Charles Wang dead at 74

[LadyStanley]

Wang, former Islanders majority owner, dies at 74

I believe he still had minority share of islanders, but there's a purchase agreement in place for it. Might be transferred faster with his death.

Kinda sounds sudden.

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[Mightygoose]

Allot of current and former sports team owners have been passing as of late.

Though his tenure was tumultuous at times, he was committed to keeping the Isles in the NY area. It took many plans to get it done but they're in a good place now and Charles was a part of it.

RIP Mr. Wang

 

[TheLegend]

Wang, former Islanders majority owner, dies at 74

I believe he still had minority share of islanders, but there's a purchase agreement in place for it. Might be transferred faster with his death.

Kinda sounds sudden.

The Coyotes just put out a statement on social media acknowledging Wang as a minority owner.

 

[LadyStanley]

Nothing mentioned about his ownership

 

[Glacial]

The Coyotes just put out a statement on social media acknowledging Wang as a minority owner.

Were the Coyotes the 1st team (or 1st team besides the Islanders) to make a consolation statement? It's to their credit if they were that fast/that on top of the ball, at least on their public relations/social media side.

 

[TheLegend]

Were the Coyotes the 1st team (or 1st team besides the Islanders) to make a consolation statement? It's to their credit if they were that fast/that on top of the ball, at least on their public relations/social media side.

Not sure. But the irony of it is, if you remember, Andrew Barroway had sued Wang over backing out of a tentative agreement that would have had a group headed by Barroway owning the Islanders.

 

[Fenway]

Wang fought for a decade to keep Islanders playing on LI

Without Wang the Islanders would be somewhere else today

 

[Killion]

Wang fought for a decade to keep Islanders playing on LI

Without Wang the Islanders would be somewhere else today

Newsflash Bud.... they are. Interesting angle in the article. Biased, complimentary, revisionist much? The guy was a Dirt Bag.

 

[Fenway]

Newsflash Bud.... they are. Interesting angle in the article. Biased, complimentary, revisionist much? The guy was a Dirt Bag.

Killion they are still in the NY market instead of who knows where.

 

[Killion]

Killion they are still in the NY market instead of who knows where.

They are not where they belong, on LI. Brooklyn might as well be Orange County, CA. You really want me to give you a review of the Life & Times of Charlie Wang?.... Grifter. Megalomaniac. Micro managing self centered control freak Grifter. Zero conscience. In short, a P.O.S.... waste of oxygen. Good riddance. He who brought us Computer Associates, Andrew Barroway... Yeah, wonderful human being.

 

[KevFu]

#1 - They were never going to leave the NY market as long as there was a structure that could fit hockey besides MSG they could cut a deal in.

#2 - No matter what his true motives (real estate developing). The fact is the Islanders were in a financial prison of the SMG lease. And the only way out was serving their time on that lease.

The only reason for anyone to own the franchise was the real estate angle. A long play where you lose tens of millions until the lease was up is illogical and terrible business, since it was FIFTEEN YEARS to the end of the lease when he bought the Islanders.

If no one was willing to own the franchise with that lease... who knows what happens?

To have a guy buy a losing asset, pump money into it and say "I don't know hockey, but I'm willing to spend on what the hockey people want" was a fantastic thing that not many cut-throat businessmen would ever do. It's borderline philanthropy.

Again, the real estate angle obviously existed and getting the Islanders fans on your side and you have an army of those supporting your development project is smart lobbying, so I'm not placing "pure motives" onto his actions.

But the actions were the best we could have hoped for given the bleak circumstances. So my feelings for Wang will always be a little warm and fuzzy. Even if he wasn't smart enough to fire Snow and bring in better hockey people.