BROOKLYN — Charles Wang was true to his word: The New York Islanders are leaving Long Island.
The team owner, flanked by the mayor of New York City and other dignitaries, announced Wednesday that the team would relocate to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn following the 2014-15 season, when the Isles' lease at the Nassau Coliseum expires.
The team has spent more than a decade trying to land a new arena on Long Island after their last attempt went down the drain when a bond issuance was defeated by county voters in August 2011. When the referendum failed, Wang said he would consider moving the team out of Nassau County.
The Islanders have called the Coliseum their home since 1972 when they entered the National Hockey League as an expansion team. The team quickly rose to the top, winning four-straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980 through 1983. The Isles remained a contender into the mid-1990s, but as other teams built new arenas and netted larger revenue streams, the Islanders struggled to sign top players.
The team hasn't won a playoff round since 1993 and missed the playoffs entirely in each of the last five seasons.
The performance drop also kept fans away. The team was 29th out of 30 teams in attendance last season. Since the 2005-06 season, they have never finished higher than 28th in attendance.
But Long Island's loss is Brooklyn's gain. For that borough, it's a hat-trick of sorts. Brooklyn first scored when it opened the Barclays Center. The National Basketball Association's Nets season starts next week and now they have a hockey team as well.
Team and league officials joined Barclays Center developer Bruce Ratner, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Borough President Marty Markowitz to announce the deal, which will keep the Islanders in Brooklyn for 25 years.
“When the New York Islanders came into existence in 1972, they shared the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum with the New York Nets,” said Islanders owner Charles Wang. “This announcement today reunites these two franchises.”
According to officials, Barclays Center currently has a capacity of 14,500 for hockey games, compared to the 16,200 capacity at the Coliseum.
“We don’t think the amount of seats makes a material difference,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. “The intimacy of this building is going to make watching hockey a terrific experience.”
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray wished the Islanders good fortune in New York City.
"I am disappointed to learn of the Islanders’ plan to relocate to Brooklyn," Murray said. "They’ve been a valued part of this region’s identity, and we wish the team great success in the future. We hope Long Islanders will continue to cheer for the team.
One such fan is Charles McAnulla, who was standing outside Barclays Center in anticipation for the big announcement. McAnulla said he was thrilled to see his team play in Brooklyn.
“Long Island is my home but I’m extremely excited to see the team come to Brooklyn,” said McAnulla, 35, an Oceanside native living in Bensonhurst. “Perfect timing. Especially three years from now, it’s going to be beautiful here.”
Wang is at fault he is a terrible market researcher. You don't put two 60 foot towers in Nassau, it is out of character for a suburban area especially a suburban area that is the king of "not in my back yard". Kate Murray is blamed but was only listening to overwhelming public opinion. Mr. Wang the Islanders in Brooklyn is not going to work. If people from the Island did not go to games on the Island they are not going to go to Brooklyn, especially to an arena where the only real option to get there is public transportation. A lot of people in Brooklyn’s population probably never watched a hockey game in their life. Those that are hockey fans are Ranger fans who won’t switch. We are a loyal bunch as Islander fans found out when they won 4 cups in a row when we had not in 40+ years and the “home” games were still 30% Rangers fans. If I were Wang I would have moved them to the Route 110 corridor near Republic airport where all those old military buildings are falling down. You have movies and shopping before the game , nightlife after the game already there and a hotel for visiting teams to stay right there. Pinelawn Station could have been spruced up. Stilleasy to get from Nassau and would have been easier for the club’s East End fans.
I just hope the lockout is over by 2015
We need a revenue and venue destination. No more houses, malls, shopping etc. Enough is enough.... It needed to be an arena with the capability of being used as a convention center and a modern destination for large scale venues. The politicians, and some taxpayers are now with a tail between there legs and pie in the face. We were screwed by idiots.... Now they still need to build a destination and find someone who will come.. And I am not talking minor league trash, we are talking the pros........ Monetarily it will be worth it in the long run 100 percent. What a bunch of fools. LI does not stand for Long Island it stands for Land of Idiots....
Upon hearing the news, I immediately wanted to correct the headline. Has anyone forgotten that Brooklyn is on Long Island? The Battle of Long Island during theRevolutionary War was fought in Brooklyn. So in fact, the Islanders will still be here on Long Island for years to come and an easy LIRR or Jitney ride away from most residents. Charles Wang tried for years and years to get the facility needed to keep the team in Nassau and simply never got the support. On the other hand, NYC fought hard to provide for the team and won. It was a fair competition with no dirty tricks. I am just glad we are not looking to a future of the Miami Beach Islanders or the Seatle Bay Islanders. Things could have turned out much worse !
because of the lack of care to the arena. I doubt moving to Brooklyn will help our beloved Islanders both fans and team. The greedy corporate owners once again don't care about the burdens placed on us as their pockets continued to get lined with the beau coup bucks. Long Island will soon become a ghost town as businesses continue to close, taxes continue to rise, and the families who once prided themselves living here are gone. Major reason why I will never support the cry babies who run this county.
Do you mean this remark "LI does not stand for Long Island it stands for Land of Idiots...." Derogatory? Not even close. If the above shoe fits someone then they can wear it...
Its a shame, but better than going to KC or Canada tho probably.
The Brooklyn mentality would have proven greater than the Long Island mentality we have here today..... Its the water people stop drinking it... It is poisoning your minds...... Oh too late....