New York Islanders want out of Barclays Center

[LLB997]

Nassau is a dump. Lucky the Isles got out of there. There was noise a few years ago about a move to Queens but the local population generally hate hockey. Local politicians even said as much. Hockey is a tough sell in NYC, i always say the Rangers coverage in NY pales to the Argos coverage in TO which is why i never complain about the Argos situation in the marketplace. The only difference is the Argos get bad press from some whereas the Rangers get little to no press.

[Gill The Thrill]

Nassau is a dump. Lucky the Isles got out of there. There was noise a few years ago about a move to Queens but the local population generally hate hockey. Local politicians even said as much. Hockey is a tough sell in NYC,

The Rangers get 18,000 a game, every game for many years. It's solid in the marketplace. They don't get the press that the Yankees get, but so don't the NY Knicks in the NBA or even the Giants, Jets and the Mets when they are not playing well. (Actually the Giants as the older NFL team get plenty of coverage, but New York City is known as a baseball town because of its history and is also home to two minor league baseball teams, along with their MLB teams)

At one time the Rangers and the Islanders used to sellout every game. The Devils never, but it's across the Hudson River in Jersey, so they should be trying to entice a different market. As for Queens, it was only one ignorant politician, who happens to be African American who said, "Keep that white sport out of Queens," in referring to hockey. Could you imagine if the shoe was reversed, (not that it should be) and someone who wasn't black defined basketball in the same way this clown defined hockey...it would be on the front pages and leading the national newscasts of all the networks for a week. Maybe that politician should ask how terrible a sport hockey has been to Dustin Byfuglien, Grant Fuhr, Charlie Huddy or Tony McKegney and many other black people who've played pro hockey to find out what they think about his opinion.

Queens' is a very multicultural, pluralistic community. I'm sure there are people who can't relate to hockey or downright hate it, but conversely there are many who I'm sure like the sport. There has been an influx of Eastern Europeans from hockey playing countries who've immigrated to Queens and Brooklyn in the last 20 years, which is a reason cited for why the Islanders moved into the Barclays Center, as the Brooklyn Nets and the arena is owned by a Russian billionaire. The market is there, probably closer to Queens and closer to the long-time Islander fan base, but it's there.

[AngeloV]

The Rangers get 18,000 a game, every game for many years. It's solid in the marketplace. They don't get the press that the Yankees get, but so don't the NY Knicks in the NBA or even the Giants, Jets and the Mets when they are not playing well. (Actually the Giants as the older NFL team get plenty of coverage, but New York City is known as a baseball town because of its history and is also home to two minor league baseball teams, along with their MLB teams)

At one time the Rangers and the Islanders used to sellout every game. The Devils never, but it's across the Hudson River in Jersey, so they should be trying to entice a different market. As for Queens, it was only one ignorant politician, who happens to be African American who said, "Keep that white sport out of Queens," in referring to hockey. Could you imagine if the shoe was reversed, (not that it should be) and someone who wasn't black defined basketball in the same way this clown defined hockey...it would be on the front pages and leading the national newscasts of all the networks for a week. Maybe that politician should ask how terrible a sport hockey has been to Dustin Byfuglien, Grant Fuhr, Charlie Huddy or Tony McKegney and many other black people who've played pro hockey to find out what they think about his opinion.

Queens' is a very multicultural, pluralistic community. I'm sure there are people who can't relate to hockey or downright hate it, but conversely there are many who I'm sure like the sport. There has been an influx of Eastern Europeans from hockey playing countries who've immigrated to Queens and Brooklyn in the last 20 years, which is a reason cited for why the Islanders moved into the Barclays Center, as the Brooklyn Nets and the arena is owned by a Russian billionaire. The market is there, probably closer to Queens and closer to the long-time Islander fan base, but it's there.

Seeing as how LLB997 lives (or has lived in NewYork), I would personally defer to him on knowledge of that market.

[LLB997]

Seeing as how LLB997 lives (or has lived in NewYork), I would personally defer to him on knowledge of that market.

Alot of it is a New York thing. Nothing is bigger than the city. Everything gets lost in the New Yorkness. The Rangers are America's biggest NHL market but Bettman still has to sell the sport in the media. Actually Bettman talking hockey in New York reminds me alot of Cohon talking CFL in Toronto. Even Goodell has to sell the NFL in New York. He admitted a few yrs back that the Superbowl couldn't compete with New York City.
Yes, Its all about the Yankees, reminds me of the Leafs in TO in so many ways.
The Knicks are far more visable than any NHL team and they suck and have sucked forever. If the Knicks put together a serious run, the media and celebrities would go hog wild. Remember Jeremy Lin?

[AngeloV]

Alot of it is a New York thing. Nothing is bigger than the city. Everything gets lost in the New Yorkness. The Rangers are America's biggest NHL market but Bettman still has to sell the sport in the media. Actually Bettman talking hockey in New York reminds me alot of Cohon talking CFL in Toronto. Even Goodell has to sell the NFL in New York. He admitted a few yrs back that the Superbowl couldn't compete with New York City.
Yes, Its all about the Yankees, reminds me of the Leafs in TO in so many ways.
The Knicks are far more visable than any NHL team and they suck and have sucked forever. If the Knicks put together a serious run, the media and celebrities would go hog wild. Remember Jeremy Lin?

Yes, the reason I deferred to you was because when I speak to my work contacts in New York, they tell me the Rangers aren't exactly front page sports news there.

[Gill The Thrill]

Alot of it is a New York thing. Nothing is bigger than the city. Everything gets lost in the New Yorkness. The Rangers are America's biggest NHL market but Bettman still has to sell the sport in the media. Actually Bettman talking hockey in New York reminds me alot of Cohon talking CFL in Toronto. Even Goodell has to sell the NFL in New York. He admitted a few yrs back that the Superbowl couldn't compete with New York City.
Yes, Its all about the Yankees, reminds me of the Leafs in TO in so many ways.
The Knicks are far more visable than any NHL team and they suck and have sucked forever. If the Knicks put together a serious run, the media and celebrities would go hog wild. Remember Jeremy Lin?

Yes, the reason I deferred to you was because when I speak to my work contacts in New York, they tell me the Rangers aren't exactly front page sports news there.

I also remember when the Rangers and the Knicks were in the finals at the same time in 1994 and the Rangers were every bit as popular, even more so than Knicks. You could argue that College Basketball from the Big East days was more popular than the NBA in New York City. The NBA needs to use shoes, hip hop and Spike Lee sitting in the front row at MSG to market its league or they're not much better off than the NHL really. Both the Rangers and the Knicks depend on corporate tickets to suits that hang around Manhattan during weekdays. As a matter of fact, I'll say the attendance at Ranger games was probably better for most of their history when you consider that the Blues section, known for working class die hards were continually packed for decades to watch the Rangers. The NBA was known for papering attendance and not having filled buildings even to this day.

[Gill The Thrill]

Seeing as how LLB997 lives (or has lived in NewYork), I would personally defer to him on knowledge of that market.

How do you know where I've lived and who my contacts are or are not in NYC?I personally do not care who you defer about knowledge of the New York City market, but I found it odd that in your deference you really did not comment about my post yet felt the need to quote it...this is a message board and if the requirement is living in a place to comment about it, then nobody would comment about most cities in the league we're talking about it, or have an opinion on anything that can be substantiated.

According to your logic, if you haven't lived in a place as you've assumed, then it's all Greek to you and you shouldn't heed it...carry on.

[AngeloV]

How do you know where I've lived and who my contacts are or are not in NYC?I personally do not care who you defer about knowledge of the New York City market, but I found it odd that in your deference you really did not comment about my post yet felt the need to quote it...this is a message board and if the requirement is living in a place to comment about it, then nobody would comment about most cities in the league we're talking about it, or have an opinion on anything that can be substantiated.

According to your logic, if you haven't lived in a place as you've assumed, then it's all Greek to you and you shouldn't heed it...carry on.

OK, I take it all back. You are absolutely brilliant.