Pro hockey in Long Island

[ADK34]

Anyone hear anything about the return of hockey to long island in to form of AHL/ECHL.

I remember reading an article about it but not sure how much has progressed in the attempt to recover a hockey team at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Brooklyn Nets d-league team will soon play there and it seems like it is a good spot for hockey considering the market.

Toughts?

Click to read more...

 

[Woo Hockey]

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/03/31/nassau-coliseum-renovations-citi-field-features/

Rumors persist that the Islanders could one day return to their longtime home, but for now, the plan is for some cameo appearances. The expectation is that the Islanders will play two preseason games and four regular-season games at the new Coliseum.

While the permanent or even the limited return of the Islanders is still up for debate, as the NHL would have to approve the six games per season, there is still the plan to have an AHL team at the renovated Coliseum.

Could it be the Islanders’ farm team that is currently in Bridgeport?

“With respect to an AHL team, there’s new ownership of the Islanders (coming this summer), and there will be discussions of that after the new ownership takes place,” said Ratner.

 

[Nightsquad]

They should have NEVER moved to Brooklyn, no way no how!!! They belong out on The Island, period! Not to sound political or raise eyebrows but just telling it like it is. The arena in Brooklyn by design was to fill the needs of a borough primarily made up of urbanites, in a largely African American community. It was built for basketball, not for hockey. It was built so those residing can have a place for sports and entertainment who have felt left out of the MSG and Manhattan scene. To move your hockey team there, and then be pressured into dumping the traditional blue colored uniforms to reflect a different set of demographics is absurd!!! Islanders hockey has no place there, IMO.....

 

[SemireliableSource]

Okay, where should they have moved since they couldn't stay in the Coliseum?

It's okay, I'll wait.

It's all fine an dandy to have opinions but if you're going to be so anti-Brooklyn, maybe you can come up with some alternatives.

 

[210]

Okay, where should they have moved since they couldn't stay in the Coliseum?

It's okay, I'll wait.

It's all fine an dandy to have opinions but if you're going to be so anti-Brooklyn, maybe you can come up with some alternatives.

Having actually seen an Islanders game in Brooklyn, I can't believe there wasn't a better alternative. Hell, they would have done better going into the XL Center, and that place is a dump.

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

That arena was a ****hole. I highly doubt anyone will put a team there again.

 

[Captain Crash]

[NHL][/NHL]

That arena was a ****hole. I highly doubt anyone will put a team there again.

Yeah, it's not like there are any plans for an extensive multi-million dollar renovation, other than the extensive multi-million dollar renovation that is currently underway.

 

[JeffNYI]

They should have NEVER moved to Brooklyn, no way no how!!! They belong out on The Island, period! Not to sound political or raise eyebrows but just telling it like it is. The arena in Brooklyn by design was to fill the needs of a borough primarily made up of urbanites, in a largely African American community. It was built for basketball, not for hockey. It was built so those residing can have a place for sports and entertainment who have felt left out of the MSG and Manhattan scene. To move your hockey team there, and then be pressured into dumping the traditional blue colored uniforms to reflect a different set of demographics is absurd!!! Islanders hockey has no place there, IMO.....

The Islanders went from having the worst lease in the NHL to one of the best...

In fact, the arena pays the Islanders a lump sum and took over all sales and marketing duties.. the Isles now cannot lose money.. so, from a financial standpoint it was an absolute windfall..

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

[NHL][/NHL]

Yeah, it's not like there are any plans for an extensive multi-million dollar renovation, other than the extensive multi-million dollar renovation that is currently underway.

You can renovate something all you want I suppose but it needs a lot of work. It is outdated. Renovations may make it "cleaner" but its outdated. There's a reason why all sports teams eventually move. I don't have to follow the NHL to know that just about every team is playing in an arena that is 20 or so years old. Hell even baseball teams and football teams get new stadiums. Only a team like Green Bay who has no option is still in the same place as they've pretty much always been.

 

[crimsonace]

You can renovate something all you want I suppose but it needs a lot of work. It is outdated. Renovations may make it "cleaner" but its outdated. There's a reason why all sports teams eventually move. I don't have to follow the NHL to know that just about every team is playing in an arena that is 20 or so years old. Hell even baseball teams and football teams get new stadiums. Only a team like Green Bay who has no option is still in the same place as they've pretty much always been.

Much easier to renovate an outdoor stadium, too. One can take the existing seating bowl and build "out" - as Green Bay has done (and several colleges have done - look at the monstrosity that was added into Michigan Stadium, for example), building suites on top of and outside of the existing seating bowl. An indoor arena is a pretty defined space. Short of gutting it and starting over (as Toledo & Indy have done & Nassau is doing), it's difficult and costly. Easier & often cheaper to just build a new building.

Barclays Center is a terrible building for hockey - its seating bowl is very similar to Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indy or the old Coyotes arena/Suns arena in Phoenix - rink shoved into one end, lots of obstructed-view seats. But it has better amenities than Nassau, even if it has worse sightlines - suites, restaurants, et al - and a much better lease. Nassau V2.0 is going to be a minor-league building - it's going to be too small to house an NHL team full-time, and likely will be the home of both the Nets & Isles' top farm teams and a big concert venue. Would Bridgeport move, or would another AHL team move into its space (and what market would be vacated)? If not, Bridgeport becomes an ECHL team - and the Isles move the affiliation there. Competitively, that could be a boon for the Sound Tigers, as the Isles pumped a TON into their ECHL affiliate this year. Missouri (current NYI ECHL affiliate) has about 10-12 players under NHL/AHL contract at any given time, and not surprisingly, is running away with the league.

 

[crimsonace]

Hartford's biggest problem isn't arena, it's market. It's simply a very small market - MSA population about the size of Louisville, KY, Grand Rapids, MI and Greensboro, NC. There are a few pro sports markets of that size - New Orleans, Jacksonville, OKC - but none have the close proximity to other major league towns as Hartford does to Boston & NYC.

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

Amenities are what's important. At the end of the day its a business and owners are greedy. Assuming it's still the same Chinese guy that owned that franchise years ago he seems to come off like the rest. I remember ESPN often calling for them as the next team to relocate in sports for years. I'm surprised they are still in that area even if its a different borough. Unless they can build some five star state of the art facility they will probably stay there because they can make more money there than at their old arena.

 

[Nightsquad]

Okay, where should they have moved since they couldn't stay in the Coliseum?

It's okay, I'll wait.

It's all fine an dandy to have opinions but if you're going to be so anti-Brooklyn, maybe you can come up with some alternatives.

Anti Brooklyn, I am not anti Brooklyn just anti Islanders being in that part of Brooklyn in that arena by design with the likes of Jay Z behind the scenes Islanders hockey isn't a good fit. Maybe if they do decide to stay long term eventually the Islander hockey brand identity will change, who knows.

Where would they have moved? Gee umm I don't know, now that there are plans for renovation I am sure a team could work. I am a purist , I am not in to the flash and pizaaz of luxury suites and over stimulation of HD video boards etc, to me it doesn't matter.

Lastly, those are my opinions. You don't like mine, so what I don't care lol. Alternatives, I don't need to come up with any nor would anyone else if they stayed put lol. Again Islander hockey at that arena in that part of Brooklyn does not make much sense IMO........ How's that for my right of free speech!

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

Money. They don't care about you, bottom line. You're a pawn to their pocket.

 

[crimsonace]

Where would they have moved? Gee umm I don't know, now that there are plans for renovation I am sure a team could work. I am a purist , I am not in to the flash and pizaaz of luxury suites and over stimulation of HD video boards etc, to me it doesn't matter.

The renovation will reduce capacity to 13K seats, which is too small for an NHL building. NHL wants 17K+ as a rule (only Winnipeg is smaller than 16K). Nassau, post-renovation, will likely never be home to an NHL team, but I could see the Isles putting an AHL team in the building to complement the Nets' D-League team, especially given Ratner operates both the Barclays Center & new Nassau.

 

[CHIP72]

Anti Brooklyn, I am not anti Brooklyn just anti Islanders being in that part of Brooklyn in that arena by design with the likes of Jay Z behind the scenes Islanders hockey isn't a good fit. Maybe if they do decide to stay long term eventually the Islander hockey brand identity will change, who knows.

Where would they have moved? Gee umm I don't know, now that there are plans for renovation I am sure a team could work. I am a purist , I am not in to the flash and pizaaz of luxury suites and over stimulation of HD video boards etc, to me it doesn't matter.

Lastly, those are my opinions. You don't like mine, so what I don't care lol. Alternatives, I don't need to come up with any nor would anyone else if they stayed put lol. Again Islander hockey at that arena in that part of Brooklyn does not make much sense IMO........ How's that for my right of free speech!

I have a feeling Islanders fans, as much as they may not like the Barclays Center's design (it was meant to be a basketball-only arena), would prefer having the Islanders play there than somewhere entirely outside the greater New York market. There were no other in-region arena options unless the Islanders wanted to squeeze themselves into MSG or entirely move out of the state of New York and play at the Prudential Center. Neither of those options were probably as good or as easily doable as playing at the Barclays Center.