Monthly Archives: November 2008
Tom Suozzi yelled at me once, which I thought was pretty cool. I was with Charles Wang and some Islanders executives far more senior than me for a meeting with the Nassau County Executive on the Lighthouse Project. Suozzi wanted our marketing materials to focus on renovating the Coliseum and keeping the Islanders, but “All I see is the tower, the tower, the tower”!!! (As if the tower – or anything else – was my idea).
Well, that tower is gone and Wang and his development partner Scott Rechler made concessions on just about everything else the community leaders asked of them. Nassau County approved the project in a landslide and now zoning approvals are in the hands of the Town of Hempstead and Supervisor Kate Murray.
While we wait for the Town to make an announcement or for Supervisor Murray to take a position, I spoke with Suozzi last night for his take on the Lighthouse Project – I mean the project to transform the Coliseum and keep the Islanders in Nassau County. As you will see, he makes it crystal clear the next move is Murray’s…CB
From your perspective, what is the latest in the development of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum property?
The Lighthouse Group is working to gain the necessary Town of Hempstead environment and zoning approvals.
Is it all in the hands of the Town of Hempstead now?
Yes, they have control over this process.
Could you predict when there will be a ground-breaking ceremony on the project?
It can’t come soon enough for all of us. It’s the Lighthouse Group’s project and Charles Wang and Scott Rechler have estimated next summer.
When I was with the team, you made it clear how important it was to make the arena state-of-the-art and keep the Islanders here. Could you speak to that more in-depth for my readers?
The Islanders are a source of pride for all Nassau County residents. They and we deserve a first-class, state-of-the-art arena, for sports fans coming from near and far, as well as people coming for other attractions at the Coliseum. The economic future of this county has been a top priority of my administration and the Islanders and the entire Lighthouse Project are a major part of development in the Hub, the central core of the county.
But do you also understand Charles Wang and Scott Rechler’s vision to complete their entire vision for the Lighthouse Project – not just the arena but the surrounding 70-plus acres?
Yes, of course, good question. When we did the public procurement process for redevelopment of the Coliseum site, we intentionally required that proposers tell us how they would maximize the use of the Coliseum and 70-plus acres of public land to create a major destination and enhance the Hub as the economic heart of the county. The Lighthouse Group proposes 24/7 use with expanded sports and recreational facilities, offices, residences, shops and dining. They are also including their other real estate holdings in the development to create a 150-acre project.
Is there any chance the project can include access for public transportation?
I am glad you brought this up. It’s been proven that public transportation not only provides the convenience of getting to your destination without the use of a car, reduces congestion and improves air quality, but it also increases the value of any development. We have been working on a two-track approach for public transportation: for the long term, establishing a transit system that will connect with local LIRR stations to provide east, west, north and south access to the Hub for sports attendees, people going to school, jobs, visiting the museums, Eisenhower Park, and so on.
We have been working very hard to do the necessary studies and secure federal funding, so we can complete this complex task as soon as possible. In the short term, we are working with the Lighthouse Group on developing an express transit bus service from the Lighthouse Project to the Mineola LIRR station. Imagine not having to take your car to an Islander game.
Is it fair to say this project is taking longer to get off the ground than you’d like?
Of course, it is taking longer than I and everyone would like. However, it is a large, complex project and the review and approval phase does take time.
What do you say to Islanders fans that haven’t heard any public announcements of progress on the Coliseum project for a long time and are concerned they could one day lose their hockey team?
The Lighthouse Group has assured me they are committed to making this work. I know that they are working as fast as possible to get that shovel (or hockey stick) in the ground, and on the ice. Go Islanders!
Your reaction to Tom Suozzi’s remarks? Comments.
Peter Mannino up to the Islanders. Yann Danis to Bridgeport.
Expect MacDonald to start all three games on the trip. Danis has not played since Nov. 1 and could use the work in the American League.
Islanders getting smarter, avoiding situations in the past when goalies like Mike Dunham and the Dubester started games with a month of rust.
12:30 pm - Scott Gordon said after practice that Mitch Fritz will join his team beginning at Friday’s morning skate in New Jersey. The coach confirmed the news just as Fritz was packing up in Bridgeport and saying his goodbyes in front of Connecticut Post ace Mike Fornabaio.
Besides the AHL return of the ageless Mike Sillinger, another reason to check out Sound Tigers-Phantoms on Sunday could be the new line of Ben Walter centering Blake Comeau and Jeremy Colliton. That’s a trio of legit Islanders prospects, with Colliton playing some of his most consistent hockey of late.
Point Blank plans on being there Sunday. There aren’t any big football games that day, right?
Gordon on his players’ confidence after winning three in a row: “They beat a Vancouver team that’s playing very well and was outstanding against the Rangers last night, so there should be some take-away.” Asked if the next three games will be a good measuring stick for his resurgent squad, Gordon said he considered the next five a great test.
The coach on the improving-each-day Frans Nielsen: “In my interview process with Garth Snow, Frans was a key player I thought could make a successful jump to the NHL.” Gordon compared Nielsen’s development to his player in Providence, David Krejci, who’s now 4-8-12 in 19 games with the Boston Bruins.
Movie Day: Point Blank reader Nick sent us this video clip, alleging that Rob Davison speared Kyle Okposo during Islanders-Canucks on Monday after the Islander was called for a slash on Roberto Luongo. You make the call. Our call: when you slash another team’s captain and franchise, you pay the price. And Rob Davison is the kind of honest guy who’d be the first to tell you he doesn’t play enough for a suspension to have much of an impact.
Comments?
11:10 am, Iceworks - Scott Gordon’s comment yesterday that the call-up from Bridgeport for Kyle Okposo would practice with the Islanders today turned out to be untrue. The same group that practiced yesterday is on the ice as I write from my perch at Iceworks.
My take: Mitch Fritz will be on the ice at the morning skate in New Jersey on Friday.
The reasoning is that if Trevor Smith or Mike Iggulden were playing for the Islanders this weekend, they would have been here today for a full session of Go-Go Gordon. If the choice was Blake Comeau, the kid would have been here at six in the morning. If the Islanders were taking somebody off the waiver wire…no, they’re not taking anyone off the waiver wire. Just messin’ with you.
Fritz knows the system, knows his job and knows he’ll probably get 5-7 minutes. If Richard Park centers Fritz and Tim Jackman tomorrow, I expect Rich to make at least one end-to-end rush, untouched.
I’m also gonna go out on a limb and predict you’ll have some reaction. Comments.
(Old Town Hall, Hempstead. Do not storm...yet.)
Editor’s Note: Just as I published this entry, I heard from Nassau County. My interview with County Executive Tom Suozzi will run on Thursday…CB
Throughout the last week many of you have called for Point Blank to create a petition, host a rally, storm Town Hall and do all sorts of stuff on behalf of the Lighthouse Project.
I appreciate where you’re coming from, but I’m taking a spot on the sidelines for the next little while. In the last two weeks, we’ve written three articles on the Coliseum issue and Don La Greca and I moved the story along with Gary Bettman on our radio show. The coverage may have led to Jim Baumbach authoring a Lighthouse column on Sunday. Now the talk has reached a near-fever pitch.
But the next step is not a rally or another petition, and we’re fairly certain that’s for far bigger organizations than our little blog to handle anyway. The office of my former colleagues on the PR/marketing team at the Lighthouse at Long Island would be a good place to start.
The next step is for someone from the Town of Hempstead to provide a public update. As Baumbach pointed out, there has been months of silence on the arena topic. Shoot, for all we know everything is rosey. It would be kind of awkward if we formed some big rally and Scott Rechler showed up and said, “Hey, we really appreciate it, but everything’s cool. I’ll take it from here.”
I don’t agree with Baumbach that it has to be Charles Wang doing all the talking, or that the Islanders owner needs to drop hints on a Plan B. (There can only be one Plan B: leave Nassau, hideous lease be damned). All sides – County, Town and the Lighthouse development team - should let the people know what’s up.
(No, those are not Lighthouse plans Kate Murray and Tom Suozzi are, uh, holding up)
While it’s nice that Town of Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray stood in front of 50 cheering locals and next to a bulldozer last week in announcing plans to demolish the Courtesy Hotel, does anyone know where she truly stands on the Lighthouse Project? Let’s face it: especially these days, it’s a lot easier to destroy than be a visionary and build.
This may not have been what Murray signed up for when she was elected Town Supervisor in 2001, but the reality is the biggest development deal in modern Long Island history is in her hands. Wang bought the Islanders in 2000 after a half-decade of mismanagement by others who only saw the hockey team as a real estate buy. Everyone knew a long time ago this moment was coming. What has Murray had to say about it? Not much of any substance.
Asked by former Suffolk County Executive Pat Halpin on “Meet the Leaders” on Cablevision for her “vision” for the Coliseum property, Murray fidgeted and said, “Pat, you’re looking to get me on the record and I’m very concerned.” It is a question she declines to answer when asked a second time in the program. She discusses understandable concerns about traffic and environmental impact, while Halpin talks about the positive effects of increasing the tax base and employment at a time of need.
In the interview Murray volunteers that she offered to Charles Wang to re-develop the arena immediately as a stand-alone project. That doesn’t work. Most everyone knows Wang was born in Shanghai, but it wasn’t yesterday. See the interview here and let us know what you think. Our take: Kate Murray wants no part of this blockbuster deal. We really hope we are wrong.
Two calls over the last week to Murray’s staff have not been returned. A Q & A arranged with Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi has been stalled for the last four weeks. Still, the most important person to hear from is Murray. She has many remarkable accomplishments on her resume, starting with being the first woman in the three-century history of Hempstead Town to hold its highest office. For all that she has achieved, it is her stewardship of this development that could define her legacy as a community leader.
Say something, Supervisor. A lot of people wouldn’t be overjoyed, but at this point we’d even be okay with “This is not happening while I’m around.” At least it would be an answer, a position. I know, taking a stand is a political career-killer.
While we wait on Murray, Suozzi or perhaps – in the most dire scenario – someone from the Lighthouse team to make the next move, all one can really do these next two months is call or email Town Hall with support or concerns for the Coliseum project (the Lighthouse site has all the contact info). Seems crazy for anyone to get worked up when the real power brokers are not inclined toward transparency.
While we hope for a bi-partisan, joint effort between the Town and County, there will be no major decisions made, no deals signed between now and the end of the holiday season. But if anyone in power would like to let Islanders fans and concerned residents know if we’ll ever be able to meet at the Lighthouse – and see the Islanders stay in Nassau - that sure would be neighborly.
(Thursday: An interview with Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi)
We welcome your feedback in Comments.
12:50 pm, Iceworks - What a difference three straight wins make. An 80-minute, back-to-business practice, but a lot of smiles through all the work. The boys are loose.
No Recall Yet: With the Sound Tigers playing (and winning) last night in Texas, you won’t see a Bridgeport recall until Thursday’s practice. Asked for the criteria of a call-up to sub for the injured Kyle Okposo, Scott Gordon said, “A forward, someone who’s playing well. I’ll talk to Jack (Capuano) later today. Then there’s the element of toughness – do you call back Mitch Fritz“? Hmmm…
D Up: With Brendan Witt back and Brett Skinner in Bridgeport, here are your D pairings: Sutton – Streit, Campoli – Martinek, Gervais – Witt, Meyer – Pock.
Gordon has the luxury of breaking in Witt with 15-18 minutes that he didn’t have when Chris Campoli and Andy Sutton returned to a depleted blueline. The coach pointed out that Witt is returning with fewer practices under his belt and is walking into a scenario of back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, so expect him to be cautious with Witt’s PT.
Freddy Meyer also skated before joining the team for the main event.
(photo by Rich Stieglitz)
Tigers Sweep Texas: Those gritty-gutty Sound Tigers, all they do is win. Last night three late goals resulted in a 3-1 win over the San Antonio Rampage. The game-winner was by Trevor Smith, a candidate for an Islanders recall.
Bridgeport is now an AHL-best 13-3-0-2. They are so hot that backup to the backup to the backup Nathan Lawson is now 4-0 in goal after stopping 28 of 29 shots last night.
“Miracle” Man: Ken Morrow is back with the team, working with the defensemen. “You learn a lot from working with Kenny,” said Chris Campoli. “He has a lot of really good suggestions on little things that can make a big difference. You listen to a man with all his accomplishments, it sticks with you.” Gordon said having Morrow as his D specialist is like having a goalie coach: “Kenny and the dmen speak the same language.”
The Streit Stuff: Defenseman Mark Streit wasn’t surprised to hear that his native country of Switzerland was posting big Visit stats on Point Blank. “Hockey is pretty popular back home,” said Streit, who first dreamed of the NHL watching Mario Lemieux on TV against Chicago in the Cup Final. “I’d put it third after skiing and soccer.”
Streit said skiing is so popular in Switzerland, the major championships are viewed on TV by as much as one-third of the country.
ETC: The Islanders took part in an NHL-mandated recommended media training course after practice…Mike Sillinger on his AHL stint in Bridgeport, beginning Sunday: “It’s the right thing to do. The doctors and I have to see how I hold up after some game action. I’ll play that first game Sunday (home to Philadelphia) and then we’ll have a week until the next games. I’m looking forward to it.” I kidded Sillinger that he set a high bar the last time he was in the American League. In 1992-93 he had 30 points in 15 games.
As for all the speculation about what the lineup will look like when Sillinger and Mike Comrie are ready to play at the NHL level, seems way too early for that. Sillinger is spending the next two weekends playing in the AHL and Comrie has not even started practicing (neither has Nate Thompson). Gordon on the potential return of Sillinger in a few weeks: “It would be like a good in-season trade.”
I have one last set of messages in to the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County. Either way, at the end of the business day, I’ll have the latest entry in a series of columns on the Lighthouse Project.
Comments?
Final answers? For now, yes. Some questions left unaddressed – including Geoff’s request for my personal take on the day Luongo was traded and DiPietro was drafted – I’m keeping in the bank and will address during the year as stand-alone columns. Thanks for all the Qs. Hope you enjoyed the give-and-take. We will definitely do it again sometime…CB
Vlad from Brooklyn asks if buying out Alexei Yashin was the right move, pointing out that players like Guerin, Comrie and Fedotenko have not matched Yash’s production.
A: Alexei was a great friend to me on a professional and personal level, but I felt the franchise did the difficult but right thing to turn the page. The day the news became official, I was on vacation in London. He called me and we spoke for a while. Although he agreed to every interview and appearance request, he actually thanked me for putting up with him. I hear he’s doing well and enjoying being back home. I couldn’t be happier for him.
Rob asks whether you’ll see Mark Katic or Aaron Ness on the Islanders first.
A: If you ever see them, I would guess Katic. He is one year older and playing top-4 dman minutes in the Ontario Hockey League. Still, I couldn’t sit here and 100% guarantee you the Islanders will sign him. I’d put it at about 80%.
Ness is a freshman in college, where you’re usually broken in real slowly. He has 3 assists in 10 games. If Katic or Ness ever play for the Islanders, it would be 2010-11 at the earliest. And that’s probably pushing it.
Chris TMC wants to know the identity of the Islanders emergency goaltender if both goalies were hurt within the same game.
A: Teams almost never plan this in advance. Lots of superstitious people in hockey. I would think if it happened, Brendan Witt would be your only volunteer.
Isles fan in NY wonders if Charles Wang would settle on just having a new arena instead of the complete Lighthouse Project.
A: The County, not Wang, insisted the best that could be done would be a thorough renovation of the Coliseum instead of a completely new arena. Scott Rechler and Charles have every reason to feel the complete arena project is theirs to develop. Among several reasons, they own the friggin’ property.
Chuck DiMaggio asks about the time Mike Milbury popped in a videotape before game 3 in the Toronto series in 2002 to show the media a series of unpenalized infractions by the Leafs.
A: I had been in TO for four days and figured it was going to be a quiet off-day, so I volunteered to take our then 4-year old son Aidan to practice with me. We get to the Coliseum and Aidan’s buddy Mr. Milbury is standing there brandishing a VHS tape. “I’m thinking about hosting ‘movie day’ with our media. I’ve got the ‘Can Opener’ and all the other stuff they didn’t call the first two games. You have one minute to talk me out of it.”
I had no interest in talking him out of it. Mike had no clue I had Aidan in a corner of the weight room, hopefully out of harm’s way. Mike showed the tape – with Pacino-like narration – to about a half-dozen writers. Thankfully, that 4-year old boy still doesn’t use those words six years later (at least in front of his parents). You know the scene in Old School with Vince Vaughn with the little kid and he’s saying “Earmuffs”! Yeah, that was me.
The media covered the “screening” with a ton of fanfare and Milbury and the Islanders got hit with major fines. The Islanders proceeded to get just about every call in Games 3 and 4 and tied the series at 2-2. It was all worth it. Those were a fun two weeks.
Err…Jim wants to know the deal with Colin Campbell and if he has a vendetta against the Islanders.
A: I think Colin just gets things wrong sometimes, like we all do. I would hope after all his years in the league, it would not be personal against the Islanders just because he once coached the Rangers and Mike Bossy routinely roasted him for goals when Colie was a defenseman. Again, a reminder that the Islanders went well out of their way to release a statement after the Pock suspension saying they supported the league’s actions.
I also have a hard time killing Campbell because he gave Chris Simon a long suspension. I love Si, and I wasn’t thrilled with the process, but we need harder evidence than that.
The thing about Campbell is that if you ever met him, you’d probably really like him. He doesn’t talk like a BS executive. He’s not smooth. He probably gives the PR people at the league heart episodes. I disagree a lot with the guy, but he’s a real person, not a stuffed suit. That could be why you haven’t seen Garth Snow rip him publicly on a large scale.
AM asks if what’s going on in Tampa Bay with the Melrose firing and other crazy rumors was happening on Long Island, what would be the reaction of the North American press?
A: I’ll give you another one. Imagine if Garth Snow – just weeks after a prospect had tragically passed away – petitioned the league for a compensatory draft pick, pointing out that if the young player had been revived, he would have been eligible for the draft again.
DINO asks if goaltending prospect Stefan Ridderwall might be on the Islanders in the next year or two.
A: Ridderwall is well-regarded by the Islanders and some other NHL scouts I’ve spoken with. As I wrote in the Sudsie Maharaj feature, the goaltending consultant has been to Europe to meet with him a few times. The Islanders would like to get him here in the near future. Whether Ridderwall yearns to come over soon is unclear.
Andreas the Badger wants to know if the Islanders have a big following around the world.
A: Pretty darn big, especially of people of my generation who were teenagers when they won four Stanley Cups in a row. I’m sure it would be bigger if they’d had more success since. It also has to do with the roster. This blog gets a lots of visits from hockey fans in Switzerland (Streit) and Denmark.
Someone made a real good point in the press box last night – I think it was Howie Rose – the Islanders and San Jose Sharks should play a pair of games for real in China in the next year or two. I agree. The league and two teams should be all over that.
Rich says that he does not believe for a second my position – mentioned in an earlier block of answers – that I wouldn’t expose trade secrets for millions of dollars for a tell-all book. He asks if I have “an abnormally high moral ground” or whether I signed an air-tight legal agreement when I left the Islanders.
A: Nothing air-tight. Actually Rich, my exact quote was I wouldn’t do it if someone “gave me a million bucks” to do a book. You’re talking millions. That’s different! If I could ever get whatever Artie Lange got for burping out his Howard-and-heroin stories to a ghostwriter, oh man, you’d be surprised how quickly my Abbie Normal high moral ground would fly out the window.
Just kidding. Not gonna happen. No deal.
Michael wants to know if there will ever be an Oleg Kvasha Night at the Coliseum.
A: If that doesn’t fill the barn, I don’t know what will. To be safe, I suggest the Islanders schedule three Kvasha nights at the Coliseum, because Ollie generally showed up only once every three games.
That does it for the Q & A until next time. Always open for suggestions and Comments on the blog. Thanks.
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