dmann422 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) Newsday reporting wang will sell the team to john ledecky, former caps owner. Pending nhl approval. Edited August 19, 2014 by dmann422 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I guess now that they're sure to stay in the area, Wang decided to finally get out. I still think its obsurd that they're shoe-horning the Isles into Barclays though, that's a disaster waiting to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I guess now that they're sure to stay in the area, Wang decided to finally get out. I still think its obsurd that they're shoe-horning the Isles into Barclays though, that's a disaster waiting to happen. They don't really have much of a choice in the matter. Wang initially was going to finance a new arena with private money, although I suppose public funds would have been needed for infrastructure. At this point though, I can't see a new arena every being built in the area unless the Rangers and Knicks get kicked out of MSG. Without viable mass transit, you're really only going to see stuff like the circus when the Isles aren't playing. Overall though, I think Wang got a bad rap as an owner. He lost a lot of his own money, yet resisted the quick buck in selling to someone that would move the team. His biggest sins were getting to involved in certain personnel issues like the DePietro contract, and being too loyal to Snow. (He inherited Milbury). He was still committed to making it work even though the team was financial albatross. A lot better than some of the other owners in the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxm262 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I guess now that they're sure to stay in the area, Wang decided to finally get out. I still think its obsurd that they're shoe-horning the Isles into Barclays though, that's a disaster waiting to happen. The pictures from last year's pre-season game were telling. You could be sitting 2nd tier, center ice, and people's heads still block your view of 1/3 of the ice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmann422 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Overall though, I think Wang got a bad rap as an owner. He lost a lot of his own money, yet resisted the quick buck in selling to someone that would move the team. His biggest sins were getting to involved in certain personnel issues like the DePietro contract, and being too loyal to Snow. (He inherited Milbury). He was still committed to making it work even though the team was financial albatross. A lot better than some of the other owners in the league. I agree, the guy is very much like vanderbeek in that he loved the team (or more specifically, Long Island) the two differences were that vanderbeek got his arena built just before the recession hit (and still didn't manage to survive) and inherited one of the greatest GMs ever that he could just let be.Any other owner and I firmly believe the isles would have been out of Long Island a while ago. Wang finally settled for Brooklyn because it's the lesser if two evils, even if the arena isn't ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsfan118 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) No chance these guys move the team when they become majority owners, right?I mean, with the new arena it would be a nonsensical thing to do...? Edited August 19, 2014 by Devilsfan118 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck the Duck Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 They are banking on the increased revenue from corporate sponsorships and suite sales to make up for whatever they lose by way of attendance. Good luck to them with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 No chance these guys move the team when they become majority owners, right? I mean, with the new arena it would be a nonsensical thing to do...? Pretty sure they're locked into a long-term lease with Brooklyn, so I doubt they'll move out of the area anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevsMan84 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yeah I think the lease in Brooklyn is for 20-25 years. I'll be at the Brooklyn game next month and got better seats than last year. I hope this time I won't have to use my flashlight feature on my iphone to see the row and seat #s lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 They really need to do some work at Barclays to make it hockey friendly, too many sightlines are just completely unacceptable for hockey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ELIAS6 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 They really need to do some work at Barclays to make it hockey friendly, too many sightlines are just completely unacceptable for hockey. how much could they really change to fix that issue? they just built the place they arent going to make any major constructual changes to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 how much could they really change to fix that issue? they just built the place they arent going to make any major constructual changes to it well then you're going to have a lot of pissed off fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsfan118 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 well then you're going to have a lot of pissed off fans.This is going to sound really condescending, but.. Who cares? Isles fans have been accepting mediocrity for what feels like a decade now (probably more, depending on your mindset). They'll probably just accept this too and be forced to live with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 This is going to sound really condescending, but.. Who cares? Isles fans have been accepting mediocrity for what feels like a decade now (probably more, depending on your mindset). They'll probably just accept this too and be forced to live with it. But they haven't. Many have walked away from it (and had there kids grow up Rag fans) the rest rage against it. They don't accept mediocrity...it's just that not much has changed despite their pleas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 But they haven't. Many have walked away from it (and had there kids grow up Rag fans) the rest rage against it. They don't accept mediocrity...it's just that not much has changed despite their pleas. Exactly. What the hell are the fans supposed to do? Its not like they have any control over how the team is run. They could continue not buying tickets (the only way fans can express their anger and get any results), but that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I'm just surprised Prokhorov wasn't interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ELIAS6 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 well then you're going to have a lot of pissed off fans. to be honest if i was an islanders fan, i would just be glad to be getting out of that sh!t hole that they have been stuck in.. that place is such a dump its border line disgusting and i hate going there for anything.. im sure theyre happy to be gettting a nice new state of the art so to say type building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevsMan84 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 As someone who went to the pre-season game last year at Braclays I have to say I really do hope they do at least something to improve the sightlines. Any little bit will help. I was in the 2nd or 3rd to last row in one of the upper corners opposite the limited view side and I have to say it wasn't the greatest sightlines. The upper deck was steep but you still felt like you were quite a bit away from the ice and had the hardest time seeing play that happened along the boards nearest to me (one of the 200ft side boards, not the 80ft). Not only that but it was pitch black up there and had to use my iPhone flashlight to see the seat rows and numbers. Just anything would help, but I don't think the concourses can be improved. The Barclay's upper is narrower than the concourses MSG had pre-renovations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmann422 Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 As someone who went to the pre-season game last year at Braclays I have to say I really do hope they do at least something to improve the sightlines. Any little bit will help. I was in the 2nd or 3rd to last row in one of the upper corners opposite the limited view side and I have to say it wasn't the greatest sightlines. The upper deck was steep but you still felt like you were quite a bit away from the ice and had the hardest time seeing play that happened along the boards nearest to me (one of the 200ft side boards, not the 80ft). Not only that but it was pitch black up there and had to use my iPhone flashlight to see the seat rows and numbers. Just anything would help, but I don't think the concourses can be improved. The Barclay's upper is narrower than the concourses MSG had pre-renovations. I haven't been to Barclays but saw the many pictures posted, it looks like it really will be an issue, and not just in the one overhanging side (where you ridiculously can't even see a third of the ice) the seat arrangements just seem weird since they're all arranged to face a much smaller basketball court.All that being said, if I'm an isles fan in just happy they're still in the area, even if it is a longer train ride to Brooklyn. The added inconvenience and subpar arena are still much better than the alternative of the Quebec City islanders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevsMan84 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I haven't been to Barclays but saw the many pictures posted, it looks like it really will be an issue, and not just in the one overhanging side (where you ridiculously can't even see a third of the ice) the seat arrangements just seem weird since they're all arranged to face a much smaller basketball court. All that being said, if I'm an isles fan in just happy they're still in the area, even if it is a longer train ride to Brooklyn. The added inconvenience and subpar arena are still much better than the alternative of the Quebec City islanders. I mean the lower levels didn't seem to bad but the upper levels are a bit of an issue and that's not counting the limited view side. I wouldn't say the arena is subpar on the whole. I mean the place is ultra-modern and they utlize pretty much every square inch. The Prudential Center, while having far superior sightlines, have lots of dead space and looked already a little long in the tooth in some places 3 years in. I guess this is what happens when you have a tale of one owner having the will and means to build it while JVB certainly had the will but was a little lacking in the means on getting the arena done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Eco Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 They are banking on the increased revenue from corporate sponsorships and suite sales to make up for whatever they lose by way of attendance. Good luck to them with that. Sounds like a good idea to me. Don't underestimate how many local corporations/business are locked/pricked out of MSG. Similarly, there are companies that have corporate Yankees seats and there are companies that settle for the Mets. I have zero doubt that the Isles will get a huge boost from corporate sales, especially with all the companies that have opened up in Brooklyn the past 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Sounds like a good idea to me. Don't underestimate how many local corporations/business are locked/pricked out of MSG. Similarly, there are companies that have corporate Yankees seats and there are companies that settle for the Mets. I have zero doubt that the Isles will get a huge boost from corporate sales, especially with all the companies that have opened up in Brooklyn the past 5 years. Err, that will maybe come to pass if the Islanders become a really, really good team. As people have been noting, the place is just awkward for hockey. Also, anecdotally anyway, since the 2008 crash, companies are becoming less and less willing to spend big money for sports tickets. I'm not saying no companies will, but the area just has too many venues and clubs competing for even fewer corporate dollars. No matter how hip Brooklyn becomes, very few companies are going to spend big money to see the Islanders just for the sake of going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I've been to the Barclay's for a bunch of events including the game last year. Every time I've sat in the lower bowl it has been a great experience. That being said devsman is right about the upper bowl. I sat up there for a nets game and it was also extremely hard to see cause they barely had any lights on trying to get your seat and it was extremely steep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AEWHistory Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 The shame of all this is that if everyone was a bit more flexible there was a really neat solution to the Islanders problem that never really was given thought: moving them over into CT and give a rebirth to the Whalers. They'd have been able to keep much of their Isles fan base while adding the orphaned Hartford Whalers peeps. Sure, everyone wanted them to stay on LI, but that has only sorta happened and they've had to settle for a long term attachment to a mediocre arena instead of getting something really made for them (not to mention potentially combining two passionate fan bases). Maybe I'm off base but I think this would've been a good idea.... Owell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxm262 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 The shame of all this is that if everyone was a bit more flexible there was a really neat solution to the Islanders problem that never really was given thought: moving them over into CT and give a rebirth to the Whalers. They'd have been able to keep much of their Isles fan base while adding the orphaned Hartford Whalers peeps. Sure, everyone wanted them to stay on LI, but that has only sorta happened and they've had to settle for a long term attachment to a mediocre arena instead of getting something really made for them (not to mention potentially combining two passionate fan bases). Maybe I'm off base but I think this would've been a good idea.... Owell. Scratching my head on this logic. My Isle fan friends can take LIRR to Barclays Center right from work. Hartford, not so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.