Islanders prove LI with part of its identity

If the NFL allowed the move of the Cleveland Browns years ago, then who the hell is going to stop Wang from moving the Isles?

The New York Islanders were established to prevent the now-defunct World Hockey Association from gaining a foothold on Long Island. The franchise has won championships and stirred up interest in professional hockey through an intermittent rivalry with the New York Rangers.

The writer asserts that the existence of the Islanders is connected to a sense of community in the region. Unfortunately, Long Island isn't really a community; it's a geographic region. People on Long Island go to work, go home, and don't speak with more than a handful of neighbors, if any. It's just a post-World War II thing; it has nothing to do with the laudable character of the region's inhabitants.

If the owners of the Islanders want to make a business decision to sell the team to buyers in another market, I don't think that the National Hockey League would object. It's unlikely that a start-up, rival professional hockey league is likely to emerge and stake a claim on Long Island any time soon.

So the Icelanders can be compared to Jones Beach, Roosevelt Field, and traffic?!?!?! I do not think so! People show up at Jones Beach, people show up at Roosevelt Field, and traffic is always full of people!

As a Rangers fan, I do NOT want the Icelanders to move. The Island should have a team and if they should move, that is not a positive for hockey and the NHL.

Who do I blame?
1. The Icelanders Organization - Where to begin....what a joke!
2. The Fans! Show up! Do something about it! Don't give me that crap that it is the "arena". I am a Mets fan...I showed up at that dump called Shea for years (good and BAD) to watch the team. This isn't Arizona, etc where they need the facility to draw. This is freakin' NY!!! A NY team, if they're fan base is not FAREWEATHER, should not have to rely on 'facility' to draw fans. Call yourself a fan?

PATHETIC....JUST PATHETIC!!!!

"No more blind loyalty to the likes of Mike Milbury, who set the team back a decade. No more dispersing a credentialed braintrust - Neil Smith, Pat LaFontaine, Bryan Trottier, Ted Nolan. No more firing Nolan for not playing Jeff Tambellini. No more trading down on draft day. No more treating Rick DiPietro as if he's Wayne Gretzky". That might be the Pulitzer Prize piece for Mark Hermann

The way the county has treated the team and fans is horrible. Of course the county can't do as much damage as Milbury4667

P.S. It wasn't Fats Domino - it was Wilbur Harrison

it's articles like this that the team should move.
whoever blames this on the arena is a moron.
fans, try going to games, that might help.

MCC wrote:

So the Icelanders can be compared to Jones Beach, Roosevelt Field, and traffic?!?!?! I do not think so! People show up at Jones Beach, people show up at Roosevelt Field, and traffic is always full of people!
As a Rangers fan, I do NOT want the Icelanders to move. The Island should have a team and if they should move, that is not a positive for hockey and the NHL.
Who do I blame?
1. The Icelanders Organization - Where to begin....what a joke!
2. The Fans! Show up! Do something about it! Don't give me that **** that it is the "arena". I am a Mets fan...I showed up at that dump called Shea for years (good and BAD) to watch the team. This isn't Arizona, etc where they need the facility to draw. This is freakin' NY!!! A NY team, if they're fan base is not FAREWEATHER, should not have to rely on 'facility' to draw fans. Call yourself a fan?
PATHETIC....JUST PATHETIC!!!!

Why would anyone in there right mind go and pay good hard earned money to go see that live? Particularly in these economic times? I think it's Pathetic that people are so wrapped up in there love afair with there team that they piss time and money away on buying merchandise and tickets/concessions on a lousy product. Go spend a grand at the garden or at Shea/Citi Field dope

As a Rangers fan, I too, don't want the Islanders to move. I enjoy the rivalry intensely, it's one of the best in sports when both teams are playoff-caliber. Who can forget "1940!" or "Potvin SchluckS!"? When both teams are good, the fans are the most passionate in all of sports. BUT WANG MUST GO! That multi-millionaire MORON is ruining that franchise! He should sell the team to the NHL, and let the NHL run it while they find a new owner. Ridiculous taxes, ridiculous building, and ridiculous teams will someday lead to Howie Rose announcing again (like when he was a Rangers announcer during 1994) "THAT my friends, will BURY the NEW YORK ISLANDERS..." Come to think of it, I'd have loved to have heard John Sterling say "The-e-e-e-e-e RANGERS WIN!"

yes, they should move to kc. it's a great idea.

Hermm...
I give you props for backing the Isles.

You could of done it without putting the young guns down. The Isles youth is showing progress...

New buildings add needed revenue. That's a fact. People should call Kate Murray, Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead, and Joseph Mondello, Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman, and voice your opinion. They understand votes. The threat to move has been long overdue. Wang has lost millions on this team. He can't do it forever.

The Islanders must have a new place and we must have the Lighthouse project. Long Island has always been a hard place to work with local goverment to get anything done. Town of Hempstead and County of Nassau should grow up and get the project goings. Once and for all, fast track it. Fast track it like other towns and states would. We are in a Depression right now and this project would put a stop to that on the Island. The Islanders for my company, if they left would mean a major loss of Income. They would mean a major loss of skating for children on the Island. It would mean a major loss of a rink for sports. Charles Wang has been great for the Island. He has lost 20 million a year with the Islanders. But he thinks the Island is worth it if he can get his project though. Kate Murry please save out team and fast track this project get it approved in 6 months so work can start. Stop hearing NIMBIS and start thinking dollars. Long Island does not have a Grumman to get us out of depression any longer. We have become a service based low pay area. Charles Wang can change things for long term. Now its up to Goverment to do its job for the people not just a few.

Excellent..well said. Fix it up,they deserve at least that.Milbury did set the franchise back,lets fix that as well.I cringe every time I hear Zach Parisee's name mentioned on the Devils.He should have been an Islander,terrible terrible move by Milbury.If they leave it will be lights out in Nassau County,this economy is gonna make it look like 1970's all over.Suozzi must get busy,forget running for Gov or Sen and concentrate on Nassau.All he's done is redo the courthouse. His "museum row" will be doomed if the Isles move.We are too close to Manhattan to resemble Utica ! Lets go Suozzi,lets get busy !

Am an Isles fan so get that out of the way, born and raised on Long Island 18 years of my life. Now why not vote in new politicans that will work with Wang or the team? Or is the move to Suffolk out of the question???

phishstyx wrote:

<quoted text>
Why would anyone in there right mind go and pay good hard earned money to go see that live? Particularly in these economic times? I think it's Pathetic that people are so wrapped up in there love afair with there team that they **** time and money away on buying merchandise and tickets/concessions on a lousy product. Go spend a grand at the garden or at Shea/Citi Field dope

I'm a dope because I support my teams?...whether they are in 1st place or mathematically eliminated. Amazing! And you suggest I spend a grand at the Garden? or Citi? What are you talking about? I do have seasons for the Rangers and a partial for the Mets. Quite a few of those years ssince '97, the Rangers were on the outside looking in. I still went.
And why wouldn't you pay to see them live? I always hear about their 'youth' etc....go support the kids because if they are any good and become FAs, they will remember the non-fan support and take someone else's money putting that joke of an organization right back where it started. Go draft Tavares...he won't last more than 3 years before he is gone!

Get players the fans will come its not the bulging its the product.If you must move come here to Vegas as aoriginal fan from 73 I will go to the games like I did on the Island.

The KC song was Wilbur Harrison not Fats Domino.

Possible new team names

Scarecrows
Tin Men
Munchkins
Tornados

Everybody Wang Chung tonight!!

Battfist wrote:

Hermm...
I give you props for backing the Isles.
You could of done it without putting the young guns down. The Isles youth is showing progress...

The Isles youth is like most of the Rangers youth...

Average at best.

Nobody will miss them, Wang has big ideas how to spend taxpayer money in a recession. f he gets a new building it will be filled with luxury boxes that most of us can't afford.

When they leave, I will miss the extra Ranger "home games" in Uniondale

new building or not, if there was a half decent product on the ice fans would come. but when you have a parade of owners, a parade of coaches, GM's that are complete jokes. every season its a new direction. as soon as something works, you change it. it gets old after a while.

there has been no continuity with this team in 10+ years. it seems the only thing that doesn't change is how bad they are.

i think ownership needs to stop blaming the lack of fan support on the building and take a good look at the team on the ice and the management they put into place.

from spano to gluckstern to wang. it seems like actually winning hockey games are a secondary priority. fans know a lot more about the game then this team gives them credit for.

as much as i love the islanders and don't want to see them move, why would i contribute a dime to this mess?

however get a good product on the ice, find some management that has a clue- and stick with them. tell the owner that knows nothing about hockey to stay out of hockey decisions. stop changing direction every year. stop signing rejects to the longest contracts in professional sports history and i'll gladly pay money to sit in a dilapidated coliseum.