There was a time when The New York Islanders were the toast of New York.
The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Championships from
1980-1983. Since that time The Islanders have slipped down the ladder in
The National Hockey League as they have become a glorified minor league
team. The Isles have not made the playoffs since 2007 and they haven’t
won a postseason series since 1993. The Islanders consistently draft in
the top 10 of The NHL Draft while consistently ranking near the bottom
of home attendance as The Nassau Coliseum is an out of date facility.
The only time that The Islanders come close to a home sellout is when
they play The New York Rangers as most of the fans in attendance are
from New York City. Team owner Charles Wang proposed a new stadium, but
voters in Nassau County turned it down last year leaving the team’s
future in limbo. The Islanders lease at Nassau Coliseum will be up in
2015 and without a new arena or upgrades to their current home, this
team will be without a home arena.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has expressed his desire to keep The Isles
on Long Island due to the team’s fan base. With county executives in
Nassau County standing around and trying to look pretty, they will soon
be waving goodbye to Long Island’s only professional sports team since
1977. The only option locally for The Islanders would be moving to
Brooklyn.
The Barclays Center in Brooklyn will welcome The Brooklyn Nets of The
National Basketball Association this fall. Bruce Ratner whose company
oversaw the development in Brooklyn outfitted the arena to host hockey
games as well. The Islanders are scheduled to play a preseason game at
The Barclays Center this October against The New Jersey Devils.
Bettman feels that fans of The Islanders will not want to make the trek
to Brooklyn. With cities in The United States such as Seattle and Kansas
City as well as The Canadian Province of Quebec interested in having a
professional hockey team, Brooklyn is the best local option for The
Islanders. The Long Island Railroad stops right underneath The Barclays
Center. Nine New York City Subways trains stop at The Atlantic Terminal
which is about the same distance between my couch to the fridge.
Brooklyn has a population over 2.5 million making it the most populated
of New York City’s five boroughs.
The people of Brooklyn and The Islanders would be a terrific match.
After Major League Baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers left for Los Angeles in
1957, it was 44 years before a team returned there in the form of The
Brooklyn Cyclones. The Cyclones are a minor league baseball team that
plays at MCU Park in Coney Island and Brooklynites consistently support
The Single A-team. If The Islanders were to move to Brooklyn, it would
only intensify the rivalry with The Rangers. Instead of having to hop on
The Long Island Expressway to see The Rangers versus The Islanders, it
would only be a short ride over The Manhattan Bridge for fans. If The
Isles relocate to Brooklyn, I feel that the team’s nickname should not
changed. Brooklyn is on the same piece of land as Long Island. With New
York City being a city of islands the team’s name would still fit. The
borough will see it’s first professional basketball team in a matter of
months and will a hockey team be on the horizon in a few years? The
litmus test will be when The Islanders play The Devils. If the people of
Brooklyn can give The Islanders a warm reception, The Metropolitan area
will continue to have three hockey teams.
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