Dee Karl: Another RFQ, Another Pipedream Last ditch effort or more political posturing?

Dee.....Wang has done everything wrong, an really has no interest in hockey, only realstate.........Let the clock tick bc Nassau has stepped up on a new arena only, not the surrounding buildings that Wang wants

Lets face it.. Wangs patience ran out a while ago, he is out of here when the first possible legal chance comes around.It might be 1 year or when the lease is up. Thats my feeling on the reason he is not throwing a lot of money in free agency until a clear decision is made. No matter if it will be Queens, Suffolk or "far away" until then nothing will change. I hope everyone proofs me wrong.

As a child from Long Island, many years ago in the years of "Spinner" Spencer..this makes me very sad. Really.

If Wang wanted an arena built for the Isles, it would have been built. Now its our problem that he has dreams of being a real estate tycoon.

Please, just sell. You own a professional sports team. Its your responsibility to spend money on the team and put a contender on the ice. When you refuse to do that, you're just making the situation worst.

Random thought-Its an absolute disgrace that John Tavares only makes $5.5 mil a year.

To all the Wang bashers, understand this, if he had not bought this team they would already be gone. He was told(promised) by then Sen D'Amato that a new building would be no problem once he bought the team. So keep killing the man that has at least kept this team on the island as long as he has. You folks are just plain ignorant about his situation. It's a losing proposition anyway he he goes at this point. As for the Tavares contract, no one put a gun to his head to sign it. Tavares made a commitment to the team because he WANTED to.

Any one that has a better idea of who should own the team throw out some names, Tell me what billionare/corporation wants to take on this ridiculous political challenge to keep this team here. So keep bashing the owner while your head stays in the sand.

Dee.....Wang has done everything wrong, an really has no interest in hockey, only realstate........
- Ur Not Me

The propaganda Wang bought the team only for real estate (with Sanjay Kumar) for some of you is just beyond silly.

To the real estate only crew, why did Wang accept a plan last summer that gave him NO REAL ESTATE where he even had no hand at all in a new buildings construction?

What's he doing in Bridgeport operating an arena he bought the rights to run last summer with NO REAL ESTATE.

The only reason it ever became about real estate is after five years 2000-2004 of Wang being told Nassau is broke and cannot maintain the Coliseum, Wang called up billion dollar real estate developer Scott Rechler to create a plan where the real estate made the hockey team self-sustaining.

No more Scott Rechler, NO REAL ESTATE.

Milstein bought this team, he's a real estate developer, and ten minutes after his plan was turned down he gutted the franchise and tried to move.

If Wang wanted an arena built for the Isles, it would have been built. Now its our problem that he has dreams of being a real estate tycoon.

Please, just sell. You own a professional sports team. Its your responsibility to spend money on the team and put a contender on the ice. When you refuse to do that, you're just making the situation worst.

Random thought-Its an absolute disgrace that John Tavares only makes $5.5 mil a year.
- NYIDRIVE4FIVE

I agree except for the JT part. I'm not feeling sorry JT only making $5.5. According to Ek Isles led the pack for Jay Bouwmeester. This will really improve the offseason and hopefully lead to a young dman in package for a scorer. Still a long shot for these things to happen.

Just read the newsday article. The islanders will not play a game in Nassau county after this lease expires unless someone else builds CW a new or seriously renovated arena that generates CW enough $$ to turn a profit for CW. If this does not occur, the team will move. And judging from the dearth of developers lining up to develop the hub, not only is it unlikely a new/renovated arena is ever going to get built, it is unlikely that anything is going to get done.

I still don't see the logic behind the notion that CW should pay for the demo and building costs for a new arena. He doesn't own the current building. Hes a tenant. The county won't sell him the land and CW is not interested in buying the crappy zoning-encumbered land anyway. If nassau wants to keep its sports team, nassau has to provide them with accommodations to entice them to stay, just like any other commercial landlord has to do with its commercial tenants.

To all the Wang bashers, understand this, if he had not bought this team they would already be gone.
- 19inarow

Agree with everything you wrote but this which has nothing to do with Wang at all.

What plan was Bettman going to spring on Milstein-Gluckestern and Nassau County in 2000 with a binding lease until 2015 after Milstein played his constructive eviction card and the courts ordered him to follow his lease.

Was Bettman going to fight Nassau County to get them out in court or was billionaire Milstein going to bankruptcy court with his brother Ed.

Wang save the franchise in a lot of ways, not that one.

The propaganda Wang bought the team only for real estate (with Sanjay Kumar) for some of you is just beyond silly.

To the real estate only crew, why did Wang accept a plan last summer that gave him NO REAL ESTATE where he even had no hand at all in a new buildings construction?

What's he doing in Bridgeport operating an arena he bought the rights to run last summer with NO REAL ESTATE.

The only reason it ever became about real estate is after five years 2000-2004 of Wang being told Nassau is broke and cannot maintain the Coliseum, Wang called up billion dollar real estate developer Scott Rechler to create a plan where the real estate made the hockey team self-sustaining.

No more Scott Rechler, NO REAL ESTATE.

Milstein bought this team, he's a real estate developer, and ten minutes after his plan was turned down he gutted the franchise and tried to move.
- NYI

This... Wang receives alot of critism he doesn't deserve

While I wish he'd spend more... Nassau deserves to go broke after they toyed with him

To all the Wang bashers, understand this, if he had not bought this team they would already be gone. He was told(promised) by then Sen D'Amato that a new building would be no problem once he bought the team. So keep killing the man that has at least kept this team on the island as long as he has. You folks are just plain ignorant about his situation. It's a losing proposition anyway he he goes at this point. As for the Tavares contract, no one put a gun to his head to sign it. Tavares made a commitment to the team because he WANTED to.

Any one that has a better idea of who should own the team throw out some names, Tell me what billionare/corporation wants to take on this ridiculous political challenge to keep this team here. So keep bashing the owner while your head stays in the sand.
- 19inarow

Big whoop, it was great at the time but now it turned out to just delay bad news. If I save you from burning to death in a fire only to shoot you in the face a few years later...do I still get commended for saving you?

Wang is pure trash. He is responsible for everything that is wrong with this team. He is the only part of the organization you will ever see me unmercifully crap on in here, because I know I'm right about it.

Please, just sell. You own a professional sports team. Its your responsibility to spend money on the team and put a contender on the ice. When you refuse to do that, you're just making the situation worst.

Random thought-Its an absolute disgrace that John Tavares only makes $5.5 mil a year.
- NYIDRIVE4FIVE

Please just sell? Where were you when no one would buy this team for close to a decade, not Charles Dolan, not anyone but people broke or con artists with no money.

It's Wang's responsibility to spend money? He did. 130m the second summer, hundreds more millions on players all the way to Tavares.

When's Nassau going to do what everyone else did in North America and finance their own arena so whoever owns the team can make enough money to spend more?

Let's see Nassau give Wang what Steinbrenner and Wilpon got from the taxpayers or what Brooklyn is giving the Nets or that fat check Msg get's from the city every year. How about Mangano give Wang what Corey Booker gave Vanderbeek in New Jersey so he can declare bankruptcy.

Ever check out how Edmonton or Quebec is getting new buildings.
Hint-Not privately funded.

Just read the newsday article. The islanders will not play a game in Nassau county after this lease expires unless someone else builds CW a new or seriously renovated arena that generates CW enough $$ to turn a profit for CW. If this does not occur, the team will move. And judging from the dearth of developers lining up to develop the hub, not only is it unlikely a new/renovated arena is ever going to get built, it is unlikely that anything is going to get done.

I still don't see the logic behind the notion that CW should pay for the demo and building costs for a new arena. He doesn't own the current building. Hes a tenant. The county won't sell him the land and CW is not interested in buying the crappy zoning-encumbered land anyway. If nassau wants to keep its sports team, nassau has to provide them with accommodations to entice them to stay, just like any other commercial landlord has to do with its commercial tenants.
- Jethro09

Exactly right. While I think Charles has done a lousy job with runningn the team he should not have to pay for the new arena that he will not even own. Nassau has dropped the ball big time.

Please just sell? Where were you when no one would buy this team for close to a decade, not Charles Dolan, not anyone but people broke or con artists with no money.

It's Wang's responsibility to spend money? He did. 130m the second summer, hundreds more millions on players all the way to Tavares.

When's Nassau going to do what everyone else did in North America and finance their own arena so whoever owns the team can make enough money to spend more?

Let's see Nassau give Wang what Steinbrenner and Wilpon got from the taxpayers or what Brooklyn is giving the Nets or that fat check Msg get's from the city every year. How about Mangano give Wang what Corey Booker gave Vanderbeek in New Jersey so he can declare bankruptcy.

Ever check out how Edmonton or Quebec is getting new buildings.
Hint-Not privately funded.
- NYI

I guess those hundreds of millions add up to a salary floor roster every year.

I agree except for the JT part. I'm not feeling sorry JT only making $5.5. According to Ek Isles led the pack for Jay Bouwmeester. This will really improve the offseason and hopefully lead to a young dman in package for a scorer. Still a long shot for these things to happen.
- ses111

I understand in terms of living expenses and what not its more than enough, but the fact that he only gets $1 mil more than DP pisses me off

Wang is pure trash. He is responsible for everything that is wrong with this team. He is the only part of the organization you will ever see me unmercifully crap on in here, because I know I'm right about it.
- eichiefs9

Are you that uninformed or on team Kate Murray, who's daddy got taxpayer money.

Charles Wang gave Tavares 33m last summer, Grabner, Okposo close to fifteen million, another eleven million for Nielsen, Nabokov, plus every top prospect got signed and he's trash while he renovates locker rooms that flood, scoreboards, work out rooms in a building he's a tenant in while Nassau and Smg are supposed to maintain and then last summer ran around like an animal in his late 60's every single day going on on television at 7am in Manhattan selling Mangano's referendum for his 30 year influx to the general fund.

Here's a great one, Wang keeps his 67m dollars in the bank and tells DiPietro no thanks, he's keeps his 88m in the bank for Yashin, with his 20m for Peca and tells Milbury extend Mike Stapleton and Mark Lawrence instead. No thanks on paying Aucoin, Jonsson, Witt, Hunter, Scatchard.

I have no doubt Wang is a ruthless shark in business, but some of you better make up your minds because you don't support this team there is no next owner in his right mind willing to take the mix of no arena, Nassau and horrible fan support.

You also better come to grips with the fact that someone in this for real estate is not out bowling with hockey players or sitting at the draft table meeting all the new players personally.

I guess those hundreds of millions add up to a salary floor roster every year.
- NYIDRIVE4FIVE

You mean the 40-45 million plus Wang was spending on payroll before any salary floor while other team owners were spending less than 30m in new taxpayer funded buildings who then started getting revenue sharing checks as the salaries went toward 50-55-60 million?

Ted Leonsis gets a revenue sharing check.

Charles Wang may be many things but he did not come here from Dallas like John Spano to bleed a franchise dry, he's a sixty year resident who's spent hundreds of millions to try to keep this franchise here and goes out of his way to tell everyone he's not making threats, when this is finally over he has to live here with his family.

Maybe Wang should be like the Mets owner, settle on a ponzi scheme, then get a mini city from Bloomberg on the taxpayer dime to go with a new stadium.

Big whoop, it was great at the time but now it turned out to just delay bad news. If I save you from burning to death in a fire only to shoot you in the face a few years later...do I still get commended for saving you?

Wang is pure trash. He is responsible for everything that is wrong with this team. He is the only part of the organization you will ever see me unmercifully crap on in here, because I know I'm right about it.
- eichiefs9

I agree from a hockey operations standpoint, CW has been terrible. His input on hockey related decisions and personnel matters has been bad. But you can't kill him on the arena thing. Its not his fault tie TOH and Nassau County are full of inept and morally compromised politicians incapable of passing any worthwhile legislation, much less being capable of running one of the highest taxed counties in the US with a surplus budget.

Wang tried to build the Lighthouse and get the team an arena in the process, all with private money. The politicians screwed him. Wang's biggest mistake was not recognizing the BS he was up against sooner and having an alternative plan for the team should the Lighthouse fail.

The propaganda Wang bought the team only for real estate (with Sanjay Kumar) for some of you is just beyond silly.

To the real estate only crew, why did Wang accept a plan last summer that gave him NO REAL ESTATE where he even had no hand at all in a new buildings construction?

What's he doing in Bridgeport operating an arena he bought the rights to run last summer with NO REAL ESTATE.

The only reason it ever became about real estate is after five years 2000-2004 of Wang being told Nassau is broke and cannot maintain the Coliseum, Wang called up billion dollar real estate developer Scott Rechler to create a plan where the real estate made the hockey team self-sustaining.

No more Scott Rechler, NO REAL ESTATE.

Milstein bought this team, he's a real estate developer, and ten minutes after his plan was turned down he gutted the franchise and tried to move.
- NYI

Why is it silly to believe that a guy who didn't even know what a hockey puck was would buy a hockey team for $180M that happened to sit on a piece of land a county was looking to develop? You know whats even more silly? Thinking that Wang bought tie team out of the kindness of his heart, as a philanthropist who's only interest was to save the local sports team from relocating to tie tune of $180M.

Its not outlandish to think he bought the team for the opportunity to redevelop tie land tie arena sits on. In fact I'm convinced that's the reason he bought the team. Regardless, I can't kill him foe the arena fiasco. That falls squarely on the shoulders of the politicians.

Its not outlandish to think he bought the team for the opportunity to redevelop tie land tie arena sits on. In fact I'm convinced that's the reason he bought the team.
- Jethro09

Then like now, it was not a requirement to buy the Islanders to develop the hub so your point makes no sense, it still is not a requirement.

Did Wang save the team in Bridgeport or bring in the Dragons for window dressing too? You forget he is a basketball fan and wanted to buy the Nets after the Isles so was that all about land too?

If that's not enough riddle us this? How come in 2004 when the Lighthouse was announced after Nassau had no plan or money, Suozzi made it an open bidding by 2005 for the right to develop the property as long as the Coliseum was part of it? The Mets, Vince Polmeri, all the usual suspects all submitted plans, when Wang finally brought in developer Scott Rechler he won.

He spent all that money for the team and still was not given anything by Nassau and had the same right to bid like everyone else.

There is a very easy history to follow here. RFP (requests for proposals) were put out twice by Nassau County on that property long before Wang and Kumar came along. Plans, response from 1972-2000? Zero.

Charles Wang also did not purchase this team by himself, he bought it at a time he was working at CA and Kumar was an equal partner who said at the press conference we are not real estate developers. The real estate angle was heavily documented at the press conference in 2000. Tom Gulotta said whoever buys the team has to build Nassau a new building.

So again why did he agree to a plan last summer with no real estate rights, all he had to do was say he's spent enough and lost enough?

What did he do? Sign more players, spend money to run the building in Bridgeport, agree to a thirty year lease with no real estate rights.

And while I'm on a roll, let me point out that I don't think there is anything wrong with tie fact that CW bought the team for the purposes of gaining access to the hub to redevelop it. But I don't think there's any denying that redevelopment was CW's reason for buying the team. As long as he secures the long term future of the team in the general geographic area and gets the team competitive again, nobody should care about for what reason CW bought the team. The problem is, CW hasn't made the team competitive or secured its long term future in the 12 years he has owned the team.

And while I'm on a roll, let me point out that I don't think there is anything wrong with tie fact that CW bought the team for the purposes of gaining access to the hub to redevelop it. But I don't think there's any denying that redevelopment was CW's reason for buying the team. As long as he secures the long term future of the team in the general geographic area and gets the team competitive again, nobody should care about for what reason CW bought the team. The problem is, CW hasn't made the team competitive or secured its long term future in the 12 years he has owned the team.
- Jethro09

Your on a roll? There's a 12 year record that screams otherwise.

He did not make them competitive? Four playoffs in five years after seven years with no playoffs?

I agree from a hockey operations standpoint, CW has been terrible. His input on hockey related decisions and personnel matters has been bad. But you can't kill him on the arena thing. Its not his fault tie TOH and Nassau County are full of inept and morally compromised politicians incapable of passing any worthwhile legislation, much less being capable of running one of the highest taxed counties in the US with a surplus budget.

Wang tried to build the Lighthouse and get the team an arena in the process, all with private money. The politicians screwed him. Wang's biggest mistake was not recognizing the BS he was up against sooner and having an alternative plan for the team should the Lighthouse fail.
- Jethro09

I wasn't really trying to kill him on the arena part. Just trying to point out that saying "he saved the team", while true at the time, isn't a valid argument in favor of him anymore.

As far as the "not recognizing it sooner" part, I couldn't agree more. Ignorance isn't an excuse for me. He put all his eggs in one basket and he failed.

Are you that uninformed or on team Kate Murray, who's daddy got taxpayer money.

Charles Wang gave Tavares 33m last summer, Grabner, Okposo close to fifteen million, another eleven million for Nielsen, Nabokov, plus every top prospect got signed and he's trash while he renovates locker rooms that flood, scoreboards, work out rooms in a building he's a tenant in while Nassau and Smg are supposed to maintain and then last summer ran around like an animal in his late 60's every single day going on on television at 7am in Manhattan selling Mangano's referendum for his 30 year influx to the general fund.

Here's a great one, Wang keeps his 67m dollars in the bank and tells DiPietro no thanks, he's keeps his 88m in the bank for Yashin, with his 20m for Peca and tells Milbury extend Mike Stapleton and Mark Lawrence instead. No thanks on paying Aucoin, Jonsson, Witt, Hunter, Scatchard.

I have no doubt Wang is a ruthless shark in business, but some of you better make up your minds because you don't support this team there is no next owner in his right mind willing to take the mix of no arena, Nassau and horrible fan support.

You also better come to grips with the fact that someone in this for real estate is not out bowling with hockey players or sitting at the draft table meeting all the new players personally.
- NYI

So he did things that an owner is supposed to do, and these are things that you use to point to him being a good owner?

How about the years of hiring pea-brained and inept front-office staff coupled with the fact that he is absurdly arrogant and thinks he knows more than everyone, which leads to him meddling in everything? Where's the explanation for any of that?

I can understand him not wanting to keep dumping money into a team he's seeing no profit from, but he has nobody to blame but himself for that. He either stood by and let Milbury mismanage this team for years or he used Milbury as a puppet and directly ruined the team himself.

You also better come to grips with the fact that I never said that he was just in it for the real estate.