Fans support Islanders in Lighthouse rally

August 5, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

They lined up one by one in front of Nassau Coliseum yesterday marching into the Town of Hempstead- filling up The John Crawford Adams Playhouse on the Hofstra campus in support of Charles Wang’s multi-billion dollar Lighthouse Project.

It began in the early hours extending past 3 PM as the Islanders held a successful rally in hopes of getting Mr. Wang’s proposed new arena approved. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended speaking up at the meeting about how important it is for the franchise to have a new building.

Many Islander fans along with plenty of media covered the planned event including Islander Point Blank’s own Chris Botta, who also made a great speech supporting the new arena. The former Isles’ PR man had plenty of coverage from the big day which hopefully will convince Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray to say yes on rebuilding the area and turning it into an Islanders’ paradise. Here’s part of what Botta had to say:

“I spent most of this decade inside the Islanders family and the last year outside it. My feelings have not changed: there is not an owner in the modern history of professional sports who has done more to keep a franchise afloat in his own backyard than Charles Wang.

“He returned the franchise to respectability, making the playoffs 4 of 5 years. But he knows that’s not enough. As Mike Bossy and Bob Nystrom showed us, there is only one champion at the end of the year. Everyone wishes for the team to win more – no one more than Mr. Wang. But ice hockey is a humbling sport. For 54 years, some really smart and successful people on 34th Street in Manhattan wished their hockey team had won more, too.

“Know this about Charles Wang: 1. He is the last New York Islanders owner standing. Count on it. And  2. Under his guidance, the Islanders can grow together and can be champions again.

Newsday’s own Greg Logan even had a detailed live blog of one of the most important days in Islander history. It featured this one-liner from the commish:

“Not very often I get an ovation like that,” the Long Island native cracked on receiving rare cheers.

In Dan Martin’s NY Post piece, Bettman added:

“I’m hopeful it’s a new era,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said yesterday after speaking at a Town of Hempstead Board Meeting on Hofstra’s campus in support of the Lighthouse Project, which would provide a refurbished Nassau Coliseum. “It appears that the project has more momentum than any other time that I can remember. And I certainly don’t want to contemplate the alternative.“

Wang has set a deadline of Oct.3. Hopefully, he’ll get approval and we won’t have to contemplate the alternatives like the club playing more than just one preseason game versus the Kings in Kansas City.

“We’re closer than we’ve ever been before,” Wang said. “But we’re not there yet.”

Since taking over as team owner in 2000, he’s lost in excess of $20 million-per-year just to keep the franchise afloat. According to official records, Wang’s lost close to $300 million after purchasing them for $170 million. You do the math.

The Islanders have played at The Coliseum since entering the league in 1972. It’s the third oldest NHL arena trailing only Mellon Arena,which is the home of the Pens for one more year and Madison Square Garden, which is under renovation where the Rangers and Knicks play. So, while the Penguins will have a new arena and the Blueshirts will play in a revamped MSG, the Isles remain under contract to SMG through 2015. Here’s a little more on why the franchise has struggled financially:

The reason the Islanders currently lose so much money – they’re $95.2 million in the red the past three years, McCarthy said - is because their lease with SMG, which manages the arena, does not entitle them to revenue from concessions and parking and the Coliseum has limited suite possibilities. Their lease expires in 2015.

There’s little doubt they can’t survive another five years playing in the old barn. With a fresh face in John Tavares to build around, it makes all the sense in the world for a new arena. Will Wang get his wish on the Lighthouse? It’s vital if the club is to stay in the metroarea.

As someone who has always appreciated the intense rivalry between the Islanders and Rangers, it would be a pity of they didn’t get a new building and wind up relocating. Something Bettman doesn’t want. We’d lose one of the better sports rivalries along with an entire fanbase who make Rangers-Isles what it is. Long Island deserves better.

We need the Islanders to stay put. Hopefully, yesterday’s staged rally was a huge step in the right direction.