning home team. 
 They know they've got a prize, a business that is going to attract money, jobs and the prestige of a second major league professional team to Brooklyn. They know that the Islanders will keep their hard-core fans and attract new ones because of the state-of-the-art arena, its amenities and the bustling surrounding neighborhood. 
 In short, they know what Wang had been trying to tell <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a>'s political leadership since 2004, when he first proposed the Lighthouse. 
 Wang was so confident about that potential that he passed around caps and T-shirts bearing the motto: "Meet Me at the Lighthouse." 
 The motto now would be: "Meet Me at the 77 Acres of Parking." 
 As far back as 2005, Wang tried to keep politics out of his $3.8 billion proposal. 
 "This is not a Suozzi project, it's not a D'Amato-Mondello project, it's a Wang project," he told a breakfast of business leaders, referring to then-County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrat</a>, and county <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">GOP</a> chairman <a href="/topics//Joseph_Mondello">Joseph Mondello</a> and former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, both <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a>. 
 But Wang needed Nassau's collective political leadership to get it done. Instead, he got nothing. Early on, according to a Newsday story, he angered D'Amato by refusing to hire his brother. D'Amato contended that was not true. 
 But then came more delays, as the <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a>-run Town of <a href="/topics//Hempstead,_NY">Hempstead</a> -- sensitive, no doubt, to criticisms that the plan would put too much on too little a piece of land -- took years to review Wang's proposal. Supervisor <a href="/topics//Kate_Murray">Kate Murray</a> essentially killed Wang's dream by rezoning the area for a significantly more modest a plan. 
 The result? Nassau has parking lots, while Brooklyn has a new arena. Now, the borough's getting the Islanders, too. 
 Mangano said he hoped to announce new plans, a new vision and a new developer for the Hub. 
 Good luck, because now there's a deadline. Nassau has two years before the Islanders' departure to plan and execute a project big enough to make up for the jobs and business revenue that will flee Nassau along with the team. 
 Get it done.

Joye Brown

LIJOY25

Loss of Islanders Nassau's wake-up call

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Financial experts predicted little economic impact from the Islanders moving to Brooklyn as long as the <a href="/topics//Nassau_Coliseum">Nassau Coliseum</a> or a new state-of-the art replacement arena remains to host concerts and other events. 
 A consultant hired by County Executive Edward Mangano last year reported that the hockey franchise generated more than $60 million in local spending in 2010. County Comptroller George Maragos and <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> economist Martin Cantor both said Wednesday that Coliseum managers could generate as much -- or more -- by booking other entertainment to replace Islander games. 
 "As a hockey fan, I'm very disappointed and saddened that the Islanders are leaving," Maragos said. "As comptroller, from an economic point of view, it should have minimal or no impact. When the <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">National Hockey League</a> had its last lockout in 2004 and 2005, the operator of the facility was able to substitute other entertainment to bring in the same number of people and paid the county its share." 
 Cantor, who has worked as a consultant for Mangano, said, "Economically, there's more of a loss if we don't replace the Coliseum rather than the Islanders per se." 
 The Islanders play 41 home games with an average 13,191 fans at each -- the second-lowest in the <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a>. "Development of the Hub will far exceed any economic loss from the Islanders," Cantor said. 
 But Tim Lorito, who runs the CANZaciti Roadhouse restaurant and sports bar on Old Country Road in <a href="/topics//Westbury,_NY">Westbury</a>, said he will lose more than 20 percent of his business when the Islanders leave. "It's a tragedy that government has let one of its most important assets leave the region," he said in a statement. 
 Voters last year defeated Mangano's proposal to borrow $400 million to build a new arena and associated facilities. Mangano said Wednesday he would soon announce a team to redevelop the 77-acre Hub area around the Coliseum. 
 Legis. Kevan Abrahams (D-<a href="/topics//Freeport,_NY">Freeport</a>), the legislature's minority leader, called the Islanders' move "another crippling hit to our local economy." And <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> Democratic chairman <a href="/topics//Jay_Jacobs">Jay Jacobs</a> said it was "a devastating blow to <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> County. I don't care if you like hockey or not." 
 Mangano aide Brian Nevin said in a statement that "Islanders fans will surely never forget the <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> Democratic legislators who actively campaigned against . . . Mangano's efforts to build a new sports arena and retain <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a>'s only major sports team." 
 But political experts see little impact for elected officials. 
 "If the Islanders were still winning the [Stanley] Cup, and had as large a following as they had at one time, then this would have a political fallout," said Stanley Klein, an LIU Post political science professor and <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">Suffolk</a> <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">GOP</a> committeeman. "But nowadays, with people hurting because they're not working and gas prices so high . . . there are more pressing personal needs than the Islanders." 
 Political strategist Michael Dawidziak, who works mostly for <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a>, said, "People care about the economy and taxes and nothing else. I don't really see any political fallout to it." With Robert Brodsky

PONASS25

Little economic hit from Islanders' loss

liisles

The Islanders' season has begun. Will they go back to the playoffs? 
 Newsday's Arthur Staple answers your questions on all things Isles. Sign up for the chat below for the latest analysis and be sure to stop in and ask your questions! 
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Islanders live chat with Arthur Staple at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday

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1971 -- Roy Boe, who made his fortune in women's apparel, wins an <a href="/topics//National_Hockey_League">NHL</a> expansion franchise to play in the <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> Veterans Memorial Coliseum in <a href="/topics//Uniondale,_NY">Uniondale</a>. He pays $10 million. Boe already owned the American Basketball Association's <a href="/topics//Brooklyn_Nets">New York Nets</a>, which opened the new arena the following year. 
 Oct. 7. 1972 -- The <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> debut, losing 3-2 to the Atlanta Flames. They finished the season with a record of 12-60-6. 
 1974-75 -- The <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> make the playoffs, beating the <a href="/topics//Glasgow_Rangers">Rangers</a> in the first round but losing to the <a href="/topics//Philadelphia_Flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> in the semifinals. 
 1977 -- The <a href="/topics//Brooklyn_Nets">Nets</a> move to <a href="/topics//New_Jersey">New Jersey</a>, depriving the Coliseum of a major tenant. 
 1978 -- Boe, losing money, sells the team to venture capitalist John O. Pickett Jr., who signs a lease to remain at the Coliseum through 2007. 
 1980 -- The <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> win the first of four consecutive <a href="/topics//Stanley_Cup">Stanley Cup</a> championships. They have not won the cup since. 
 1996 -- Dallas businessman John <a href="/topics//John_Spano">Spano</a> buys the <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> for $165 million. 
 1998 -- Spano fails to make a loan payment and relinquishes the club when he is arrested on federal charges of bank and wire fraud. The Islanders are sold to Howard Milstein, from a powerful <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> real estate family, and Steven Gluckstern, a co-owner of the <a href="/topics//Phoenix_Coyotes">Phoenix Coyotes</a>, for $195 million 
 1998-99 -- Upset by the condition of the arena, the new owners threaten to move the team. However, bound by a revised lease that did not expire until 2015, the Islanders are forced to stay put. The owners sharply cut the team's payroll. 
 2000 -- Charles <a href="/topics//Charles_Wang">Wang</a>, co-founder of <a href="/topics//CA_Technologies">Computer Associates</a>, buys the team along with CA chief executive <a href="/topics//Sanjay_Kumar">Sanjay Kumar</a> for $74.2 million plus assumption of $97 million in liabilities. Wang buys out <a href="/topics//Sanjay_Kumar">Kumar</a> in 2004. 
 2003 -- Wang meets with then-County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who tells him <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> cannot afford to upgrade the Coliseum and encourages Wang to come up with a plan for the site. 
 2004 -- Wang unveils his Lighthouse Project plan to renovate the Coliseum and develop the surrounding area. 
 2007 -- The Lighthouse Group applies to the Town of Hempstead for the creation of a planned development district. The initial application is rejected on the grounds of missing maps, typos and other issues; the application is resubmitted in February 2008. 
 2009 -- Frustrated by the inability to win a plan to refurbish or replace the arena, or to clear the way for a $3.7 billion Lighthouse Project, Wang says he wishes he had never bought the team, which is costing him $20 million a year. "If I had the chance, I wouldn't do it again," Wang tells Newsday, adding that if he did not have an answer from local officials by the following year, he would "explore all my options." 
 Aug. 1, 2011 -- Voters in <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> County reject a proposal to borrow up to $400 million toward a taxpayer-funded new arena to replace the <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> Coliseum. 
 Oct. 24, 2012 -- Wang announces the hockey franchise will move to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn in 2015. 
 Compiled by William Goldschlag

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New York Islanders: A timeline

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With the Islanders soon calling Brooklyn's new Barclays Center home, how do you feel about the team's big move? Weigh in with our polls and see where you stand compared to other fans.

How do you feel about the Isles' move?

How do you feel about the Islanders move? Weigh in

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The Islanders had an average home attendance of more than 14,000 fans in 15 of their first 31 seasons, but they haven’t reached that number at the 16,234-seat Nassau Coliseum since the 2002-03 campaign. 
 The franchise’s average attendance the last nine seasons: 
 2003-04: 13,693 2004-05: Lockout 2005-06: 12,609 2006-07: 12,886 2007-08: 13,640 2008-09: 13,773 2009-10: 12,735 2010-11: 11,059 2011-12: 13,191 
 That's an eight-season average of 12,948 fans per game.

Islanders attendance at Nassau Coliseum

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For some of us, the Islanders’ move to Brooklyn might of course prompt a flashback to 35 or so years ago — when the merger of the American Basketball Association into the NBA ended up prompting the New York Nets’ return to New Jersey, from whence they came. For you youngsters who may never have known: The glorious ‘Dr. J’ Nets of 1972-77 played at a place called the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale. Stadiums and the teams that occupy them are the fodder of malleable sentiment on the political scene. As NYC mayor between 1994 and 2001, Rudy Giuliani made a lot of noise about new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets, and about the prospects of the Yanks’ threatened departure, and how the baseball Giants and Dodgers had left in the 1950s, and how the football Jets and Giants relocated across the border, and how other pols did not understand as he did the importance of these franchises as businesses, etc. In the end, the Yanks and Mets got new mostly private-funded homes right across from their old ones — but under the stewardship of the Bloomberg administration. Giuliani did get going two minor league stadiums of great spirit but questionable economic impact. 
 Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s governmental contortions to get the Jets to play on the Upper West Side flopped. Until the Barclay Arena in Brooklyn brought back the Nets and now lured the Islanders, both on Bloomberg’s watch, the most important sports-stadium development of recent years was the development of the U.S. Tennis center under the Dinkins administration. How much are elected executives responsible for the fate of major league home teams? A borrowing referendum, of hazy legal pedigree, for rebuilding the Coliseum — which Nassau Exec Ed Mangano had portrayed as huge for the local economy — took place in August 2011. Voters rejected the deal. That, in retrospect, becomes one turning point for the Islanders’ departure. But the change also may symbolize, in an indirect way, a younger generation of area residents also preferring Brooklyn to Nassau when their parents or grandparents may have gone the opposite way.

Politics

Islanders skate: Some political threads

Nassau Coliseum iced

It took 35 years, but it looks like the New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets and the New York Islanders are going to be reunited at the Barclays Center. 
 This is both a shame, and perhaps, an opportunity for Long Island and the Hub. 
 A news conference has been scheduled at the new Brooklyn arena for 1 p.m. Wednesday, and every person who would be expected to be on hand for such an announcement is scheduled to attend: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, Islanders owner Charles Wang, Barclays Center developer Bruce Rattner and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, among others. 
 Wang has a lease at the Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum running through 2015 but has been saying for years that the team would not play at the current facility past that date. The Islanders have called the Coliseum home for 40 years. The Coliseum's&nbsp;first event, on Feb. 11 1972, was a Nets game. The Nets played at the Coliseum as an American Basketball Association franchise, leaving in 1977. 
 This move leaves the Island without a major sports franchise, and it leaves Islander fans, many of whom live in Suffolk County, facing significant travel time to see their team. At least Barclays is extraordinarily accessible by public transportation. 
 But the move is also a symbol of incompetence in Nassau County administrations going back to the 1990s, when talk of the need for a new arena first began to bubble, and the difficulty of developing on Long Island in general. The most recent serious plan, a Nassau County taxpayer-funded arena that went to a voter referendum, was rejected emphatically. 
 No one can blame Wang for leaving. His own expansive vision for the 77-acre tract in Uniondale, a mixed-used development called “The Lighthouse Project,” was kyboshed by Nimbyism and local political turf wars. He can't be expected to have his team play in a substandard facility eternally. 
 There may well be a bright spot, though. While the Islanders -- and creating a new facility for them -- have always been an anchor for any serious Hub plan, they have also been limitations. An arena takes up a huge footprint, and the parking spaces for an arena either eat tremendous acreage it they're asphalt,&nbsp; or a gigantic sum of money if the parking is structured. Now, without being forced to include an arena or those types of parking in their plans (although they still might choose to) developers have a much broader opportunity. They can come up with a vision that provides them with profit, the county with tax revenue, and residents/employers/funseekers with a great place to live, work or recreate. 
 Or perhaps all three. Or something else entirely. 
 That the Islanders are decamping is a shame, and the attempts to keep them have been a disaster. What happens next doesn’t have to be.

Filler: Blame Nassau, but could be opportunity

Filler: Islanders move to Barclays Center is a shame, but it could also be opportunity

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Islanders move to Brooklyn: Full coverage

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Isles to Brooklyn: Full coverage

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