New York Islanders want out of Barclays Center

[R.J]

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/islanders-looking-to-leave-barclays-center-via-out-clause-145640606.html
http://thehockeywriters.com/islanders-out-barclays-center-lease/

Not surprised at all - even the Nets struggle in Brooklyn. I'm of the opinion the Islanders should either relocate to somewhere other than in New York or just fold. No need to build yet another arena.

[AngeloV]

They should sell to the group that wants a team in Quebec, move there and stop this expansion talk nonsense.

[R.J]

They should sell to the group that wants a team in Quebec, move there and stop this expansion talk nonsense.
^ This!
Read earlier as well that the Coyotes are looking into building an Arena in Tempe or Scottsdale in association with ASU (very good option IMO); The Phoenix Suns owners also wants a new arena. There's also chatter that Milwaukee wants an NHL team with their new arena. Still chatter about Seattle, Portland and Vegas.

[Mightygoose]

Wouldn't surpirse me if Barclays will want out of the deal as well.

They're paying over 50 million a year for the Isles to play there. How do they get anywhere close to a good ROI?

The 2 big players that brought this deal together are pretty much out of the picture.

Bruce Ratner really pushed to have the Isles in. He sold his shares in the arena to the Nets.

Charles Wang will no longer be majority owner effective July 1.

With both key figures out and such a questionable plan to begin with. No wonder it can be short lived.

[Argo57]

They should sell to the group that wants a team in Quebec, move there and stop this expansion talk nonsense.

Would love to see NHL hockey back in Quebec City.
The Islanders have been a mess for many years, what other arena options do they have?
Relocation may be the only way to save the franchise.

[paulwoods13]

Quebec may "deserve" a franchise but if one gets there I don't see it being good for the CFL. Another NHL team in Canada means that much more sponsorship and ad revenue to the NHL and that much less to the CFL, IMO.

[argolio]

Quebec may "deserve" a franchise but if one gets there I don't see it being good for the CFL. Another NHL team in Canada means that much more sponsorship and ad revenue to the NHL and that much less to the CFL, IMO.Better a team in Quebec than a second Toronto team, which, I think, would do far more damage to CFL revenues, and would have a negative effect on all Toronto teams not named Leafs.

[LLB997]

The indifference to hockey in NYC is off the charts. The Argos get more media play in Toronto than the Rangers do in NY during each respective season and that is no joke. The Devs and Isles are non existent. I remember a few years back they were talking about moving the Islanders to Queens and a council member said Queens doesn't need that white people sport. lol . Move em to Quebec already.

[AngeloV]

Quebec may "deserve" a franchise but if one gets there I don't see it being good for the CFL. Another NHL team in Canada means that much more sponsorship and ad revenue to the NHL and that much less to the CFL, IMO.

Doesn't concern me Paul. The NHL in Canada already has all the national sponsorships they are going to get. It really is no issue for added local sponsorships to go in a city where there is no CFL team. You can also never count out the possibility of the ownership group in Quebec using their resources, and contacts to make a CFL team work there if they decide to add to their sports empire. Let's call it Quebec City Sports and Entertainment Ltd.

:D

[Deerkeeper]

I was barely aware the the Islanders had even moved, so just out of curiosity, I search images of the new rink they were in and no wonder they want to move again. I thought a CFL field in BMO was bad but that is a hockey rink in a basketball court. What a joke. How does the Hamilton Islanders sound. Not going to happen, but nice to think about.

[1argoholic]

Move them back to Long Island where they belong in a revamped arena.

[argolio]

Move them back to Long Island where they belong in a revamped arena.I believe two proposals for a new stadium in Long Island have been rejected by voters. Not sure where they go from here.

[Gill The Thrill]

Quebec may "deserve" a franchise but if one gets there I don't see it being good for the CFL. Another NHL team in Canada means that much more sponsorship and ad revenue to the NHL and that much less to the CFL, IMO.

The CFL would not work in Quebec City, as it is a college football town that loves supporting thier local boys playing in the CIS. I also think the Montreal Alouettes, and their owner Robert Wettenhall, would prefer to have the entire Quebec market for themselves.

I think the CFL should focus on getting that ever-so elusive 10th team in the Maritimes largest city, Halifax. They have no Major Pro sports teams and would be a terrific draw to attract fans from not just the Halifax Metro Area, but also from the rest of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI, where people can now drive to the mainland via the Confederation bridge. Of course, they'd welcome fans from NFLD or the Gaspesie, from as far as Quebec City, but they'd have the entire Maritime market.

[paulwoods13]

The CFL would not work in Quebec City, as it is a college football town that loves supporting thier local boys playing in the CIS. I also think the Montreal Alouettes, and their owner Robert Wettenhall, would prefer to have the entire Quebec market for themselves.

I think the CFL should focus on getting that ever-so elusive 10th team in the Maritimes largest city, Halifax. They have no Major Pro sports teams and would be a terrific draw to attract fans from not just the Halifax Metro Area, but also from the rest of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI, where people can now drive to the mainland via the Confederation bridge. Of course, they'd welcome fans from NFLD or the Gaspesie, from as far as Quebec City, but they'd have the entire Maritime market.

I agree Quebec would not work in the CFL, but that wasn't my point. A Quebec NHL team would mean more ad dollars to the NHL and fewer to the CFL, IMO.

As for Atlantic Canada, who wouldn't want a 10th franchise and especially in Halifax. But I don't believe we will see it any time soon. There isn't enough corporate money out there to build a stadium and fund a team, and no events that I know of that would persuade govt to pay the lion's share of a stadium.

[Gill The Thrill]

I was barely aware the the Islanders had even moved, so just out of curiosity, I search images of the new rink they were in and no wonder they want to move again. I thought a CFL field in BMO was bad but that is a hockey rink in a basketball court. What a joke. How does the Hamilton Islanders sound. Not going to happen, but nice to think about.

I'm always reminded of the World Championships when I see highlights of an Islanders' home game, but instead of a Skoda car in the corner, it's an SUV. How about those seats that are to the right of that vehicle on your TV screen, I'm certain those basketball style seats as you mention curl toward centre which is great for watching the action by the far net, but could give a fan quite the whiplash during end-to-end action as he/she twists their neck to look behind them for the action on their side of the rink. Kind of reminds me of Candlestick park and the configuration for 49'ers games, or CNE stadium and those bleacher seats that were miles away from right-field, let alone home plate.

[Gill The Thrill]

The completion of this Videotron Centre, the new arena in Quebec City to attract an NHL team could not have occurred at a worse time with the plunging loonie. As a hockey fan, I'd love to see it as Quebec City added such a natural organic vibe to the NHL and it's rivalries, especially with Montreal.

Quite frankly, I can't get into the Florida-Nashville rivalry. I also agree about relocation instead of expansion. The NHL already has 6 teams too many imo.

[R.J]

I don't see the NHL folding any teams, so I would at least like to see the Islanders, Devils, Hurricanes, Panthers and Coyotes moved. Unless of course the Coyotes can actually make it work in the East Valley.

[1argoholic]

How much fun would those Montreal vs Quebec games be to see again. There was always tons of hate. That of in a way tougher era though.

[Gill The Thrill]

I don't see the NHL folding any teams, so I would at least like to see the Islanders, Devils, Hurricanes, Panthers and Coyotes moved. Unless of course the Coyotes can actually make it work in the East Valley.

Moving 2 New York Area teams would never happen, maybe the Devils as Newark has not really enticed fans to come out, nor improved the Devils attendance. It's a nice arena and it was built in Newark to revitalize the area, but if any New York area team moves, it would be the New Jersey Devils. The Islanders I think will eventually be a main tenant in an arena that will be built in Queens, or Queens County which is part of New York City. The team will never go back to Nassau County as the area has changed and there was, and is, no impetus politically to build an arena to keep the Islanders playing home games in Nassau County. This is why the team moved into the city of Brooklyn from Long Island, even though they're playing in a virtual basketball only arena.

PS - Geographically, Brooklyn (also historically known as Kings' County) and Queens' are on Long Island and connected by land to Nassau County and Suffolk County which make up the Island, although politically they've been annexed as part of New York City, with City Hall obviously located on Manhattan Island (referred as just Manhattan). Therefore, Long Island, as used for Geo-political conversation always refers to just Nassau and Suffolk counties, the 2 counties that are not part of New York City on the island.

[Will]

How much fun would those Montreal vs Quebec games be to see again. There was always tons of hate. That of in a way tougher era though.

The line brawl on Good Friday 1984 was one for the ages. The referee Bruce Hood is believed to have been "encouraged" to retire as a result of what happened in that game.

I could only imagine if the Ottawa Senators existed prior to 1992 what Leafs-Senators games would have been like in the 1970's and 1980's.

[ArgoRavi]

The line brawl on Good Friday 1984 was one for the ages. The referee Bruce Hood is believed to have been "encouraged" to retire as a result of what happened in that game.

BTW, Clint Malarchuk was involved in that game as Quebec's goalie. I watched a great documentary about his life last night. He has managed to cheat death a few times including on the ice in Buffalo in March of 1989 when his jugular vein was cut by an opponent's skate.

[R.J]

Moving 2 New York Area teams would never happen, maybe the Devils as Newark has not really enticed fans to come out, nor improved the Devils attendance. It's a nice arena and it was built in Newark to revitalize the area, but if any New York area team moves, it would be the New Jersey Devils. The Islanders I think will eventually be a main tenant in an arena that will be built in Queens, or Queens County which is part of New York City. The team will never go back to Nassau County as the area has changed and there was, and is, no impetus politically to build an arena to keep the Islanders playing home games in Nassau County. This is why the team moved into the city of Brooklyn from Long Island, even though they're playing in a virtual basketball only arena.

PS - Geographically, Brooklyn (also historically known as Kings' County) and Queens' are on Long Island and connected by land to Nassau County and Suffolk County which make up the Island, although politically they've been annexed as part of New York City, with City Hall obviously located on Manhattan Island (referred as just Manhattan). Therefore, Long Island, as used for Geo-political conversation always refers to just Nassau and Suffolk counties, the 2 counties that are not part of New York City on the island.
I never said that it would - I'd just like to see it. If I had to choose between the two; I think the Islanders should move. The Devils have new and very wealthy owners; who are not known for losing money (76er's being the exception). I also don't think the New York area needs yet another arena (MSG, Barclays, Prudential and the 13,000 seat Nassau). Move the Islanders to Vegas or Seattle to even out the divisions again.

[R.J]

http://www.tsn.ca/report-isles-may-leave-brooklyn-for-queens-1.530708

While I'm still not crazy about the idea of having 4 arenas with 13,000 minimum seating; I can understand why the owners feel the move might have to be made.

[Gill The Thrill]

http://www.tsn.ca/report-isles-may-leave-brooklyn-for-queens-1.530708

While I'm still not crazy about the idea of having 4 arenas with 13,000 minimum seating; I can understand why the owners feel the move might have to be made.

No surprise, as the Islanders playing in Queens, (Flushing near Arthur Ashe Stadium and City Field) puts the Islanders much closer to their long-time fan base that remembers supporting the team in Uniondale where they were winning Stanley Cups and rocking the house down in the early 80's. The trek to Brooklyn was way out of the way for long-time season ticket holders and many didn't renew their tickets at the Barclay's Center.

[Gill The Thrill]

http://www.tsn.ca/report-isles-may-leave-brooklyn-for-queens-1.530708

While I'm still not crazy about the idea of having 4 arenas with 13,000 minimum seating; I can understand why the owners feel the move might have to be made.

NYC is a humongous city, would be nice if the GTA had 2 major pro arenas for another NHL team. Toronto is the largest city in North America that does not have a second pro size arena...note I said GTA, not GTHA, which would include Hamilton as they have First Ontario Centre (Copps Coliseum). The distance from Copps Coliseum to downtown Toronto is 20 km farther than the distance between the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn to the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale so that's why I would not consider it GTA, despite the real estate folks who want to bloat those Hamilton property values by using the term GTHA.

[1argoholic]

Straight out of Humber in 85 a buddy and I were flown down to check out Long Island by a company called Long Island Tree service. We checked the area out for the day and were both offered jobs but I just wanted the trip. Having been there you realize that the Islanders belong on Long Island or near so Queens would be a good fit. My NYC experience never involved the actual big city but Long Island was killer.

[R.J]

NYC is a humongous city, would be nice if the GTA had 2 major pro arenas for another NHL team. Toronto is the largest city in North America that does not have a second pro size arena...note I said GTA, not GTHA, which would include Hamilton as they have First Ontario Centre (Copps Coliseum). The distance from Copps Coliseum to downtown Toronto is 20 km farther than the distance between the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn to the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale so that's why I would not consider it GTA, despite the real estate folks who want to bloat those Hamilton property values by using the term GTHA.
The Barclays Center, Prudential Center and Nassau Colisuem all lose money or were losing in the case of Nassau, but yeah building yet another arena in a saturated market is just the ticket.

[Gill The Thrill]

The Barclays Center, Prudential Center and Nassau Colisuem all lose money or were losing in the case of Nassau, but yeah building yet another arena in a saturated market is just the ticket.Nassau Coliseum is practically closed. It will not be a major arena any longer as it is outdated. The neighbourhood around the arena has also turned to crap. The Prudential Center is in Newark, New Jersey and that's been a depressed area for a long time. The Barclays Center was built in a gentrified area of Brooklyn, but it's a basketball only arena with horrid sight lines for hockey.

An arena that could be controlled by the islanders would be more economically viable and its location near LaGuardia would attract more events than the Barclays Center which is too close to MSG in Manhattan.

[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?:DI 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?:DI 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.