REPORT: LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT GOES DARK
7:30 pm - Three hours since the LI Press story was posted, still no reaction from the Lighthouse Development Corp. Multiple calls and texts from this writer to LDC executives have not been returned.
It’s still early in the night, but my understanding is that the LDC has yet to speak with any reporters. Personally, I’m not getting on Kate Murray tonight. (By the way, if you think she’s not getting re-elected…well, you’re wrong).
IF - and that’s a big IF because it’s early enough - Charles Wang or his staff do not provide a response to Islanders fans tonight with any media outlet, they would be making a big mistake. You do not toy with the emotions of your fanbase at this serious a level. You just do not. I hope they get this right.
Back later tonight.
*
5:05 pm - The Long Island Press is reporting that Charles Wang has abandoned his plans for the Lighthouse Project. Point Blank has reached out to three top officials on the development and the calls went to voicemail. Let me put this right out there: if they are not returned tonight, that would be the definition of “weak.”
My take as of 5:00 - developers Wang and Scott Rechler are making a point. As we’ve pointed out several times over the last year, everyone has games to play. Just remember, the focus should be on hockey! Riiiight.
I’m travelling and will do what I can. Hopefully the mainstream can continue to declare how Brooklyn is not an option and the lease prevents the Islanders from eventually moving. Stay tuned for Kate Murray’s response, only in Newsday.
285 Responses to “REPORT: LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT GOES DARK”
Please Wait
Wow, I can’t believe the team I live and die with are gone. RIP Isles
Sad, sad day.
Whoa.
And maybe it’s not a game and another location has been chosen by Wang..
I figured Wang would wait it out to the end of the calender year, more specifically until after the elections. Hopefully this is just posturing.
If this is true, kiss the Isles good bye. They will not be in Nassau County much longer. They may not be in New York much longer either if Wang sells them to another owner. Best thing to hope for is the Isles to move to Queens so they get a new building and stay in New York.
sounds like the meeting went bad with Murray–she must have laid her cards on the table finally and her”reasonable development” of site was radically different from Wangs vision–she knew that would be the case so….
wow… i think i’m gonna cry!
PLZ DONT MOVE FROM THE NY AREA!!!!!!!!
RIP NY Islez
That’s unfortunate for Long Island. Yes, lots of people will post their concerns for the hockey team, but frankly, the economic state of LI should be the focus and the outlook isn’t bright.
I guess there’s nothing left but to focus on the hockey, hopefully by 2015 we’ll have a winning season and a deep playoff run with a core of fun players before saying good bye.
Good Bye Islanders…welcome to Quebec
Can you blame the guy? Would be great if this cost Murray the election but unfortunately the republican machine will roll on and continue to raise taxes to solve all their problems!
Our only hope is that the people of the TOH vote Ms Murray out of office. If you see the Newsday poll, its possible. We need every Islander fan, their friends and family, in the TOH to vote Murray out. If they dont, then they are fools. This goes far beyond the Islanders. Its called jobs and lower taxes.
The Long Island Press is breaking this story?!?!
Really?!?!
Lets hope Queens steps up or they might as well lower the flag half staff and play taps.
This is about putting pressure on Murray before the election. I’m sure Wang is fed up with her anyway. I will do my part & vote against her.
As far as Murray is concerned, unless the unions specifically strike back against her for costing them the work, she won’t go anywhere.
just in time for my move to L.A.
Will the unions strike back?
you people believe that long island press, which is free handed out on local streets.seriously must of been a slow practice day if you ask me.
Our last hope, if this is true, is now in queens and brooklynn. Both seem very small to me but you never know. It is good to know that they have both come out and said they want us but what is stoping a rich canadian from buying the team and moving them. (I am aware of the current try but our lease runs out in 2015) What reall hurts is we start to build this the “right way” get two studs in KO and JT and this crap happens. we have suffered plenty. end it fast and swift, dont drag it out!
I dont buy it at all. The free LI Press??? Please…..Id still be shocked if the LHP doesnt happen. I still thinks its in the cards regardless. If not, then Kate Murray has a LOT of explaning to do.
whatever is going on ….Kate is on her way out.
I dunno - following reports that at Monday’s day game ALL references to the lighthouse had been removed form the coliseum, including dasherboard advertising - I see no reason to believe that its not 100% over.
That it has been put to bed this quickly after the deadline, to me makes it start to seem as though there may have been other issues in the background (hello financing) that made the deadline a way for Wang to close up shop while deflecting the heat elsewhere.
I’m totally bummed right now :\
$- I don’t see how he would have received the financing for this project. Wang never explained this. He said we’ll deal with it when things get approved. Not a great response.
I don’t get i, teh election is less than one month away, if mcelroy gets in the project is approved. Maybe he is trying to force Murrays hand
Well Islander fans I hope this is only a bad dream my team I was rooting for 30+ years is leaving. We need this team it puts “LONG ISLAND” on the map in NHL. If this happens that means the early “CUPS” mean nothing. Somebody tell this is not going to happen.
New York Islanders 1972-2009 RIP
After spending millions of dollars researching and planning the thing a “source” inside the organization talks to the Long Island Press. No news conference? You have to be skeptical about this.
no fancy lighthouse renderings on the isles site anymore… just sayin’
Just today, Laikin of Newsday had an article about how all classifications of people on the Island broadly support the project. Just doesn’t make any sense. I think people are jumping on the fact that a few Lighthouse reps aren’t returning calls.
It could still fall through, but I don’t think it happened today.
To RC #31 - on the top right of the website, they have a “JUST SIGN IT!” logo for organized labor’s petition, with a logo of a laptop with Lighthouse wallpaper.
Let’s not go crazy. Not yet.
Wow. I hope he’s just playing Murray’s game.
its def a tactic you guys are so over the top. he wants the town to beg him to bring the project back to the town of hempstead. i wouldn’t worry just yet that the bags are packing in uniondale. if they do, hello queens. no way they leave the area.
I still think Wang should just pay Murray off to approve it. Money talks….right ?
How much money does wangster have to waste..f*** the TOH let them rot like the coliseum is.
Im being selfish but i would love this team in Queens, Id buy seasons tickets, not have to worry about having a couple beers at the game (thanks to mass transit), they would pick up more fans with easier access to games..lirr to bus to game sucks
The LIPress article is suddenly gone from the site.
If Wang called in the moving trucks tonight I wouldn’t blame him at this point. A handful of people have blocked for years what the majority of people want. Enough is enough. They need to be punished and seeing what happens to the area after the Isles leave will be that punishment. A shame because it hurts so many good folks and makes no sense.
Most areas would be wining and dining Wang to build his project in their area. They’d offer huge incentives to do so but not the big fat Town of Hempstead.
I do hope they don’t move to QUebec. We’d have that French Canadian influence that (no offense) I find annoying. I sure hope they’d also broadcast the games in English.
While the fans, county and state have done everything they can to work with the Isles the TOH has not and this is what happens. Remember this in NOVEMBER!
Kate Murray will win she is a tax cutter. They get the light house project done..Stay positive!!!
They speculated in that “LI Press” article that “Wang cant get financing for such a big project so hes using this as his excuse to bow out gracefully”…
I think thats ridiculous…He can finance it in sections Im sure
Newsday puts out a front page story about how LI as whole supports the project (after having very few positive things to say about the LP until now). The same day the Long Island Press leaks a story about how Wang pulled the plug…and said story is leaked at the end of the business day when LP officials won’t be around to answer questions. Just minutes ago Kristen McElroy posts the following on facebook: The Lighthouse is supported across all political parties and demographic groups. Isn’t Kate Murray supposed to be a representative of the people? I know, I am grasping at straws, but the whole thing seems a bit orchestrated, no? Could this whole thing be a power play?
Everyone, this LI Press article disappeared after being up for only like 20 minutes.
i did see that stumpy32 - i just thought there was a much larger lighthouse presence on the site previously.
If there is some truth to the LI Press report,we need some clarity. Is The LI version of the Lighthouse project being abandoned possibly finding a new landing spot in Queens,or is the entire idea being scrapped? If the latter is the case,in all likelihood Charles will sell his interest in the Franchise. Hopefully a local group will purchase the Isles and get a sweet deal from Queens County. No person alive would purchase the Isles and subject himself to the same losses Wang incurred in Nassau.
the only way a new group comes here, buys the isles and keeps the team here is if SMG is gone from the picture and the county pays up for renovations
I find it hard to believe this is over
Everyone needs to take a few steps back and relax. Some facts (both good and bad):
1. The only semi-organized opposition to this comes from Garden City residents. While relatively few in number, their general greater-than-average wealth gives them a voice that will be heard, if not completely listened to (sorry for ending a sentence with a preposition, by the way).
2. Labor groups like the LI Federation of Labor (with so-so influence) and business groups like the LI Association (more influence) are firmly behind it.
3. Newsday, which wields a considerable bully pulpit, is largely in favor. If their poll is accurate, so is a majority of LIers.
4. (Biggest issue and biggest obstacle): Except for Dorothy Goosby, the entire TOH Board is composed of nearly stereotypical Dad-served-in-WWII-and-then-bought-a-house-in-Levittown-and-I-grew-up-in-the-LI-of-the-1950s-and-wasn’t-it-a-magical-place kind of folks. To people of that era, “Long Island” can only mean single family houses and quiet neighborhoods where the kids can ride their bikes until Mom calls them in for dinner. The Hempstead Town Republican Party (and until about 9 years ago the Nassau County Republican Party also) built its power base on that kind of Long Island. With the County itself along with North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Long Beach, and Glen Cove largely Democratic, Hempstead Town is the GOP’s lasts remaining bastion of power. Anything like the Lighthouse, which promises denser housing and rental housing, means two things that are absolute anathema to the classic old-school Long Island Republican party - young people and brown people, a.k.a. Democratic leaning voters.
Throw all four of these conflicting issues into the mix, stir, and wait a few more months and we’ll see if we get the Lighthouse. We’ll see.
Ok C.B., you can’t just write this extremely vague post without having more details. I looked on libn.com and couldn’t find anything about it. Did a source on the paper tell you this? Where did they hear about it? Please follow up with more detail!
The article is on longislandpress dot com.
This S*** better not be true.
I hope that idiot Murray enjoys the end of her political career when she becomes the first politician in 51 years to lose a team in New York. Enjoy your last month in office. And enjoy all the money under the table too from special interests and shopping malls. Thanks for breaking the hearts of millions of fans and killing the only pro sports franchise Long Island ever related to.
I feel like I knew I was gonna get kicked in the groin, lied to myself it wasn’t gonna happen and then got kicked in the groin.
Article’s back. Probably just overloaded by thousands of us going to it at once.
Where’s Nick?? We need him to shed some light on this.
The article is still up on their site, though it takes awhile to load. I’m not convinced, and will be curious to see if anyone from the lighthouse gets back to their biggest supporter, CB.
No rick it WAS down- it said the article did not exist when you clicked on the link, I even performed a search more than once and the article was not there on the site. But it is back up now. For anyone who read it before it was down, was anything in the article changed?
derek, I think Nick will be just as baffled…
They have all officially beat me down…no more rallies, writing campaigns for me. These poor xcuses for elected servants don’t seem to care. And if that’s the case it is only because they know that the sheep of hempstead will ensure their re-election…there is nothing more we can do other than hope that those with a vote act. And that queens makes an amazing offer..because this act is a statement from Wang that he is disassociating himself from the island altogether.
He is flush with options right now from balsillie to quebec city to kc to portland…What a travesty.
nick’s looking into ti as we speak!
We’d all better inundate the TOH with calls and emails tommorrow.
I hope Wang and Bettman are working behind the scenes with Balsille to move the team to Canada.
Balsille has enough money to grease everyone and do things the right way rather than the coup he tried to pull off in the summer.
Please, Suffolk/Queens/Brooklyn…don’t let my team leave…
if this is true all Islander fans need to boycott TOH dont spend a dime there ,there is enough of us to screw with their bottom line kick emn right in their wallets and let that town become like 75% of it is already a seedy dump
I’ll still love the Brooklyn Islanders or the (Queens) New York Islanders, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lump in my throat right now… damn.
This Island is a Joke…Can’t wait to graduate and move
So if Wang doesn’t get this particular project apporved, they can still submit a smaller project that doesn’t cost $4 billion dollars.
Or he can wait until 2015, and then negotiate a lease with better terms for him and the team.
Poster 41, are you kidding me? I am a Republican in the TOH and I am voting against Murray. It’s time for her to go!!!She is acting like a far left Democrat.
Maybe this is part of Wang’s counter-game to damage Murray. She’ll turn around on the idea when she sees how it affects her votes. What does “Wang has given up” mean for fans? Are we going to see the Isles up for sale? Are we going to see them move?
If the Isles move to Canada, they cease to be the Isles. Negotiating with Balsillie is only going to end the Isles. None of the prior teams that moved exist in anything but a memory.
Sooooo, What are you tryin to say?
Can’t blame Wang. Kate already suckered him to pay her buddy consultants in Westchester over $500,000.
the original article was taken down
I never understood exactly who was going to pay for this project, and Wang never came out and said that taxes wouldn’t go up to pay for the Lighthouse.
Maybe Kate just thought the project would cost homeowners too much in the end.
I’m not ready to give up, but it’s time to start seriously thinking about Queens, Brooklyn and Suffolk now.
Typical obstructionism without any alternative solutions from a GOP pol. Kowtow to the wealthy few at the expense of the will of the masses.
Damn. There’s still hope I guess…
He’s doing it to cost her the election. She had her chance to play nice, she didn’t. Gonna be great to see her give her concession speech in November.
We all need to vote these arrogant people out of office! If you live in Hempstead, VOTE!!! If you dont, find a friend who does and tell them to VOTE!!! They are ignoring the very people they are supposed to serve, and they believe they can get away with it. this kind of bully-politics has to stop now! We are strong in numbers. We have the power to vote them out. Last gasp. No reason why we cant win.
78 I agree, WE have the power to change this in November, it’s just a matter of making sure Kate gets the boot.
The answer lies in QUEENS!
As of 7:29pm, the article is up, as a sub-heading. If you wait long enough for the site to load.
this explains my recent urge to curl up into the fetal position. should i start looking for devils stuff yet?
……I don’t know what to say, I think I’m going to cry.
I guess I’ll be a Blackhawks fan for good, now. They’ve always been my second team…
I won’t get too wound up about it until newsday mentions something
y does botta think murray is not getting reelected? if we all unite together and vote against her we will get mcelroy elected.
Good job,ny711ot #59!!! I agree with you entirely. Take a peek at #46!!! Perhaps this is gamesmanship on the part of Charles,although I highly doubt it. It could very well be those political lackeys in Hempstead already have plans announced for the 150 acres and had their palms greased as a result. I am sure another strip mall(No threat to Roosevelt Field or Garden City merchants) is just what the Doctor ordered for Uniondale and Nassau County in general!! After all,there should be plenty of customers with long hairless tails and narrow whiskered faces manning the tumbleweeds formerly known as Nassau Coliseum!!! I will never forget our father and son experiences at the Old Barn!! Love to all!!
Chris, When will you realize that Wang could not care less about the emotions of the fanbase unless they are mobilized to help him get what he wants? The Islanders and their fans never have been and never will be his primary concern. It is all about cutting his losses on a project that didn’t work. We (the fans) are some of the losses to be cut.
‘You do not toy with the emotions of your fanbase at this serious a level. You just do not.’
unless you’ve decided your fan base is no more.
or if you can’t get the thing done.
I was also shocked to see that Newsday poll showing barely half of LI’ers are behind the Lighthouse project. I would’ve thought many more would want it.
Maybe we are looking at this from too biased of a viewpoint, and should look at why half of LI does NOT want the Lighthouse project.
let’s get rush limbaugh in here.
what?
the man’s looking for a team.
Cannot believe this…
“Multiple calls and texts from this writer to LDC executives have not been returned.”
No news is bad news CB. Fasten your seatbelts, load up on Kleenex. This is gonna get painfully ugly.
Kerry, the other half was split 50/50, with a quarter of all respondents having no opinion.
This season tix holder will enjoy the isles while they are here. The TOH and all of long island politics deserves this. Long Island has the nost dysfunctional backward thinking government in the country. We have one thousand school districts and pay multi million dollars to redundant administrators because we are racists. (god forbid garden city kids and uniondale kids shared the same schools)thank god i grew up in NYC and wasn’t raised a sheltered brat like so many of today’s LI youth. Good Luck Mr. Wang. I hope the Island chokes on the concrete that was NVMC
i Seriously can’t wait for the day when I can care more abut the win/loss record rather then where I,ll be watching the games in 7 years.
Assuming those 25% are like the population at large–though they’re more likely to be FOR the Lighthouse seeing as they don’t have a reason to be against it (the opposition is usually smaller and more vocal), we’re looking at at LEAST 2/3 support.
and gee, there was a report this week about betman meeting with people from quebec about them getting a new team
OK..so this Rambles…sorry…just some Random thoughts..
Let me start by saying. I still love Long Island and the Islanders..
The website does not have the Lighthouse stuff on it anymore. They just reported this on NHL Center Ice Radio as fact, but who knows..
I Moved from Nassau to Phoenix 15 years ago because of stuff like this. (Yes our team has issues but it’s due to bad ownership).
The TOH is impossible to deal with..always has been. I hate to say it guys, but many of you have no idea how the rest of the country is..
It’s just kind of the culture there on the Island (no disrespect..) but the world kind of ends at Jersey for most Long islanders.
In Phoenix we have 10 Lighthouse style projects built and thriving. And believe me..it’s still suburbia out here. Everything is NEW, CLEAN. And when this resession ends, the jobs will come back here (and Vegas, Florida etc..)…Not the Island which is stuck in 1973.
C’mon Kate…You and your likes chased me and my whole family out of town. My Great Grandfather Built half the buildings on Jericho TurnPike in Mineola and NHP. NONE of us could afford to move back..
We had season Tickets From 1972 till 1990. I still follow the team on Center ice, buy the Jersey’s read the blogs..
I will do what I can to tell my few friends that are left on L.I. and in the TOH to REGISTER as a Voter and get this Kate out of there.
In the mean time I’ll enjoy My 2200 sq foot house with $1400.00 a year (not a month) in property taxes… comunity pool , tennis courts…shopping dining..(wow sounds like that crazy Lighthouse Project).
I’ll wait until the fat lady sings. She may be learning her lines right about now though.
#97
I just checked, the article is still on the LI Press website.
her ego is bigger than she is. time for her to go.
“… no idea how the rest of the country is..
It’s just kind of the culture there on the Island.”
culture?
or politics, “there” on LI.
Hope they get this right? Well, they don’t get things right often so that isn’t very good. Some closure sure would be nice though.
Look guys, oviously im not coming back
i went through losing a team here in Winnipeg, its not fun.
but how many millions could any of us STAND to lose? Wang has done more than enough to keep this franchise in New York and the TOH is willing to throw it all away.
I don’t think CB would post anything about it just to stir things up, it’s pretty sad. Enjoy them for whatever time you have left it’s been 15 years since i last saw an NHL game in my hometown.
fischler is talking about the story now
Muck Furry.
I cant wait to move off of LI if this is true. This project was bigger than the Isles and it would’ve revitalized the area. Queens understands this and Suffolk understands this. Everybody but a few residents and a few politicians understood this. Oh well, I hope the TOH rots.
If this is true, even if they stay in Queens, I’ll move off of this Island. It’s a joke they can’t get anything done. There is no future here for me.
#99
Phoenix sounds nice, if it wasn’t in the middle of a desert, I’d consider moving there.
This is really getting bad, I wish CB was in control of the lighthouse project because he would find a way to build it. LOL
Horrible, horrible news.
When do we, the fans, ever get any relief?
Our team is a laughing stock, we just can’t get a god damn break.
Let me Clarify -
The Islanders Site has a reduced LightHouse presence..
The LI Press site is overloaded..
My Comment about Long Island people not know what the rest of the country is like is based on a few friends who ask me to this day “What the hell is out in Arizona”.. Obviously, that is not everyone on LI..
Listen..I’m emotional right now. I was at the game on May 24th 1980 as a 5th grader.. Broke my hand after punching a wall as a 4th grader when we lost to the rangers in 1979..
So forgive me for saying some stupid things..
This was written in the article,
Wang bought the Islanders in 2000. Since first being proposed in 2003, the Lighthouse has undergone intense scrutiny from environmentalists and politicians, reaching a fever pitch in recent months with allegations that Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, Murray and former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato have all played key roles in stalling progress.
my question is when did Suozzi, or D’amato
(the man who convinced wang to buy the team because of the land surronding the coliseum) ever delay the process.
The article is full of speculative and incorrect information.
i want to throw up
ANd the slow and steady decay of the Village of Hempstead and the surrounding area continies….
theres a million things Id like to say, but ill go with… damn you Murray
y would wang pull the plug on this project after he has spent at least 10 million on it thats hard to believe if any one backs out its toh
Queens and the Willets Point option is not bad. Although I’d prefer they remain in Nassau, Queens and the link to the Mets, along with accessibility to that area, would do well for the Isles– I really believe that. I’ve seen complexes, like the one in Philly, where the Eagles, Flyers and Phils play, and it’s a fan’s dream come true.
billy,
the tkachuk/khabibulin jets?
i don’t accept yet that it’s over here for some reason.
i will oppose any other proposed development projects due to traffic and water concerns. I am so glad Wang did this. the TOH arrogant pieces of —- like Wang was doing them a favor with this project. D’Amato is a MAJOR VILLAIN in this too. He and the decrepit mondello pulled the strings in this. POX on their houses.
Honestly, is anyone really surprised? Outside of those of us reading this blog and a small handful of others, people consider the Islanders (at best) irrelevant and (at worst) a joke. The colosseum is empty every game (except when Rag$ fans show up) and has been for more than a decade. The NHL is not a popular sport and the Islanders are option 3 in the area for it… as much as I’d like to see the Islanders stay on LI, I’m not sure it make sense either.
John Caprise, I live on Long island and I hate it here…Its just a backwards way of thinking
Fyi - my Ranger fan friend just said that Sam Rosen mentioned this on the Ranger broadcast. Nothing extensive, just that Wang was abandoning the LH and that they were looking heavily into Queens.
Four Seasons, thats a misconception…There is green forest and wilderness the size of the state of Vermont within AZ..Its a beautiful place
I really think this might be true! It is how Wang rolls. He is a man of his word! Deadline came, it’s over. I think Wang feels it is someone else’s issue now. Long Island is an absolute disgrace!! These elected officials are a joke. There is no vision! That zoning meeting was a joke and it laid the groundwork for where we are now!!Sad,sad day!!
I’m sorry to hear this, but I can’t blame Wang. After all the BS, I’m not surprised that he would do this. I’d like to see the team stay on Long Island, and failing that, stay in the area. I guess we’ll see what happens.
i hope the sewage system overflows again at the colisium but this time dumping all the crap on the TOH!!!
The Rags are beating the kings and we are stressed about whether we’ll have a team anymore…I just verped
NVMC!! Can you say world’s biggest Flea market!!
and the laurie boschman jets were a real good team.
I am always disgusted when franchises move, from the Colts, Jets, Nordigues..so many fans are left behind, not to mention the jobs that are lost. I never imagined growing up that the Isles could ever move. I guess I’m lucky, I live in Chicago so I guess I could adopt the Blackhawks but I would never have the same connection to them as I do the Islanders.
Wang bought the team nine years ago and knew the revenue and expenses of it, and that was before any salary cap.
Now, suddenly, he’s shocked that the team is losing money? Now he’s running around complaining that he is losing money??
#129 yeah man!!!!! no way should he be complaining about losing hundreds of millions of dollars!!!
this is the 11th hour. we should know before the weekend what the story is.
It’s hard to believe it’s come to this….
victor laszlo, he bought the team with a promise to develop the area…Get that straight
To quote a line from Animal House:
Kate Murray, you are a p i g peeeeeeg !
I guess all of Kate’s supporters can go from the election booth to the unemployment line. Very short sighted.
That @#&*! Murray will forever go down as the person who drove the only major professional sports franchise off of long island. I hope what ever political motivation she has is worth it. Her legacy will be stamped in stone.
In addition, people with the ability to vote have the ability to make her pay for her stance. If CB is right, it doesn’t make any difference she will be re-elected in spite of this. And to that I say people voting in this election do not deserve to have this storied franchise grace their community if she is re-elected.
you can all sit around in the empty run-down parking lot that was the NVMC. Probably score some crack if you want. The area will further degrade and reduce the value of surrounding homes values and they will all deserve it.
If The Islanders move, there will be one less reason to stay on the Island for me. There are plenty of great beaches up and down the east coast.
Charles, please look into buying the land around the SoundTigers. Trump was going to overhaul all that land and turn it into a casino. Move there and the city of Bridgeport would welcome you with open arms. Its only a ferry ride for Islander fans and you could have your farm team close by. I would have no doubts that you can build the lighthouse project without any roadblocks.
Number 130..Frankly number 130, that is why Queens or Brooklyn makes more sense..
Corporations are leaving Long Island. However, an arena on the Long Island RR in Queens or Kings county IS NEW YORK CITY. NYC coorporate people could more easily entertain guests in their luxury boxes, and might be an easier sell than LI.
When the Dogers left Brooklyn in the 50’s. Brooklyn was at the begining of a slow decline at the time (much like the TOH has been for 30 years).
Now Broklyn is trendy..modernizing..
But a location in Queens on the subway and the LI RR would be ideal. I think there is a chance of that happening. Maybe Bloomberg would get involved..
#129
Wang bought the team while he still was at his company Computer Associates. He could afford a sports team that lost money while he was there because the team helped promote the company.
Now, he is no longer with that company, so the team isn’t as useful to him. That is why he’s more concerned about the money nowadays.
Wang to fans: Drop Dead!
Wang LOST NOTHING on the Islanders; he lost gambling on his pompously absurd “Lighthouse”.
And that’s all his purchase of the team ever was - a thinly veiled leveraged LAND GRAB!
Now sell this historic franchise to someone who wants to run a professional sports team, in NY!
If not, LI’ers need run that charlatan and his thieving cohorts outta town.
Bring back Spano!
the source and timing of this are both weird. imo, it’s a tactic to try to force a yes out of the toh. i take this with many grains of salt.
Is it posturing?
I will say this, if true, then why not just announce it. Why the silence? Something isn’t right here. Wouldn’t CW want to be at the front of the story? I’m done, this is why, and blame her? Why isn’t that happening?
Or why not deny it?
That is more disturbing.
time for the team to step up. we need another 2001-02 season.
#140 you do realize if wang didn’t buy this team the team wouldn’t be in new york right now anyway?
Hopefully Charles Wang decided to work with either Brooklyn or Queens if he pulled the plug in Lighthouse project.
Except not denting it may seem like a good idea to put pressure. I don’t know, none of us do… We’re all grasping and venting…. Ahhhh
#140 you need to read something about this once in awhile. He lost nothing? Are you kidding me? He has lost millions since he bought this team
You know absolutely nothing of what you are talking about
>>>> Its a scary thought and uncomfy time to many Islander fans right now
… I BEG and i MEAN “BEG BEG BEG BEG” anyone in polictics to watch the TV show on ESPN (30.30) its a hr long show that is a cross between sports and reporting/journalism and people culture..
.. They just did a story on the city of Baltimore and the Colts in 1984 (and the colts marching band lol) — Long story short it is DEVISTATING on a emotional and business level to lose your sports team!!! AGAIN GO WATCH THE ESPN SHOW ON THE COLTS AND YOU WILL SEE HOW THE HEART OF BALTIMORE WAS ‘RIPPED OUT”..
.. I BEG ANYONE + EVERYONE INVOLVED TO WATCH!!! Its a VERY POWERFULL AND MOVING 1 HR PROGRAM!! —- WAKE UP B4 ITS 2 LATE!!!!!!!
1. Kate Murray’s career unfortunately won’t be ruined by this.
2. Kate Murray is going to get re-elected.
3. This is way too sudden for it to be the absolute end… take a few deep breaths.
The biggest reason this Lighthouse Project has to go through is because Kate Murray really needs a fitness center to go to.
#140
But Wang bought the team knowing it lost millions every year. The fact that the team loses money is nothing new.
But now, nine years later, it is all Wang can talk about. Why didn’t he think about that before he bought the team??
I obviously want the team to stay put, but I’d rather have a team that I can be proud of even if they happen to reside in Brooklyn or Queens. All Wang was ever interested in was developing the land. He’s already been told he can begin renovations on the Coliseum. That’s not good enough for him. He’s a businessman first, who happens to own an NHL franchise as part of his portfolio. He bought the team with every intention of getting the land development rights. If anyone thinks his real interest is in the Islanders and not the land, then they’re as crazy as he is. He’s made the once proud franchise a laughingstock. Thanks for 8 years of mystery and misery Charles. Now pull the trigger and end all of our suffering.
#152 vl
he bought the team with the understanding that he would get to improve the arena and do this project in some form. He was flat out lied to and has lost so much because of this
Typical Republicans
“Politics-From Poli-meaning more than one and ticks-which are bloodsucking creatures.”-Kinky Friedman (Singer and former candidate for governor of Texas).
I think that it’s a ploy, right now. It may come to nothing. I don’t think that Charles would pull the plug this fast. He’s sunk too much into it to flush it all this quickly.
Bob you are so clueless it is scary, Wang is a native of New York and has done so much for this franchise that if it wasn’t for him the Islanders would have been gone a long time ago.
#152
He bought the team in 2000. The Lighthouse project wasn’t even created until 2003. He knew he was buying a team that lost millions every year.
He didn’t buy it with any “understanding” that he would get to do this project in some form. Who gave him that “understanding”, the people he bought the team from??
Wang bought the team thinking this farce would not drag on for years. Crazy right?
Im done with this, I am done with the Republicans, I am done with this whole drama and I am done with you so-called Islander fans that want to now throw Wang under the bus when you know very little about what is going on.
Thank you CB for this board, I will check in for updates
You are right 157, be bought the team so he could continually flush money down the toilet. That was his plan all along. To suffer hundreds of millions in losses and then walk away. Astute analysis.
Wang is going to QUEENS…mark my words…save this post…refer to it as often as you like. Its as simple as that. Personally, I am happy. I am a 41 year old fan who watched the glory years and the gory years…the fact that the TOH has done this to Wang is despicable. I for one applaud his pulling the plug on Kate MUrray and her BS career politicians. Now TOH can rot in the stench of a political mess and a huge void of tax dollars to fill. Lets see how Garden City enjoys watching their property tax grow. LEts see how they deal with all the union pressure of all the lost jobs.
Its a sad…but a new beginning. Queens will offer a state of the art development and no games. Good for Wang. Good for the Islanders.
Anybody watching the Coliseum to see if the moving vans get the team out at midnight like Bob and Jim Irsay did to Baltimore in their divisive move?
Unfortunately Murray is going to be re-elected. Personally I hope she is found with some political scandal with Garden City residents about this and has the book thrown at her. But one can dream.
All I have to say is if the team goes, there goes my last reason to stay on LI. Anyone like the name the Lancaster Midlanders? or the Amish Dutchman?
For those of you blaming Wang, you are naive and ill informed.
Blame the politicians who refused to give him CERTAINTY over the past 7 years or so.
Going back to the original title…..Wang made a whole shmeal on TV and newspaper that he was upset with KM and doesnt want info to be dragged out to the public…he wants to talk in private with ToH and wants the public to talk and think Hockey right now. So now nobody can get a story about whats going on and its right away bad news! Im thinking progress!
when they implode the coliseum, can we at least make sure that murray and milbury are inside?
not sure the strategy was but this story has legs..ploy? perhaps..legit? perhaps..time will tell..This has gone on long enough.
So the economics of sports and the Islanders in particular were lost on the billionaire? That’s absurd. If nothing else, Wang knows how to count.
The man who gave you years of Mad Mickey…
And buffoonish 10 - 15 yr. player contracts…
And the eerily fascistic ruling committee…
And the 45 day GM (Did Wang also invent
7-minute abs?) followed by the backup goalie without a day’s experience being GM GM…
Now proudly gives you the Hamilton Islanders!
You wanna thank Richey Rich for that legacy? Not me.
Bring back Spano!
Not much being posted on the report that Wang pulled the plug because the 3.5 B price tag could not find private money in this economy. This gave Wang cover to walk and put all the blame on Murray who certainly was never for the deal and did her best to sink it. In the days ahead the whole truth will come out. Best hope now is that Wang sells to a local guy or gal with the pocket book and the vision to come up with a business plan that will allow the Isles to stay here and prosper with a new arena.
#167 You lay out a specious argument that ignores the facts surrounding Wang’s purchase of the team.
i was at the game the other day and though i’ll miss the hockey, and the eventual cup that okposo and tavares will win us, i will not miss the god awful way that games are presented in that dilapidated sxxx hole on hempstead turnpike. what a farce.
Long Island: Only place where you can buy a hockey team for $175 million, and get a $4 billion land deal for free.
Oh, it didn’t work out that way? Ok, take your ball and go home. Thanks for playing.
Who’s next?
My last comment should have referred to #169 not #167.
Nothing ever goes right for this organization. I don’t even care whose fault it is anymore…how did the Islanders become such a friggin circus??
There ain’t much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain’t no island left for islanders like me
If McElroy gets in…I feel her first order of business will be signing the Lighthouse in without question as a thank you.
C’mon Brooklyn and/or Queens. Even if they’re out of LI, at least keep the ” New York” in New York Islanders. Can’t believe the TOH! I must have missed something??
Q
26- I was at the day game on Monday. All of the Lighthouse signage was still up on the outside of the arena like it has been for a while. Also, they played the Lighthouse video before the game started. I do not know who you were talking to, but they are wrong. Lets not cause a panic. We will see what happens. It just makes no sense for him to back out now when he has put so much money into it already from paying the Uniondale schools, paying researchers to solve traffic problems, the marketing, the planning, etc. I can go on and on, but I won’t. I hope this can get done. Lets go Islanders!
Queens is a viable option. Here are the facts:
Willets Point is a 65 Acre site across from CitiField. It is accesable by the LIRR, subway,& major highways. The infrastructure in and around the area has been upgraded for both CitiField and USTA activities. The area is already re-zoned for mixed-use development. The City already has acquired 70% of the land. The area just received a $1.5 Million Brownfield grant to start remediation of the land. The Master Plan for Willets Point includes a 400,000 Square Foot Convention Center which can easily be converted to a multi-use arena. The plans also call for hotels, restaurants, housing, retail & commercial space; all components of the Lighthouse project. Parking is available across the street at Citifield. The land can be ready and built by 2015.
Folks, this is the chance to keep the Islanders on Long Island (YES, Queens is on Long Island). Gert behind this effort. We wish Hempstead no ill will, but Queens welcomes the Islanders and the Lighthouse project. This can happen. Lord Stanley can return to Long Island; just a little further west.
113 John Caprise said:
Let me Clarify -Listen..I’m emotional right now
me too.
sorry, john.
I’m a season ticket holder and fan since 1972, and let me tell you: F%&# Kate Murray and the TOH, I’d rather them be in Queens next to Citi-Field. THAT WOULD BE BETTER, it would be perfect!
178 Why would you take a politician’s word?
# 181, Wang has withdrawn plans before after losing money.
Re #181, have you heard the expression throwing good money after bad? At some point it either gets green lit or Wang pulls the cord.
I don’t care if Kate Murrey and Santino win or not, I am voting against them. I have never voted in a TOH or Lynbrook election before but I will be voting against both.
Then again, maybe Charlie really doesn’t know how to count?
His former hand-picked COO and CEO of Computer Associates, Sanjay Kumar,(You remember, the guy Wang made co-owner of the Isles when he bought’em)is serving 12 years in federal prison for securities fraud and obstruction of justice.
The wretched stench around Wang isn’t just from the garbage he puts on the coliseum ice.
Bring back Spano!
# 158. Bob is right, Wang could care less about the islanders, but I still like him because he was committed to keeping them here, albeit, to make money developing the property.
“2. Kate Murray is going to get re-elected.”
that’ll be a fine boast to make.
what a legacy she’s headed for.
sheesh.
I want to move to the TOH just so I can vote agaisnt them. I’ve never felt stronger about anything political in my life
#158….Oh so naive. You make Wang’s side seem like a Cinderella story. He is a businessman and saw buying the Islanders as a short-term loss that would eventually lead to big profits based on him getting the development rights to the land. The problem is he didn’t think 8 or 9 years later, he’d still be at square one.
Bottom Line: Wang saved the Islanders.
No matter what happens, I personally will never blame him for what is going on today.
Kate Murray and her kind are simply despicable.
Maybe if possible that new russian owner of the new jersey nets can buy the islanders from wang and then have them both in brooklyn.Brooklyn would be in seventh heaven with 2 pro teams in a state of the art new facility.Bettman would not deny this nor would the other owners.Look I grow up on long island and grew up with the islanders.They are truly our only home team in long island but I care enough about the organization to let them go.In Brooklyn whether their owned by new ownership or wang, they will be supported a lot more and guys brooklyn or queens is not in another state.We will share our passion with new fans from brooklyn or queens and maybe just maybe between the true islanders fans and the new fans with a new facility will sell out home games.Wang could then spend more money on the team because he will maybe be making money and then this long curse can be lifted.Long islanders teamed up with brooklyn fans or Queens fans can support as well as those people from manhattan and compete not only on the ice but in revenue so we can get some high priced free agents too.This could be a blessing in disguise as long as they do not move out of state or worse country.
I have an idea?
Lets argue!
But seriously, who gives a sh*t. If they go to Brooklyn or Queens all problems will be solved.
If they go to Kansas City, I say we all go to opener in our islander jerseys
and black face paint (signifying death).
I also think they should be called the Kansas City Sioux, or they should get the rights to the Kansas City Scouts from NJD (if they retain the copyright and trademark)
Peter — #174 — nobody’s next.
What developer in their right mind would now seek to build anything at the Coliseum site? Or at least anything mildly interesting or visionary? Maybe we’ll get something as compelling as that lovely round of development around the old Roosevelt Raceway site, which the TOH trustees actually boast about. It’s awful! It’s box stores and chain restaurants and unwalkable. You think that sort of development is going to keep young people on Long Island?
There’s far more here than the Islanders. What this whole thing has made me realize is that the future of an area is not in the hands of the county. It’s in the hands of the town, because they control the zoning. And since the Republicans control two of the towns, they want it like it was 40 years ago. It will NEVER change. The people with vision will leave, and the senior citizens — who will make up a growing percentage of the population — will keep voting against the “sixth borough.” What an awful, awful future for Nassau.
#155..Are you for real? Who cares if Wang cares about the team…this isn’t a love story. He’s a businessman. He bought the Isles to HOPEFULLY make money and YES develop the area around the Coli. The Isles would remain an anchor there and make the guy more money. With the development and a new lease he could actually make some money and put a winning team on the ice eventually…which would make him even more money! GOOD FOR HIM THIS IS AMERICA! The net result would be OUR team still on LI!!
I guess you haven’t read the 9 billion responses as to why he CANNOT develop the Coliseum first!
Like someone above just said I will NEVER blame Wang if the Islanders move. They would be long gone if not for him. This is sad news though.
Quebec city Mayor Régis Labeaume and former Quebec Nordiques owner Marcel Aubut met Gary Bettman on friday night in NY. Labeaume would make an announcement tomorrow about the construction of a new coliseum for the possible arrival of an NHL team.
Political affiliation aside, all of you who live in the Town of Hempstead must go out and vote against Murray in the November election!
Post # 196 and #197…pretty much sums it all up beautifully.
Well done, thank you.
#196 JayK
The development around the old Roosevelt Raceway site is sold out. It has done very well.
The Lighthouse project is a huge giveaway to Wang. Have you read the lease? He gets to sell any of the buildings on the site except for the coliseum and to keep all of the money. The county would get nothing. That is FREE land.
Allow Wang to redevelop the Coliseum, then let him stick to making money on his hockey team.
Brooklyn and Queens was the kiss of death for the light house project, First off the islanders moving there is a pipe dream and it made the fan base apathetic about the project.
This is purely a case of Murray vs. Suozzi. He is a rising star on LI and they can’t let him have this notch in his belt.
is that kate murray masquerading as “bob” with comment #155? if that’s not kate, bob needs to do about a year’s worth of reading and figure out why everything he said is completely erroneous and ridiculous.
Wang has to tone down this ridiculous sized project.
why dont we move into the barclays center? i know the original plans didnt fit a hockey rink, but im sure they could work something out.
This is not just a hockey team. This is my religion and identity…and there are too many people toying with it. I have so many mixed emotions right now. Scared. Angry. Frustrated. Confused.
It is going to be a long night of tossing and turning. God forbid the Islanders leave us; I just don’t know what I’ll do.
now kate murray can finally use her goats to eat the weeds in the empty coliseum parking lot. vote her out of office now before nassau county has goats every where and they out number the few people who want to live here.
The islanders going to kansas city with their long history of great fans like the way they support the royals and quebec who already lost a team once is more realistic than Brooklyn or Queens.If someone puts up the money the B..S… that happened here from stopping the lighthouse will not happen there.
mcelroyin09@gmail.com
everyone do whatever it takes to help McElory win
as i have posted before, i work in the same office where many nassau campaigns are being run out of
today is legit
That development around the old raceway site is ridiculous!! When all of the wealthy senior citizens die in 10-20 years…nobody will be able to afford those places and nobody will want to retire there because there is no area attractions! Watch what it becomes!!!!!! The TOH does not look at anything long term! Now if the LH was built it might give people a reason to stay there!
And on and on it goes…..
Barney — 202 — have you been there recently? The old site of Home Depot Expo is empty. The Macaroni Grill site just got a new tenant, at what has to be rock bottom rent, because I know a bit about the new owner and we’re not talking deep pockets. The Meadowbrook Pointe site is not sold out. The Archstone apartments are going through a post-mold renovation. And still: it’s completely, 100% car dependent. It’s an abomination, a sign of everything wrong with how we develop things. You can’t walk anywhere, you can’t hang out anywhere…do you see anything over there that looks like the canal envisioned for the Lighthouse? It’s AWFUL.
Look at the source of the original article (LI Press). This looks like a 23rd hour PR tactic. Wouldn’t freak just yet until I read a good article/source that the LH is really finished. If it is so be it, I will feel bad for my family still living in the TOH, but realistically the Isles would be better off in NYC.
Wang to fans: Drop Dead!
Wang LOST NOTHING on the Islanders; he lost gambling on his pompously absurd “Lighthouse”.
And that’s all his purchase of the team ever was - a thinly veiled leveraged LAND GRAB!
Now sell this historic franchise to someone who wants to run a professional sports team, in NY!
If not, LI’ers need run that charlatan and his thieving cohorts outta town.
Bring back Spano!
And just who’s going to buy a team with the worst lease in sports, that plays in an obsolete arena that has no hope of being replaced or updated?
The answer: someone who can move it somewhere else, either in the NYC/LI area or elsewhere.
It would be sad to see them leave, but that’s apparently what the TOH rulers want. The only recourse is to vote her out of office next month.
Gary Bettman has already said the Isles won’t play at the Coliseum one minute longer than they’re legally obligated to
Well…10:20pm and still no word from Wang, etc…I swear, when hasn’t he totally bungled his PR. The bitter truth is that the Islanders and their fans have been caught between local politics and land developers for the better part of the past 20 years. Charles Wang bought the Islanders because he was given assurances by people like Tom Gulotta and Al D’Matto that he’d someday get the Hub development deal…In the meantime he kept the team afloat, but also kept it largely mediocre and embarrassing, on and off the ice. If he had fielded a winner, and packed the coliseum, I think he just might have a little more leverage, but he didn’t. At the end of the day the only “victims”, as usual, are the poor remaining fans of a once storied franchise. Such is life.
Thinking out loud! Now if Wang decides he has had enough, and it has been his money taking care of the up keep of NVMC, I would assume that he will not sink another dollar into this piece of garbage. I would figure that this will fall squarely back onto the County to use tax dollars to maintain a safe and clean facility, and since the County is broke, where will that money come from? I see Suozzi having to make some quick moves here. May lead to condeming that lease or condeming the building! I may be wrong but I believe Wang was doing it in good faith without a contract. This will get real ugly. I wouldn’t bet on that 5 year lease window that keeps the team here just yet!
Post 207, I am with you. Where do all the cup banners go if the Isles are relocated? No more Trots, Bobby Ny, Clark in our community. The non hockey fans have no idea what a loss this will be for Long Island and its economy. Lets go McElory!!!
Ok ….what if the LI PRESS source was someone in the TOH and simply made up the story to try and force Wang to call his bluff publicly to say he has no intentions of pulling the plug? Just a thought….its late…Im tired…Im hungry!
Bettman wants the sport to grew and that can not happen if the team moves.Hockey will lose die hard fans that they gained with the islanders.If the team is good and worth the money to see, the arena sells out simple as that.There are a lot of hockey fans on long island who are islander fans just cause the arena is empty does not mean we are not many.There is no way in hell I will ever be a ranger fan or kansas city whatever fan or quebec whatever fan and most islander fans I assume feel the same way.We will simply not support by watching or buying tickets to nhl games.Our money will go to the yankees or mets or knicks or the brooklyn nets.But if Bettman is smart he can increase the fan base by simply moving the team to brooklyn a highly populated dense area begging for a pro team. They still talk about the dodgers the old timers.Once they go see a game live and feel the atmosphere and catch a couple of hockey fights they will eat it up the sport and a new fan base is born while still keeping the old one.
It’s no wonder a young team plays like it did on Monday. How can they not with all of this negativity surrounding them. Who is at fault for it all? Wang, Murray, fan support. I don’t know but something has to be resolved. I’d much rather be talking hockey, good or bad! Please stay in NY.
It’s a game Wang is playing. We’ll see what happens, hopefully sooner than later.
Queens loves you. Queens wants you. Move to Queens, make more $ then you will in the Lighthouse, expand the fanbase & media exposure. Queens is such a better option then Nassau is at this point. heck, it was always a better option.
The fact is none of on Long Island, especially in Nassau County, any longer deserve this historic franchise. You are responsible for the filthy politicians you have elected. Wang, a Queens native, is bringing the team to a place they’ll be wanted!
It’s been over 6 hours since the report came from the Long Island Press and still no comment from Charles Wang and the Lighthouse Group. It’s been over 3 hours since CB has posted anything. Are we gonna go into tomorrow before any other news breaks. WHAT’S GOING ON HERE !!!!!
Long Islanders shouldn’t be bullied into a take it or leave it proposition.
“Either you take my $4 billion mega-mall deal, or I walk away.”
Bye, don’t let the door hit you in the…
Chris, can you give us some sort of update? Even an update that says there is no update would be much appreciated so that I can go to sleep and stop checking this website every 30 seconds. Thanks!
Goodbye-landers. there is nothing left to say.
232 - That meg billion dollar deal was the idea of the COUNTY, not WANG. Everyone’s upset right now but it’d be nice if people got their facts straight before spouting off.
Meet me at the Lighthouse -Newsday has an article
http://www.newsday.com/blogs/politics/spin-cycle-1.812042/silence-surrounds-lighthouse-project-1.1524185?print=true
Post 233-Barney, bullied, are you kidding me? You have a developer who wants to spend billions of non tax payer money in our town and county. Mr. Wang has been trying to get an answer from the stone age dopes of the TOH for years. Thats bullied? You Murray stooges from GC posting on this blog are a joke!!
Toast
Sorry, It should be post 232
The end of the lighthouse does not signify the end of islanders yet.So relax, ask yourself this question ,will you be less of an islander fan if they move to brooklyn or queens and I hope most fans would say no.So we will drive an extra 45 minutes or so and see the game at a new facility with new fans.They will still be long island team.So islander fans if the lighthouse fall thru we must all put our energy that was put in the lighthouse project and start a new fight to keep them in the nyc area and support however possible brooklyn and or queens politicians in getting our team.
I love how all the “phonies” come on here now bashing Wang after PB got so much press, they found out about this forum. Now they want to come on here and bash him like you see in in their election spots. You know where instead of saying what they can do for you they attack the person they are running against. You guys are making yourselves look even more foolish…
The two greatest Long Island Isles’ highlights I will have seen in my lifetime: David Volek and the OT winner in Pittsburgh and Sean Bates nailing the penalty shot against the Leafs. Wow. That’s a really depressing thought. I always dreamed that one day there would be a cup at the end of the rainbow.
I would never blame Wang. Just make this quick one way or the other for the sanity of the fan base. I can’t take much more of this. TOH and Murray are demons.
Brooklinders.
I have learned not to take media “news” seriously.
They will lie without any hesitation just to make
something “shocking”. What oficial answers you
expect at 7:30pm when everybody is at home with
their families?
I’m sure we all getting an answer tomorrow.
Politrix…
I feel the same way as #213, I don’t know what to think or do. I do know that if the islanders leave, there is no reason for me to stay on long island either, and I am deadly serious, not just being dramatic. I don’t want to live on long island without the islanders.
241- Its hard not to bash WANG when he cares nothi about the team itself..This could have been about a new facilty itself or even a scaled down versionof things, but he (as other developers do) has mega expectations, which given the seemingly ( and equally ridiculous)plitical if not economic climate going forward w/ financing ec..) will not come to fruition. That said, he has used us fas and the team as leverage to build his “dream while robbingus of ours!! Enough already, stop bluffing and sell ..Just give us good product to watch without petty ass nickle and dime 4th liners…Pathetic ! I will be an islander fan whereever they go …just go go get away from WANG a his silliness and “cheesy manuevering” !
Well…according to the Newsday article, even Suozzi can’t get anyone on the phone. That’s no good at all. If it’s all a ploy, it’s a truly bad one. If it’s a legitimate leak, it’s an amazingly, almost sadly stupid and rather pathetic one. Either way it completely sucks to be an Islanders fan right now…well it always more or less sucks…but this degree of suck…sucks.
This my friends is rock bottom.
Let’s stop bashing CW. 1) the Isles stunk & were mismanaged 10 years+ before CW got here. 2)There was no line of buyers when CW rescued the team in 2000 3) You can’t make a dime simply owning a team. So what if he wanted development rights. If it all worked out or if it does work out we get a new building, team stays and CW makes his $$ 4)This could be a ploy BUT read today’s WSJ about the billions investors have written off on the Stuy Town & Peter Cooper Village in NYC. Enormous pension funds & insurance co’s got burned. Who do you think was going to loan CW the $ he needs?
Let’s hope Bettman presses for Queens, Brooklyn or Suffolk. TOH will keep them only if CW will settle for a hotel, a few 8-10 story apts and an office tower. Might be too little for CW and too late from KM.
It’s hard but if we really want to keep this team in the metro area we fans need to suck it up for a few more years. Stay positive and be supportive. Yes CW isn’t perfect but I personally believe he wants a winner but was late in accepting the reality that given the circumstances building from within was the only way.
yeah well i hate to say this but if you look on the ny islanders website…the lighthouse links and advertisements are no longer there….that my friends…tells you something
“HAS NOT BEEN ABANDONED”
Boy, that sounds like they are really enthusiastic about it.
Not a “We are 100% behind the project.” or a “The Lighthouse project is now backed by over half of LI’ers’.”
Nope, just a little reminder that they haven’t forgotten about it yet.
@231 I just saw one as I checked the isles site so the ads are still up
Lighthouse links are still on Isles website at least on the bottom of the page.
#249
“You can’t make a dime simply owning a team. So what if he wanted development rights. If it all worked out or if it does work out we get a new building, team stays and CW makes his $$”
Stop being a shill for Wang. Read the lease. He gets all the land for FREE, and only has to commit to LI for 15 years.
And FYI, plenty of owners make plenty of dimes owning a sports team.
“meet me in the parking lot!” has a nice ring to it….
A source close to a bottle of Ripple, close to a source close to some gum stuck to the sole of Charles Wang’s left loafer has reported that the Planet Mars wants the Islanders, and that Alexei Yashin will be the new GM.
I support Wang 100% in anything he wants to do in terms of the Lighthouse project. But it is fairly evident that he bought the team with the intention of using the Islanders as a bargaining tool. The team was simply a pawn in the grand scheme of things. He got shut out of plainview, and he is getting shut out of the TOH. If we were not Islander fans, would we really show this much support for the project? Yes, jobs need to be created, affordable housing is key to preventing the continuation of the brain drain, but there are other projects going on around LI with affordable housing and smart growth involved. Why do we not support those projects? Wang knew if he got the team, he would instantly have thousands of supporters for his plan. Politics is ugly, this comes as no surprise, but Wang played the game just as the politicians did. Hopefully this can be resolved, or hopefully if the team does relocate it is to somewhere in Suffolk/Queens.
For the scrolling impaired:
http://www.newsday.com/blogs/politics/spin-cycle-1.812042/silence-surrounds-lighthouse-project-1.1524185?print=true
since the last day ron hextall wore the islanders uniform, the fans of this team have been taken on a roller coaster of immense proportions. i cannot name another sports franchise that has had so many uncertainties over a span of almost two full decades. sure, some teams move, but every once in a while this seems like a long, drawn out death. but that scenario is having my emotions getting the best of me….similar to the emotions i get when jeff tambellini doesnt show up on the score sheet in 4 games. it’s 11:45pm in the night. it’s time to take a deep breath…there’s still hope until the last minute.
#236 Kaszycki’s Krew
This comment has the link to the Newsday story.
this is crazy! Why cant someone from the Isles camp or Lighthouse Camp just come out and say something like “those rumors are not accurate” even something like that will make us all sleep a little better. THe fact that Wang, The Lighthouse Group or anyone can not get an official word scares me. Its not like they were in bed all night - they have to know the reports - you would think they would put out a statement to kill these rumors. Scary Stuff - fingers crossed for the best though!
Has to come to an end. Thanks for all you have done, Charles. The majority of us are backing you in whichever direction you choose to take.
This is truly getting out of hand. I 100% support Charles Wang and what he has to do. Business is business and he loves the Island. He will make sure his legacy is not losing the only pro sports team. Kate Murray will go down in history as the one who let the decrepit coliseum of champions rot into ruins and destroy uniondale. Sad. I have so many memories hitching down the pike to get to the NVMC to buy some nose bleed seats as a kid. Terrible.
Terry, why dont YOU read the lease. It’s a 99 yr ground lease for the 77 acres owned by the county @ $1.5 mil per year, plus maintenance costs on the coliseum will be picked up by the light house which currently costs the county another $1.5 mil. Net 3 million to the county without including any sales/income taxes, each year. Plus the lease commits Wang to 50 million to improve infrastructure. AND IT IS STILL OWNED BY THE COUNTY — HOW DOES THAT EQUATE TO WANG GETTING THE LAND FOR FREE!!!
But one person close to the developer who would not speak for the record — not Wang himself — told Newsday Wednesday night the project has not been abandoned.
???
wang is bluffing. from the newsday article:
“But one person close to the developer who would not speak for the record — not Wang himself — told Newsday Wednesday night the project has not been abandoned.”
this bluff wont work.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Nothing is over until WE say it’s over.
Actually, I wish it WAS over on LI and NYI move to Queens/Brooklyn.
Hey 262, don’t speak for me, us or a majority. Wang has ruined NYI.
#264
Straight from Newsday. It’s a land give-away to Wang:
“Wang and Rechler would pay the county $50 million for traffic mitigation and $5 million for other projects. On top of that, they’ll pay the county $1.5 million a year, plus inflation, in rent. The developers would keep ticket sales, concessions and parking revenue and would pay for all maintenance.
They’d also have the right to buy much of the land they are leasing - except for the Coliseum itself - for $1. Wang and Rechler could also transfer or sell that non-Coliseum land, although they have to complete the renovation work.”
Sigh. All that tax revenue gone. To all of the ToH residents on the board who are yapping - no complaining allowed when your property taxes rise and you vote to re-elect a politician who was caught putting her father in a 6 figure fake job in the ToH government. It’s a sad day for both the Islanders and Long Island.
The Germans didnt bomb pearl harbor…the Japanese did…
what the hell is going on? we r all freaking out, nobody can get in touch with anyone, everyone is confused… its like a god damn nightmare. As a high school kid that has season tickets and that lives and dies by this team, this has been one of the toughest nights I’ve had in a long time.
OMG 273…Haven’t you seen Animal House?
274: let him go he is on a roll . . .
275-lol
Yes terry, $1. After spending $320 mil for a redone coliseum which the county will retain ownership of, and a 99 yr lease which nets the county $3 mil/year plus inflation, and the other $55 mil to the county you mentioned. so for the free price of $672 million he gets 77 acres less the acreage of the coliseum itself. A little over $8.7 million per acre for land that currently does nothing for the county, but it’s “free”.
275 LOL
273 You need to get out more, or at least rent some movies.
Regarding Ranger fans -
This is the one time I believe we are united. I don’t know of one REAL ranger fan who wants the Islanders to move. I hear this allot from Ranger fans that call in on Center Ice radio as well..
pretty ridiculous there has been no response at all.
#279…Educated Ranger fans will realize this is an opporunity to look like saviors by moving thier AHL team here. Islanders will look like we abandoned the area & they will implant themselves in the community. It has happened in almost every other city left for dead (including Hartford!)
#280,that would indeed be a disgusting scenario,but quite possible. Just as there are many Islanders fans who would follow them to Queens/Brooklyn,I have no doubt there exists a good number who would be mad as hell they abandoned Nassau County,even if warranted. The latter could conceivably become instant Isles haters using the Uniondale Wolfpack as their tool. UGGGH,what a thought!!!!
Hey Bob, #197, You should do a little research before spouting off from your unknowing mouth. The Islanders were and are still CW’s forst concern. Those of us who have an actual grasp on the real estate development end of this whole equation, know for a fact, that there are no monumental profits to be had in developing the property surrounding the coliseum. In fact, if they get everything they want and so richly deserve, CW will still be staring a loss of $200,000,000. dead in the face. These are numbers you will never understand because you dont have the real estate savvy to understand the concepts of entrepeneurial profit on a magnitude such as the LHP will produce. Educate yourself to avoid further instances of “open mouth, insert foot” !
Just remember: Murray was negotiating a reduction in size after approving everything and only subtly saying it wouldn’t work in it’s entirety (too much on too little land 41 buildings is).
Wang wouldn’t speak but instead blows up in the press or only speaks in audience included meetings save for a scant few times.
If he really wanted to know what it would take to pass….he couls ask and negotiate from there but the SEC criminal never operated like that before. A tyrant is always a tirant. His workers called him a bully, well, now he’s a hero to many for doing the same thing and giving us a loser year after year. I bet he gets a statue in his honor when he moves the team by this logic. And he never would fire Milbury. Milbury had to do it himself.
Number 280-, From a marketing and hockey perspective that might make sense…but even eduacted Ranger fans want a stron islander team and a rejuvinated rivalry. The Devil/Ranger Rivalry is nothing compared to NYI/NYR. It runs way deeper and can be great again.
Number 281+, see my first post (100). You might be one of those people I am talking about…You mean you wouldn’t support the NY ISLANDERS if they were a little further away in Queens? And you think there are others like you? LAME! But it’s probably addition by subtraction if that happens..
Anyone who thinks that Dosen’t deserve to be a fan of the NY ISLANDERS…see ya.
THE WORLD DOSEN”T END AT THE NASSAU/Queens COUNTY LINE ! Since I was born I took the ride to Queens to see the Mets. What’s the big deal? I hope the stay on the Island. I would even think about moving back if there was something affordable at the Lighthouse to live…
Hey,John,#284,where did I say I WOULDN’T support the Queens County or Brooklyn Isles?? I simply stated there probably are a good number of LI Islanders fans who probably would be mad as hell at them and end up rooting for a Rangers AHL franchise should they call The Coliseum home.Why would you doubt that certain people just may value civil pride over a team that happens to play in their backyard? It just so happens I am not one of them!!! Read abit more carefully before assuming!! You should only be as loyal an Islanders fan as I am!!!! Perhaps you should MAN UP and apologize.