How do Islanders fans feel about John Spano after all those years?

[Avengers*]

I'd like to hear some stories from the die hard fans.

Click to read more...

 

[beLIever]

He was a con artist committing fraud on a giant scale and he seems completely unwilling to acknowledge even today that what he did was wrong. Can't stand him.

 

[blitzkriegs]

Isles seem to be ripe for the pickings in the crooked owner department.

 

[Hershey Hockey]

I'm only semi-joking when I say I'd rather have him at the helm of this team than Wang. At least he actually seemed to care about the franchise.

 

[beach]

He was willing to spend money!!!

 

[MJF]

Just another in a long line of ownership blunders.

If you think about it, between Roy Boe, the Gang Of Four, Spano, Millstein/Gluckstern, and Wang, its a miracle this team hasn't moved or folded years ago.

 

[Isles Junkie]

marginally worse than Wang

 

[doublechili]

I don't understand how anybody could feel anything about Spano other than negative. He was a crook. A fraud. A con artist. He wasn't actually an owner, he was an imposter. It's like asking someone who endured a home invasion how the perpetrators were as family members.

 

[JTforPres2012]

Question here...Do people think if he didn't make the Cablevision deal, the Isles would still be here?

 

[On Edge]

Spano was among the long line of crooks, thieves, creeps that either own or have owned this team. Just another sad, pathetic footnote in what was once a proud franchise.

 

[original islander]

Just like everyone, some good some bad.

The Bad: a horrible, dishonorable and despicable person. A crook and a theif. An utter embarrassment to the organization and himself. Someone that I wouldn't want in the same room as me. A person that can't be trusted.

The Good: probably our second best owner.

 

[Potvinscup5]

*******. The only good he did was sign the cable contract.

 

[bigtim1988]

Just another in a long line of ownership blunders.

If you think about it, between Roy Boe, the Gang Of Four, Spano, Millstein/Gluckstern, and Wang, its a miracle this team hasn't moved or folded years ago.

If the they didn't have one of the best dynasties in nhl history, this team doesn't exist on long island anymore or ne where in the metro area, plain and simple. dont even get me started on milstein/glukstern...they viewed the team as a money printer for themselves that didnt work out, and once they realized theyd have to jump thru too many hoops to get the 77 acre coliseum land they wanted to dump the team asap. these guys make wang look semi decent in comparison

Just like everyone, some good some bad.

The Bad: a horrible, dishonorable and despicable person. A crook and a theif. An utter embarrassment to the organization and himself. Someone that I wouldn't want in the same room as me. A person that can't be trusted.

The Good: probably our second best owner.

i got a kick out of that, the sad thing is theres a lot of truth in that statement.

honestly, the 30 for 30 documentary made him seem--dare i say this--endearing . say what you want, but he bought an nhl franchise with basically very little to 0 real net worth, and almost got away with it long term. the red flags he raised from the get-go should have made a number of people investigate this guy, but everyone was indifferent. pickett couldnt wait to sell the team, he was in for a big pay day. it would have eventually ended in a disaster of epic proportions if it went on long term, but i believe if he actually had the money, he would have been a decent owner.

 

[stranger34]

While I am not going to state this as fact, I bet most industry titans have some level of foul play hidden in the resume.

I am not anti-Spano at all. IMO Wang is arguably a bigger villain than he is if you dig deep enough into what landed Kumar in jail.

 

[gordie43]

I was not a big fan of his since was a lier and a cheat and made alot of promises he would never have been able to keep since he had no money. He was like a politician with all his promises, and I really hate politicians.

The 30 for 30 mentioned how he got an extension on the cable deal. The $$ attached to that seal seemed to been one of the man reasons this team has not moved.

If that is the case, I don't dislike him as much

 

[2ndGenIslander]

Question here...Do people think if he didn't make the Cablevision deal, the Isles would still be here?

Nope. The crook kept the team here

 

[doublechili]

While I am not going to state this as fact, I bet most industry titans have some level of foul play hidden in the resume.

I am not anti-Spano at all. IMO Wang is arguably a bigger villain than he is if you dig deep enough into what landed Kumar in jail.

Even if that's true, at least they ARE actually industry titans and not just some schmo fraud with no money who's pretending.

Think of it this way: Spano was not actually the owner of the Isles. He pretended he was, and people who should have known better believed him and handed him the keys before he paid. Spano is the guy who goes to his high school reunion in a rented Ferrari and a fake Rolex. He's just pathetic. All the other lousy owners earned the right to be called incompetent. Spano was nothing.

 

[scott99]

He was a con artist committing fraud on a giant scale and he seems completely unwilling to acknowledge even today that what he did was wrong. Can't stand him.

Agreed, he was a lowlife *******. His only redeeming feature was, he definitely wanted to get the Islanders back to the glory era, I can't fult him for that.

 

[ScaredStreit]

He's a loser. He was a fraud-and didn't learn his lesson and got put in prison a 2nd time! To this day he didn't think he did anything wrong. He put our franchise back A LOT. Added to losing our credibility even more. Oh and this notion that he cared about the Isles? BS. He tried to buy the Stars and the Panthers (I believe?), before the Isles. He only cared about himself and his image. It's one of the few things I agree with MM about: he wanted to be a big shot.

 

[lorwood]

He got the cable contract which probably is the only reason the team still exists.

He got the cable contract which is probably the only reason Wang is still the owner.

Pick your poison

 

[Doshell Propivo]

I don't understand how anybody could feel anything about Spano other than negative. He was a crook. A fraud. A con artist. He wasn't actually an owner, he was an imposter. It's like asking someone who endured a home invasion how the perpetrators were as family members.

HAHA!!!! What if the perpetrators offered to get you hookers and blow?

 

[Doshell Propivo]

it would have eventually ended in a disaster of epic proportions if it went on long term.

Probably but not necessarily.

If more things had fallen into place he could made some of his initial payments to Picket, generated some revenue and maybe make a financial success of it. And then who knows, like you said, maybe with actual money he would have been a decent owner.

But the man is most likely a sociopath. He got busted for fraud AGAIN right after being released from prison.

 

[And You Feel Shame]

He was willing to spend money!!!

...money he didn't have.