FLORIDA AT NYI, 7:05 pm
A home roll?…The TOH mailbag…radio show
The Islanders have earned 5 points over their last 3 games. For good reason that will brighten anyone’s lookout. But the next step for the Islanders is to put together complete performances at home.
Prior to the All-Star break the Islanders had a five-game homestand (1-3-1) in which they scored a total of 6 goals. Tonight they host a Panthers squad that was woeful in their first visit to the NVMC, a 4-2 loss in a New Year’s Eve matinee. Florida is starting to play well, and now they are talking playoffs.
Other than having to reach down the depth chart for No. 3 goaltender Yann Danis, the Islanders are now icing a solid, reasonably healthy squad of kids and vets. Let’s see if they can put together 60 minutes of effective play at home.
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ETC: Peter Mannino will back up Yann Danis tonight.
In retrospect, did the Islanders make a mistake in not making a strong run at prodigal Long Islander Bryan McCabe? No. That said, it’s good to see the defenseman thriving with a team that appreciates him.
Rangers facing the juggernaut known as the Boston Bruins tonight. Islanders hosting Florida in Uniondale. No hockey stories in the print edition of (The Hockey) Newsday.
For an excellent example of a newspaperman having fun and being informative with this thing they call a blog, I recommend On Frozen Pond by Panthers beat writer George Richards.
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Starting to wonder if maybe it’s time Kate Murray and the rest of the leaders of the Town of Hempstead just come clean and acknowledge that they really have no idea what they are doing.
The legendarily-generational-iconic sports blog comment-ator Sir William posted on Point Blank yesterday a sad but true story. He sent a letter to Hempstead opposing the Lighthouse Project. What did he receive? A pre-printed response from the Town thanking him for his support of the project. You can’t make this up.
The rest from Sir William:
“I immediately picked up the phone and called (Town attorney) Mr. Ra, insisting that I speak to him, reminding his associate that I am a taxpayer and the Mr. Ra works for me. Mr. Ra was good enough to take my call. I explained to him what happened and asked if anyone in the TOH knew what they were doing? His reply was that all Lighthouse Project emails and mail get routed into a computer and a stock, two page response is generated.
“In other words no one in the TOH bothers to read what you write. I asked him why elected officials can’t be bothered to read emails from the very voters who elected them and was told that the Islander fans are flooding the TOH with emails and that no one has the time.
“Mr. Ra was very gracious and open about this policy. I explained that I was an Islander fan, but was against building large apartment houses on the land. He said that he was also a fan but that the Coliseum was not the only issue involved.”
The positive take: the Town of Hempstead is so bombarded with letters that they can’t find the time to read them.
The negative: the Town of Hempstead is so bombarded with letters that they don’t even take the time to read them.
Do we laugh or cry?
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“NY Hockey This Week,” with Bob Galerstein again subbing for Don La Greca as my co-host, will be on today at 5:30 pm on 1050 ESPN Radio.
Although I don’t think we can do an entire Lighthouse Project show for the third consecutive week, we will be taking calls and the fans always have their say.
Comments.
46 Responses to FLORIDA AT NYI, 7:05 pm
A home roll?…The TOH mailbag…radio show
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Willis says:
I can’t believe they don’t read the letters. Wow. That should be brought up at the public meeting.
Give us a good one tonight, boys!!
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I find the fact that they dont even care what the taxpaying voters have to say absolutely disgusting. I absolutely agree with Willis above that this should be brought up at the public meetings- brought up in a specific yet repectful manner, holding them accountable to what one of their own actually admitted is taking place.
I also find the idea that an Islanders fan would write a letter opposing this entire project just because people will live there disgusting, but I cant help that.
CB: On a very different note, why does MSG/MSG+/MSG++/whatever keep using that old picture of Kyle Okposo with the big hair and the shirt and tie? He has a team photo just like everyone else. They dont use a photo like that for the other kids, I find it pretty annoying… game winner and they use an old pic of the kid as if he doesnt even have a current photo with the team. How do we get them to wake up on that?
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isles316 says:
I really think that when the environmental review is done, the TOH will be forced to take a stand. It’s obvious this project is too big for their comforts and are attempting to do nothing.
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they better play their best game tonight. we need a big showing from the crowd too. some games there are no chants. and when they are you get 3 sections tops. what do i expect tonight from the crowd? the chant they do with goalies just a different name being thrown in. lets hope it is not just loudville but half the coliseum or more. how do they not read the letters? thats stupid. at leats there getting them though. hey cb is it ok if we are lenient with the guidlines since it is a game?
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19 ISLE in NJ 22 says:
Great thread …. CB … Sir William, Nick Classic, Islander505 and some others had always had some good debates about the merits of the Light House Project last season and into this season on Logie’s blog … SW was usually the opposition to the rest of us … but I give him one thing … he’s a very principled and informed person … I find it funny that they replied to him with a stock letter recognizing his support … SW used to always say writing them emails is useless since our emails will probably never be read … he was right.
I think SW has every right to be concerned about the Light House Project … but as a figure of opposition … I think he should actually get himself involved with the Light House committee to voice his opposition to the specific elements he’s opposed to. He has plenty of critque … but provides no alternative. We all sometimes get frustrated debating him because of that … but he’s also a dear friend of the community of Islander fans that just wants to see them succeed… I just don’t know how he expects that to happen if Wang can’t make money.
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mtrico says:
Our Town of Hempstead officials are a joke. It is time to make some changes, and that can be done at the voting booth this fall. These boobs should be out on their ears ASAP.
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I second all of 19 Isles’ points. It’s maddening to talk to some opponents of the Lighthouse for that exact reason: they don’t ever propose an alternative and refuse to accept the reality that the land can’t stay an asphalt jungle forever. There is precedent here; the 60-story building was nixed from the plans because it was too out of character from the rest of the area and was replaced by 2 or 3 smaller buildings. I say that to every NIMBY I encounter, in all situations: OK, you’re entitled to your opinion…so what’s your idea?
As for this TOH revelation, I was just working on a blog post about it but CB scooped me…that’s what I get for going shopping early in the morning. It is, as I said in a previous thread, an egregious breach of public responsibility that they don’t even bother to read the letters people send in. It was even more galling for me to see that, yet again, Mr. Ra lumps all the people supporting the project together as “Islander fans.” I know Mr. Ra isn’t anti-Islanders, he’s a season ticket holder! However, lumping us together as just “Islander fans” begs 2 questions:
1. Why are they so narrow-minded to assume that only Islander fans see the benefits this will bring to the community? We saw a very well-written letter to Newsday yesterday expressing support for the project from a die-hard RANGER FAN!
2. If there are people out there that support building the Lighthouse only because it will keep the Islanders here, what’s wrong with that? Why does their opinion count less when their vote counts the same as mine?
You’ll hear a lot more from me about this one over the next few weeks. I’ll be out tonight, but the DVR is set up and I hope to see a win when I’m back home. Have fun, guys.
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thepolishprince says:
I’ll be there tonight a couple rows behind the FL bench. I’m hoping the Isles play a strong game against one of the other NHL teams I like a lot.
Isles 3 FL 2.
The news on SW’s exchange with the town is not encouraging at all. I’m beginning to believe more and more that the team’s days here are numbered. -
mrlbem says:
This is not a good thing if they blindly assume that all supporters of the project are Islander fans. They have to be made to realize that the support is much broader than merely us. Ironically, I’ve been reading in Newsday about the old Cerro Wire property in Syosset. A mall developer wants to put a mall there (this has been going on for over 10 years), and the Community seems to prefer the kind of mixed use development that the Lighthouse purports to be. Back to the TOH. Where are all the tax reduction advocates? Where are all the affordable housing advocates? There must be a way to galvanize all these groups to support the Project.
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Shoe says:
It is very easy for them to avoid emails. It might well be that some kind of rally at hempstead town hall is in order? Make Murray walk through the masses to get to her office.
Either that, or Wang has to come up with the cash that murray is no doubt expecting in her back pocket to seal the deal.
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Fans and residents need to show their support of the project on TOH night 2/21/09. That is when questions should be asked and maybe even answered.
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DHouda6 says:
BCarey (1) I’m down for tomorrow if the ponds are frozen.
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admin says:
(12) Unless you know for sure the Islanders are hosting a Town Hall or a rally or having something besides the usual Lighthouse table on Feb. 21, you should be careful encouraging people to buy tickets to a game. Feb. 21 is three weeks away and there’s little info on Town of Hempstead Night on the team website. All it says is Town members get a discount and Townies are encouraged to “come with your neighbors, show your town pride and root the Islanders to victory.” Doesn’t sound like the final scene of “Milk” to me…CB
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And let’s not forget that Kate Murray was scared away from last year’s TOH Night because she thought she was being set up. The Lighthouse is far bigger issue this year than it was last year, so I wouldn’t count on her showing up.
In terms of positive Lighthouse support, we should be doing that every game and in all the ways people have discussed.
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JKP in Halifax says:
As a fan of democracy in all its messiness and imperfections, I find it disgusting that the elected officials aren’t even reading the mail from their citizens on a major public policy issue. Instead they’re just cranking out blind form letters?
Wow.
Is that seriously what it’s coming to on this continent?
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DanNOLA says:
Ugh, this is getting me frustrated. I’ve been waiting as patiently as I can, but this is putting more nails in the coffin for me. If Long Island politicians won’t even listen to the people, then why the Hell should I move back home? To pay double the taxes on everything and not even be heard by the people who tax me? To Hell with that. I fear that over the next 10 years more and more younger people will do what I have done and just left. As much as I love our Islanders, they are not enough reason for me to deal with Long Island’s nonsense.
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#17 DanNOLA… I’m 27 and feel more and more each year that even if I do better with my job I’m still squeaking by and I’m getting tired of that feeling. I can move down south and do what I do now and have a more steady income and pay half the living expenses.
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On Edge says:
Uhhh I think Mr Ra lied when he said the emails went to a automated response form. I too emailed a letter to Mr Ra and in his intial response he said please see attached letter for the official response. He never attached the letter so I replied to him that there was no attachment…he responded saying it was his mistake and replied with the attachment. My point is that they DO get the emails but just reply and attach the formal response themselves. TOH shows it’s true colors as a mickey mouse, useless group of politians (and I mean that in the most negative way…) that I have ever seen. They are a joke and cannot be trusted. They are more interested in self serving their own political interests. I have no idea of how Wang and the Isls can deal with this group. They have my symathy.
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im not surprised that rangers fans would want it built. think about the rivalry between the teams if they both played in spectacular arenas. ranger fans on the island would have fun going to the lighthouse to watch the games.
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andy says:
Islanders with the over
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#18 Isles 316, I’m also 27 (be 28 in March) and moving to New Orleans has been economically the smartest thing I could have done. A 3 br, 2 bath ranch house that in Smithtown would cost $300,000 you can buy here for only $110,000. I own my own home nearly outright here which I could never do on LI. And there are more working-middle class job opportunities down South because of how much rebuilding there is after recent hurricanes. But, enable better opportunities, reduce the tax burdon especially on small businesses, and make housing more affordable to younger college graduates and Long Island could one day be my home again.
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tom says:
I live in LA… 110,000? 300,000? WOW! That house would be 600,000 to a million here.
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I think the $300,000 was a low ball figure as well. Even so, DanNOLA has a great point and some of my friends have taken advantage of that and are living less burdened lives because they can afford where they are comfortably and enjoy themselves a bit more.
Most people I know that live on Long Island around my age either work their butts off constantly and/or go to school as well and really have very little free time and never feel satisfied. I’m one of them between april-november.
My friends and life usually take a back seat to my job during those months and this time of year I guess as well.
Living somewhere else might afford me the oppurtunity to have a less stressful work enviorment but who knows.
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It’s my friend’s birthday today. An Islander season ticket holder for many years. In 319 row B. Name is Nelson. If you are around there it would be cool if you could yell Happy Birthday Nelson… Dude in his 40′s… brown blondish hair, sort of in middle of row. here’s a pic
http://picasaweb.google.com/dvsinla/Nelson#5297560381865426610
it’s him on the right.
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bCarey says:
pond’s are frozen. i’ll probably be in miller place on north country rd. there is a pond there that usually gets good games going on weekends (nets, goalies). if anyone is in the area, stop down. i’ll be the dude in the fishsticks jersey hip-checking pee-wees.
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Strummer's Army says:
I just think it shows what a joke Kate Murray and her staff is. They are totally incompetent.
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I honestly think that the people in the TOH of so much to lose if they get this project through.
Look at it this way; If this project goes through they make the same amount of money so there is no incentive there.
Plus, if it does go through and it becomes a problem, such as awful traffic or people eventually becoming unhappy with the project the blame will go directly to them.
If they do nothing, they make the same money and don’t have to work hard for it.
It’s awful but it might be part of why they are doing nothing.
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Ron, Lindenhurst NY says:
Hey CB, Hi everybody.
I emailed CB a few days ago venting my frustration and possibly preaching to the choir (sorry if you had that impression, CB!) about how young, career-minded Long Islanders are up and moving because life here has become difficult. DanNOLA was probably wise enough to relocate for more affordable living, but I’m a stubborn (and optimistic) New Yorker.
I’ve emailed, wrote letters, and left dozens of messages to TOH officials, and so on to share concern over the dwindling numbers on Long Island. And NOT ONE RESPONSE! At least CB was kind enough to respond to my rant.
The Lighthouse needs to be built in order to restore economic stability not just for the town, but for both Nassau and Suffolk counties. It’ll be a huge great leap forward.“The voices of the people
Are falling on deaf ears
Our politicians all become careerists”
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SIR WILLIAM says:
Generational??? Hey I’m only 57 years young.
In any case, even though I do not support the Lighthouse Project, I felt it was more important to the my fellow voters to know just how much the TOH values your concerns. I find this outrageous and, as explained to Mr Ra’s associate, these people work for you and me. How dare they
just disregard what their constituents
have to say. I have to admit that this type of arrogance made my blood boil and thus the post revealing my conversation with Mr. Ra.Nick and 19 Isles, Its not my job or place to suggest what should replace the Lighthouse and it makes no sense for either of you to think that I or anyone else should provide an alterantive plan.
My specific objection to the Lighthouse are the high rise apartments that Wang wants built. I don’t. I also have objections to the underground parking but perhaps that may change if a plan that made sense to me was offered.
Chris, It it Wangs contention that even with a full NVMC all season he would lose money. If have read this and would like to know if it is indeed a fact.
And if that is the case, then it suggests that Wang is counting on the money he makes from the Lighthouse to keep the team afloat. I am genuinely confused about this. Why can’t the team support itself? And how do other franchises make money?…..SW -
Ron way to work in Billy Bragg.
Isles316 if your saying the idiots salaries are the same regardless then your right but if your saying the town is not going to profit in a major way from the Lighthouse project you are wrong. They will benefit tremencously (thus giving them way more money to run the town and everything else, help fund special programs etc) from impact fees of construction and new residents living at the Lighthouse, the will benefit from increased sales tax revenue from restaurants, hotels, and every other business operating on site, they will benefit from having more businesses in the area, they will benefit because the Islanders will remain on LI and all the money they collect off them won’t be lost, they will benefit because the Isles will be awarded the All-star game and the NHL Draft (thus more sales tax, more beds-in-heads etc), they will benefit from all the jobs the Lighthouse creates will being build and after, they will benefit from all the permits being pulled, and all the national exposure the project will create.
What is clear is the town benefits in so many way and since Wang is paying for most of it it should be a slam dunk. Most communities would be bending over backwards to get a project like this ton offering major tax incentives (I have seen it in my town for much smaller projects). The fact the TOH has not fast tracked this tells us 1) the are idiots 2) there is dirty business going on here 3) Kate Murray’s gigantic ass will be looking for a job come November but she won’t be able to find one because the local economy is hurting.
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Sir William, I’m not sure what your objection is to underground parking, it is considered highly desirable.
To answer you on why Wang would lose money on a full NVMC there are many factors. 1)The lease is horrible. 2) The size of it does not allow for extra restaurants etc. 3) the reasons teams need knew buildings to survive financially is there are many cost to operating a team, including players salaries but you can’t attract really good player to your dump which makes it very hard to be competitive and thus very hard to sell out the building nightly. 4)Most of the money is made not on ticket sales but on things like specality concessions, LUXURY SUITES (THIS IS WHERE NVMC REALLY LACKS), restaurants etc.
You can research it in any sport but a team without a good building to play in is not competitive and not financially viable for any owner. This is when teams get sold or moved if they cannot get a new building.
Since Wang is offering to pony up most of the money (WHICH IS VERY RARE-USUALLY STATE, FEDERAL, LOCAL FUNDS…PERHAPS INCREASED SALES TAXES LOCALLY ARE USED FOR THESE WITH VERY LITTLE IF ANY OF THE TEAMS MONEY), he has to have a shot at recouping this money. The entire project gives Wang the fair shot of earning money. Doing just the arena makes no sense. If Wang pays most of the several 100 million to upgrade the NVMC then that is just multiplying his losses. Kate Murray would love this because she wants the arena redone but doens’t want to pay for it and apparently the county and state don’t have too many funds to do so. However, Wang would be an idiot to just do the arena.
He has laid out a sound and fair proposal, the delays are inexcusable. Honestly, if Wang decides to pick up the team and move it this summer it would serve most of the decesion makers in the area right. The bad part is it would really hurt the local, county, and state economies and worse it would hurt the fans and employees. Still no one should blame Wang if he decides to pull up the moving fans, he has done so much and been so patient and they have spat in his eye for objectives known only to them.
What will they say to the locals if the Islanders turn up missing one day this summer? How will they explain the negative economic impact and how they cost LI their team? I almost hope it happens so I can hear it.
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Big Article in Newsday about Long Island jobs being lost at an alarming rate, Nassau will feel the biggest pinch of jobs lost. Hey wait a second, would the lighthouse project add jobs to Long Island and Nassau???? No the TOH would prefer to continuie to fight the lighthouse project, what do they care, they are employed for the moment! ):
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Duff Beer says:
If Wang sells out every night, he makes a profit. But we can turn it into a loss if the cable revenue is not included (money paid to the team to broadcast the team’s games). If SMG is bought out? More money.
The Lighthouse is not for team survival…..it’s about making a killing in real estate Sir William. Otherwise Wang would have fought harder the past 7 years to get SMG gone.
Unfortunately, Al D’Amato worked on both Computer Associates board and SMG’s board….and was the liason for the Wang/Islander sale. I think SMG has it made and would not be surprised at all if they’re guaranteed a place in the new arena.
And BTW, the County only can condemn the SMG lease…..but they also share a common individual: Al D’Amato.
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Strummer, the Joe Louis in Detroit and MSG are dumps. One was prettied up and given player ameneties by the owner (despite it being City owned) and one has Manhattan.
NVMC has Long Island to sell, which is almost universally (Bailey says so) loved.
What does NYI really lack to draw good players that both bad buildinged teams do have?
Professionalism and a desire to win. Steadiness. Good decision making. Quality executives who earned their place.
Look at the Red Wings staff…..VP’s of all experience. A GM who was scouting during the Glory Years and moved up. Jimmy D.
NYR has Glen Sather and Renney and a demand for quality. (and their building smells like pee
)It’s not the building but the desire to play for the team. Just look at the summer headlines the past 7 years…..eight years….15.
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I can understand obama using a form letter to answer email. He serves over 300 million and must get 10s of thousands of emails each day. But the Town of Hempstead? They can’t handle the volume of what, 6 emails a day? If they are getting many more for the lighthouse, instead of worrying form responses, maybe they should actually do something?
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Dommy says:
wang does not make profit if he sells out every game
he has lost millions and he should get it back. some spoiled brat islander fans should wake up. they act like wang is their daddy and they want free allowance for the rest of their lives.
i have a question… i remember when he bought the team the price tag was incredibly high because it included the money he was to receive from the cable deal. anyone else remember? if that’s true then the money he gets from the cable deal is just money he already paid and he’s not profiting from it.
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dommy
Wang spent 175 mil for the team. Figure it probably was worth 80 to 100 mil. So, he basically paid for 5 years of the TV deal. After that, it is profit.
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Chris: WHO in the Islanders locker room is listening to “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake???
http://islanders.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?&id=31876
I am dying to know who was cranking that song during Streits interview.
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Duff I agree with you on MSG being a dump but not Joe Louis. I was shocked what a dump MSG was when my Dad and I first went in it but the Rangers get mega press exposure and meet tons of celebs and rich folks who open up many deals off ice for them and they just like the glitz some what. LI does not offer that. Also, if you play in Manhattan there is plenty of hot young models.
If you read LA’s Jack Johnson’s comments this summer on the NVMC you’d understand what most of those guys think of it. Players like the rest of us want to work in a very nice place.
It is the difference between going to the bathroom in a porta-potty or in a mansion.
When I was with the athletic association here at UF we almost always offered some of the best facilities in sports and that makes a huge difference in recruiting. The Gators constantly are improving all their facilities. One of the things that helped in basketball is building a basketball only training facility, the kids go nuts for that stuff.
Unless you have been around it you may not get it but nice facilities go a long way towards getting guys to committ.
You have to think of it in terms of would you rather stay at a motel 6 or a Peabody, Ritz, or Rosen Hotel? I know where I’d be staying.
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shoe… thanks… that’s what i remembered. it’s not insignificant though because that’s still his money that he lost. as for the isles losing money… i can’t believe some people still doubt it. i seriously think wang should play like 10 “home” games in kansas city next season. he could still call them the new york islanders. still have the cable deal. make more money in the new arena. screw smg. pressure TOH and home team season ticket buyers would save a lot of money. win win win win situation
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Strummer….The Joe is BEAUTIFUL now, even with a feel like the NVMC or igloo (all three feel like….HOCKEY VENUES!)
Ilitch did the statues outside, the decor. Detroit did the paint and original construction.
The lockerrooms are Ilitch improved with a lounge that is reportedly breathtaking.
Ilitch talked about owners making a profit and said just recently “I wish there was no cap….I’d pay all my players all they deserve!”
He’s in it because he loves the game. That’s the logic behind owning a hockey team for all these years…..you certainly aren’t in it to make money (though you should make money…..but hockey isn’t a big money maker unfortunately).
I WANT Wang to make money, and SMG out and the Isles to be profitable, but I don’t see anything being done to make the lockerrooms nicer, the players happier there…..just the big Lighthouse sign and Dragons sign and other promotions for/by the owner.
A decrepit old house turned around becomes a beautiful classic mansion if one puts in the work. How hard could it be to make the NVMC a beautiful place to be at? Not modern, not typical NHL big/empty, but beautiful?
The sitelines are amazing. The crowd is local and close and family, practically. The accoustics are just perplexing.
Build out the shell, raise the roof and keep the geometry and you have more seats, more concourse and more places to eat and pee. Simple and cheap.
Do that and buy out SMG with county help and Wang makes money. $22M a year from Dolan plus the gate reciepts (100% of them) and the County gets parking, and taxes, and Wang pays a fraction for arena maintenance.
Easy.
And we get a nicer place to play in…….then all we need is a team that is desireable to play for/on.
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strummer… do you really think it’s easy? really?
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really?
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Dommy do I think what is easy?
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David says:
On the free agent debate. Say the Isles straighten everything out and become a solid organization like the Wings, (which is what some of you are suggesting is the only thing needed to happen in order to attract tier 1 free agents). Say you’re a free agent being courted by three different teams including the Isles. All three of those teams have a good core and good management (remember this is hypothetical). Now only two of those teams have nice facilities to play,practice and train in. Why would that player choose the Isles over the teams with good facilities? Sometimes we have to take a step back and stop looking at it from a fans pespective, just because we love the Isles unconditionally doesn’t mean everyone does or should.
Anyone down for a PB Pond Hockey Day? There are plenty of frozen surfaces out here in Suffolk we could play on. Tomorrow the temps will moderate so it would be a perfect day to play before the big storm on Tuesday. I do not have a net or goalie gear.
Tonight will be an explosion: NYI 6, FLA 5