fire it up on the train!
- Isles_since_6

Yeah man. I'd have to be loaded up pretty good to do that

So then it turns a 15,800 seat stadium into a 13,000 seat arena. And if corporations are buying out these good seats, leaves little for the fans to purchase
- Isles316

as someone who sees one game a year (if that, it was 1 game every 2 years due to the schedule only having an away game in Vancouver every second year) I'm finding it very difficult to have sympathy.

The team stays in the area, is accessible by transit, is in a brand new arena and if the tickets to the good seats are all sold then the team is selling more tickets than they are now, which means more money to invest in the roster. I'm still having a very hard time finding a negative.

Yeah man. I'd have to be loaded up pretty good to do that
- Cptmjl

it may cause some friction if you get stuck next to a vegetarian but if you're offering samples out, I can't see how someone could complain

Will they let me bring my Coleman grill?
- Cptmjl

Get a Hibachi!!

XxNYIxX

as someone who sees one game a year (if that, it was 1 game every 2 years due to the schedule only having an away game in Vancouver every second year) I'm finding it very difficult to have sympathy.

The team stays in the area, is accessible by transit, is in a brand new arena and if the tickets to the good seats are all sold then the team is selling more tickets than they are now, which means more money to invest in the roster. I'm still having a very hard time finding a negative.
- Isles_since_6

The guy isn't whining he's just saying the arena is not a hockey arena which it's not. It wasn't built for hockey. Jethro and Vukota are right if some seats suck don't buy him but Isles316 is stating a fact. I think a lot of people on here are a bit hypersensitive to this whole Brooklyn thing?

it may cause some friction if you get stuck next to a vegetarian but if you're offering samples out, I can't see how someone could complain
- Isles_since_6

I dated one vegetarian, only one...

I dated one vegetarian, only one...
- Cptmjl

Freaks!

XxNYIxX

The guy isn't whining he's just saying the arena is not a hockey arena which it's not. It wasn't built for hockey. Jethro and Vukota are right if some seats suck don't buy him but Isles316 is stating a fact. I think a lot of people on here are a bit hypersensitive to this whole Brooklyn thing?
- Cptmjl

I get that, it's easy to see looking at the angle of the seats in that end and the oddity of the west end of the rink in general. I'm not dismissing it, just trying to point out that if you buy tickets sitting there you get what you pay for. It's the best option the team had after the town blocked a new arena and the only other option would have been to move the team.

Ultimately, the blame for this lies at the feet of the people who shot down one proposed solution after another. If the team ends up being stable, profitable and continues to improve then really, the seating at one end of the arena is a very small problem compared to the alternatives.

It's fine to point it out, but to say you're (not you, just quoting you) not going to go to as many games due to seating you don't have to choose to pay comes across as silly and nitpicking.

The alternative was to lose everything Islanders from the NHL and to watch this team grow up into a contender somewhere else. How do you think the people of Quebec felt watching the Avs win the cup? I'd be heartbroken.

I was 1000% sure the Islanders were going to Quebec when they started to build that arena that was going to be done by 2015. This was always a pleasant surprise to me. I may not get my season tickets that I have had since 1999, but I can still take my kids to 5 or 10 games a year pretty easily.

Now can we get our own Cable channell please so they are not the 7th string on MSG depth chart... tonight we have Rags game, Devs game, Knicks game, Liberty game.. so the isles will be on channell 775 HSN network 3.

then maybe a real radio station to pick them up instead of Hofstra? ... nah.. to much to hope for..
- niteislander

Same here. Seemed like an awfully big coincidence to me, but in the end, I guess that's what it actually turned out to be. All the other stuff...some obstructed views, a train ride, weird seating in the shape of a horseshoe, parallelogram, rhombus...whatever. All of that's minor imo. A slight inconvenience that pales in comparison to what seemed like the more probable alternatives and the never-ending Saga of the Unknown that we've gone through the last bunch of years.

That's only 4 sections.... not even close to being 1/4th of the seating.. its 1/4th of the ARENA.. but only 4 sections are in it.



XxNYIxX
- XxNYIxX

No, they are now selling all those seats

as someone who sees one game a year (if that, it was 1 game every 2 years due to the schedule only having an away game in Vancouver every second year) I'm finding it very difficult to have sympathy.

The team stays in the area, is accessible by transit, is in a brand new arena and if the tickets to the good seats are all sold then the team is selling more tickets than they are now, which means more money to invest in the roster. I'm still having a very hard time finding a negative.
- Isles_since_6

I get that, it's easy to see looking at the angle of the seats in that end and the oddity of the west end of the rink in general. I'm not dismissing it, just trying to point out that if you buy tickets sitting there you get what you pay for. It's the best option the team had after the town blocked a new arena and the only other option would have been to move the team.

Ultimately, the blame for this lies at the feet of the people who shot down one proposed solution after another. If the team ends up being stable, profitable and continues to improve then really, the seating at one end of the arena is a very small problem compared to the alternatives.

It's fine to point it out, but to say you're (not you, just quoting you) not going to go to as many games due to seating you don't have to choose to pay comes across as silly and nitpicking.

The alternative was to lose everything Islanders from the NHL and to watch this team grow up into a contender somewhere else. How do you think the people of Quebec felt watching the Avs win the cup? I'd be heartbroken.
- Isles_since_6

Absolutely, I agree. I also think Isles316 agrees too. I think a lot of people discussing this are misunderstood as complaining. Saying the arena situation may not be ideal doesn't necessarily mean they don't have an understanding of what you stated in your post.
I for one would've loved for them to stay in Nassau and it's not for a convenience thing. There was nobody happier when they found a home none the less. I'll still go to games. I'll just get seats that aren't obstruction. No big deal. It just sucks that it came to them moving. Even though the Coliseum is a dump the structure itself is one of the best arenas I've been too. It's a great building to watch a game and I have a lot of memories. A refurbished Coliseum or some version of Wang's plan would've done wonders for LI. I'm sure the politicians would've found a way to increase our debt but at least it would've been a little harder for them

Nice article Dan. I grew up in Franklin Square and it was pretty cool driving 10 minutes down Hempstead Tpke to get to the games but now that I have moved to mid suffolk it takes me almost 40 mins to get there and another 10-15 to park and walk in. The difference for me now is getting on a train and it's 1hr door to door.

Do I wish they were still in Nassau? Damn straight but at least we still have the option to see the team play live in 2 years as opposed to if they moved out of state or across the country.

Absolutely, I agree. I also think Isles316 agrees too. I think a lot of people discussing this are misunderstood as complaining. Saying the arena situation may not be ideal doesn't necessarily mean they don't have an understanding of what you stated in your post.
I for one would've loved for them to stay in Nassau and it's not for a convenience thing. There was nobody happier when they found a home none the less. I'll still go to games. I'll just get seats that aren't obstruction. No big deal. It just sucks that it came to them moving. Even though the Coliseum is a dump the structure itself is one of the best arenas I've been too. It's a great building to watch a game and I have a lot of memories. A refurbished Coliseum or some version of Wang's plan would've done wonders for LI. I'm sure the politicians would've found a way to increase our debt but at least it would've been a little harder for them
- Cptmjl

You know, watching playoff games on TV the coliseum gives me chills. I may not make it to a game there this year but before they move my ass is getting on a plane to see a home game. I can't miss the opportunity to see them play in that rink. 316, I'm not taking a shot at you personally, I'm just jealous I only get my one game a year

No, they are now selling all those seats
- Isles316

There are no more games there this season, nothing is for sale for any potential games there next season & in all the information ive gotten about season tix in the BC, that whole area isnt available... so who's selling them, for what?

XxNYIxX

There are no more games there this season, nothing is for sale for any potential games there next season & in all the information ive gotten about season tix in the BC, that whole area isnt available... so who's selling them, for what?

XxNYIxX
- XxNYIxX

They will be on sale when the isles make it their home and they were on sale this past Saturday

I agree with most on here... we forget that this is the Islanders. 95% of the people who write for hockey only write negative articles about the Islanders. So I take all that with a grain of salt. We were supposed to be in KC. Then we were signing Yashin b/c he was seen in Syossett, and Satan. ... etc. etc. etc. It's very rare where you actually get a positive article on the isles.

that said there is a nice piece on Long Beach's Joey Diamond in the Post today. That was nice to see...

Islanders http://nypost.com/2013/09...ing-dream-with-islanders/

No it's permanent. And a brand new arena that's not viable for NHL hockey. Gary Bettman said this two years ago on WFAN but now all of a sudden it's ok ?
- Isles316

This was my concern with Barclay's all along. While it's obviously better than the option of watching the team move from NY, I don't believe that was ever a possibility in the first place. The Isles were NEVER going to leave NY anyway, not with that cable deal.

I never had an issue with moving to Barclay's on a short term basis but I thought the idea of signing on for 25 years was flat out foolish. Why would you commit yourself to a imperfect arena for that term, regardless of the marketing possibilities? Overall, I'm not sure what the actual terms of that lease are, but I have to think it may leave room for major changes. The potential loss of revenue for a 15k seat arena (13k of which are useful seats) when most new stadiums seat 20k seems like a bad investment IMO. It's why I think the lease agreement is more of a commitment to Ratner than Barclays.

It is what it is, for the short term it offers the Isles a better and more lucrative option than NVMC and a county that played politics with the team for too long. Wang was treated by the local politicians as though he were another politician. That's not wise when trying to maintain business in a hurting area. The bottom line is the people in Nassau didn't fight hard enough, the politicians didn't care enough and the team needed a lifeline to help it crawl out of the worst lease in professional sports. I just wish it didn't come with a 25 year tag.

$$keaner17$$

This was my concern with Barclay's all along. While it's obviously better than the option of watching the team move from NY, I don't believe that was ever a possibility in the first place. The Isles were NEVER going to leave NY anyway, not with that cable deal.

I never had an issue with moving to Barclay's on a short term basis but I thought the idea of signing on for 25 years was flat out foolish. Why would you commit yourself to a imperfect arena for that term, regardless of the marketing possibilities? Overall, I'm not sure what the actual terms of that lease are, but I have to think it may leave room for major changes. The potential loss of revenue for a 15k seat arena (13k of which are useful seats) when most new stadiums seat 20k seems like a bad investment IMO. It's why I think the lease agreement is more of a commitment to Ratner than Barclays.

It is what it is, for the short term it offers the Isles a better and more lucrative option than NVMC and a county that played politics with the team for too long. Wang was treated by the local politicians as though he were another politician. That's not wise when trying to maintain business in a hurting area. The bottom line is the people in Nassau didn't fight hard enough, the politicians didn't care enough and the team needed a lifeline to help it crawl out of the worst lease in professional sports. I just wish it didn't come with a 25 year tag.

$$keaner17$$
- keaner17

I agree with the bolds and pretty much everything else. The bolds are all part of my theory

This was my concern with Barclay's all along. While it's obviously better than the option of watching the team move from NY, I don't believe that was ever a possibility in the first place. The Isles were NEVER going to leave NY anyway, not with that cable deal.

I never had an issue with moving to Barclay's on a short term basis but I thought the idea of signing on for 25 years was flat out foolish. Why would you commit yourself to a imperfect arena for that term, regardless of the marketing possibilities? Overall, I'm not sure what the actual terms of that lease are, but I have to think it may leave room for major changes. The potential loss of revenue for a 15k seat arena (13k of which are useful seats) when most new stadiums seat 20k seems like a bad investment IMO. It's why I think the lease agreement is more of a commitment to Ratner than Barclays.

It is what it is, for the short term it offers the Isles a better and more lucrative option than NVMC and a county that played politics with the team for too long. Wang was treated by the local politicians as though he were another politician. That's not wise when trying to maintain business in a hurting area. The bottom line is the people in Nassau didn't fight hard enough, the politicians didn't care enough and the team needed a lifeline to help it crawl out of the worst lease in professional sports. I just wish it didn't come with a 25 year tag.

$$keaner17$$
- keaner17

I don't think that is 100% true.

What were the other options in NY?

I hate to say this but they were gone if BK didn't step up.

I would estimate about 3,000 seats have obstructed view.

The only newer arena with great sight lines is San Jose. Been there twice. It's very much like the coliseum in the seating area but great to get around, probably the best I've been too
- Isles316

i assume you stood up before you pulled that number out of your ass...

youre saying 20% of the arena is obstructed for hockey??

I don't think that is 100% true.

What were the other options in NY?

I hate to say this but they were gone if BK didn't step up.
- Vukota

Yeah. I don't think most disagree but I think what he's saying is there may be more to this than we all realize . After rereading his post you're right he did say that . There is an argument to be made about them not moving though i think they may have been close. The cable deal and just Bettman not letting it happen are viable arguments saying they weren't going anywhere. Not that I agree with it but they are debatable. Look what Bettman did with the Coyotes as an example. The fight to keep that team in place is unreal. That's a team whose attendence is deplorable and has zero history.

i assume you stood up before you pulled that number out of your ass...

youre saying 20% of the arena is obstructed for hockey??
- LetsGoIsles

Did you see the arena layout?

Yeah. I don't think most disagree but I think what he's saying is there may be more to this than we all realize
- Cptmjl

you and xxnyixx keep believing that

you and xxnyixx keep believing that
- Vukota

I just edited my post