First there was this, about half an hour ago:
New York Islanders & Barclays Center To Make Major Announcement
And now there’s this, albeit anonymously sourced:
Developer Bruce Ratner has scored a major goal by landing the Islanders ice hockey team for his Barclay’s arena in downtown Brooklyn, sources said.
And Chris Botta of Sports Business Journal tweets that the move will be announced for 2015, once the Islanders‘ lease is up at Nassau Coliseum.
If this is true, no one is more surprised than me. (Except maybe Mac McCaughan.) I’ve made the case before that not only would the Barclays Center’s 14,500-seat hockey capacity be awfully small for the NHL (something Bettman himself worried about earlier this year) but that Wang wouldn’t want to have to pay the rents that Ratner would require in order to block out lucrative concert dates for hockey. (The Barclays Center has already booked more than 200 dates for its first year.) But maybe Wang decided that getting more prominent placement in the New York City market was worth the tradeoff of playing second fiddle now rather than trying his luck yet again with Nassau County.
Or maybe this isn’t a signed lease, but just an “intent” to move, and Nassau (or Quebec or whoever) can still counterbid. Or maybe Ratner figures that the lockout isn’t going to end by 2015, anyway, so he won’t have to move any concert dates. We’ll know more in two hours and counting…
You told me a long time ago it wouldn’t happen. I told you it would. Just eat some crow and be humble about it.
Happy to, after 1 pm once it’s confirmed.
For the record, I also predicted in 2003 in the Village Voice that the Nets could never build an arena in Brooklyn because it would require knocking down a whole city block of buildings, and surely that would never happen…
There will probably be a clause in the lease agreement that if a new arena is built on Long Island the Islanders can terminate the lease or that if a new arena agreement is reached prior to 2015 the Islanders will not move. The fact that they are allegedly keeping New York in the name is significant.
I went to the Barclay’s Center for the Nets vs. Sixers game. The hockey configuration will extend on the entrance side of the arena (near the lobby). As I sat in the upper level (near center court) you will be able to see the entire rink-unlike in the old MSG configuration (when you sat in the end zone blue seats you could not see part of the end near the goalkeeper).
The L.A Clippers have been a short term tenant in the Staples Center and this will probably be a five year lease with the above clauses added in.
Charles Wang does want to sell the team and allegedly is asking for $300 million-the price FCR paid to buy the Nets.
Since FCR now wants to sell its remaining stake in the Nets would they buy the team to keep it from moving back to Long Island?
Stay tuned.
When the people in Nassau County turned down the Islanders/Mangano on the referendum, I figured that this would happen. The one thing that Wang wanted to keep was the MSG/Cablevision TV $$$$$$$$$$. If they would have left the New York Market, it would have essentially been bye bye to this. It does not matter if there are fewer seats than any other arena or if Gary Bettman likes it or not, the TV money is the deciding issue. As an Islander Fan, I am glad they are not going anywhere. The next question is with the Islanders off the Relocation Board, who is next? Phoenix Coyotes moving to Seattle maybe?
Well, I guess old Wang figured he’d rather be a lamppost in Brooklyn than a big wig in Quebec or Seattle. But who says he has to go with MSG/Dolan money? Why not SNY or YES? SNY in particular could use a winter attraction.
As to the sightlines issue….well, yeah, the seats at one end would indeed all suck, though the whole Jumbrotron thins kind of mitigates that. As to seating capacity….I suppose old Wang figures if the Winnipeg Jets can get by with 15,000 seats, the Isles can get by with a bit less…and charge through the nose besides.
I bet they figure out a way to get more than 14,500 seats for hockey.
I’m not an architect. I’m just guessing along with everyone else. But they’ll figure out something.
(If it makes you feel any better, I *still* think Las Vegas will land an NBA team one day.)
I don’t see Vegas being a player in all of this.
From the locals I’ve talked to when I’ve been in Vegas they all say that unless they have family or friends in from out of town they don’t do the strip. So if you build an arena on the strip once the initial buzz about being a pro-sports town dies off how many locals will still make the trek into town to see their local team? Especially if it’s a mediocre team?
The job market isn’t great. I think you are taking a huge risk if you think tourists will flock to the arena. Many will have their own teams at home so unless it’s a Phoenix Coyotes situation where Canadian fans flock down south to see their local teams at hugely discounted ticket prices I can’t imagine the lure.
The only thing I have no concept of is the logistics of a TV deal – maybe that will suffice to carry the team?
I don’t know.
Maybe you know more about why Vegas will work and I’d be more than happy to hear it.
Well it’s definitely not a short term deal. The lease is for 25 years, and there’s no sign of an out clause that’s been announced to this point.