I'll never remember, but someone credible just basically said it years ago.
That said you don't even have to connect too many dots as whenever anything notable happens with the Isles (arena announcement, hiring Lou, etc) the parties involved are always thanking Malkin...And sometimes Ledecky.
If you dig you'll connect the dots, but here's an article showing it:
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2018/5/22/17380042/ny-islanders-lou-lamoriello-president-hockey-operations
The New York Islanders announced today the hiring of Lou Lamoriello as President of Hockey Operations. He will have full authority over all hockey matters with the organization.
”We are grateful to Larry Tanenbaum and the Toronto Maple Leafs for their courtesy in allowing this move,” Managing Partner of the Islanders, Scott Malkin said. “We are committed to giving Lou every resource and the full support of the entire organization as we pursue our program to compete at the highest level.”
”I am excited to join such a storied franchise and look forward to working with Scott Malkin and the entire New York Islanders organization,” Lamoriello said.
And here's and more poingent article...
https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/neil-best/neil-best-islanders-ivyz2eup
At some point Lamoriello will discuss all this publicly, as will Lambert, as perhaps will co-owner Jon Ledecky. That’s fine. The more public voices, the merrier.
But it is time for a new voice to weigh in on what is going on with this franchise, and that is Ledecky’s longtime friend and business partner, Scott Malkin.
Ledecky has been an accessible spokesman for ownership among both journalists and fans for years, but he owns less than 50% of the team, and the league clearly considers Malkin the Islanders’ point man.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman regularly seems to go out of his way to refer to Malkin, never Ledecky, when discussing Islanders ownership publicly.
So let’s hear from Malkin about where he sees all this going and what he thinks of the longtime ownership mantra “In Lou We Trust.”
Lamoriello earned that trust with the three-Stanley Cup resume he brought to Long Island, then solidified it with two runs to the NHL semifinals and regular playoff appearances.
But what about now?