Islanders' training camp plans in China fall through

The Islanders' planned trip to China for training camp in September is off. Although the nine-day trip was met with initial approval from the league and the NHL Players Association, it recently hit a snag regarding procedural requirements.

The NHLPA wanted to send representatives to China before the Islanders' trip to make sure all facilities complied with certain NHL standards. This is considered standard operating procedure and has been done several times in the past.

According to multiple sources, however, Islanders owner Charles Wang objected to the request because he feared it might cause problems with the Chinese. Wang, who was born in China, subsequently abandoned the trip, with the deal falling through Friday. Wang is said to be "heartbroken" and deeply disappointed.

Islanders general manager Garth Snow echoed that sentiment. "It's disappointing,'' he said. "The players, their wives and girlfriends, everyone was looking forward to this trip. It was an opportunity of a lifetime to go over and have an experience that otherwise would've been unavailable to our team."

Sources said Wang also bristled at the NHLPA's request for a donation to the NHLPA that would be given back to help fund children's hockey programs in China, although the request was a mere "suggestion," NHLPA spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said. Weatherdon also said the suggested donation (for which a sum was never named) was not a make-or-break element of the terms.

Weatherdon confirmed both requests but said the Islanders agreed to those conditions when the deal was struck in January. "When an agreement is made, we expect the team to live up to the terms," Weatherdon said by phone Monday.

Because of their reluctance to comply with the requests - primarily the NHLPA's desire to pre-approve facilities - the Islanders declined to put down a deposit that was due for the trip this past Friday.

The trip, originally scheduled for Sept. 14-23, included stops in Beijing and Shanghai as well as day trips to Harbin and Qiqihar in the Heilongjiang province, where Wang has initiatives already in place to provide hockey instruction, facilities and education for Chinese youths.

The Islanders now must focus on putting together an alternative training camp schedule, and fairly soon. At this point, the top two options are to return to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where they held training camp last September, or remain on Long Island.

"We'll have to regroup," Snow said. "There are a couple of options we have and it would be premature to comment on it since we just found this out Friday. We'll get to work on Plan B."