Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2011 2:40:44 GMT -6
Nassau nix leaves door open to possible Islanders move to Brooklyn
4:10 AM, August 2, 2011
By RICH CALDER
If the Islanders want to come to Brooklyn, it's smooth skating now. Nassau County voters last night rejected a referendum to borrow $400 million for a new arena for the Islanders, making it a strong possibility that club owner Charles Wang moves the long-struggling franchise out of the Nassau Coliseum when its lease expires in 2015.
For some time, officials overseeing the planned Barclays Center being built for the NBA’s Nets in Brooklyn have said the arena would be too small for NHL hockey.
However, arena officials yesterday confirmed the Barclays Center will be fitted with an NHL-regulation size arena when it opens in Sept. 2012, although they declined comment on potential interest in the Islanders.
The arena holds 18,000 seats for basketball, but some seating would have to be removed to accommodate hockey. Sources said the arena could hold about 14,500 seats for hockey. The smallest seating capacity for an NHL team is 15,015 at the MTS Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Beginning this fall, it will be home to the newest version of the Winnipeg Jets, formerly the Atlanta Thrashers (an earlier version of the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996). The Nassau Coliseum seats 16,234.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said "Brooklyn is the only place” the Islanders should consider moving to. “The Islanders belong in Brooklyn,” he said. “We've got lots of hockey fans, and since we're technically still on Long Island, they can call themselves the 'Brooklyn Islanders.' If they come here, I would personally take the first spin on the Zamboni."
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who also owns 45 percent of the Barclays Center, could potentially have interest in acquiring a hockey team to add 44-60 dates to fill the arena per year. The arena currently expects to host about 200 events annually, including Nets games. Queens, Kansas City, Mo., Suffolk County and Canada have also been rumored as potential landing spots for the Islanders, although Nassau County officials say they’ll fight to keep the club there.
Source: www.nypost.com/p/blogs/brooklyn/nassau_loss_leaves_door_open_klyn_iutbSZx2w7QeBpfR4O2XQO#ixzz1TrHg8xw2
Map of Long Island:
4:10 AM, August 2, 2011
By RICH CALDER
If the Islanders want to come to Brooklyn, it's smooth skating now. Nassau County voters last night rejected a referendum to borrow $400 million for a new arena for the Islanders, making it a strong possibility that club owner Charles Wang moves the long-struggling franchise out of the Nassau Coliseum when its lease expires in 2015.
For some time, officials overseeing the planned Barclays Center being built for the NBA’s Nets in Brooklyn have said the arena would be too small for NHL hockey.
However, arena officials yesterday confirmed the Barclays Center will be fitted with an NHL-regulation size arena when it opens in Sept. 2012, although they declined comment on potential interest in the Islanders.
The arena holds 18,000 seats for basketball, but some seating would have to be removed to accommodate hockey. Sources said the arena could hold about 14,500 seats for hockey. The smallest seating capacity for an NHL team is 15,015 at the MTS Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Beginning this fall, it will be home to the newest version of the Winnipeg Jets, formerly the Atlanta Thrashers (an earlier version of the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996). The Nassau Coliseum seats 16,234.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said "Brooklyn is the only place” the Islanders should consider moving to. “The Islanders belong in Brooklyn,” he said. “We've got lots of hockey fans, and since we're technically still on Long Island, they can call themselves the 'Brooklyn Islanders.' If they come here, I would personally take the first spin on the Zamboni."
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who also owns 45 percent of the Barclays Center, could potentially have interest in acquiring a hockey team to add 44-60 dates to fill the arena per year. The arena currently expects to host about 200 events annually, including Nets games. Queens, Kansas City, Mo., Suffolk County and Canada have also been rumored as potential landing spots for the Islanders, although Nassau County officials say they’ll fight to keep the club there.
Source: www.nypost.com/p/blogs/brooklyn/nassau_loss_leaves_door_open_klyn_iutbSZx2w7QeBpfR4O2XQO#ixzz1TrHg8xw2
Map of Long Island: