Islander News Articles 1/16: Lighthouse Related

New York Islander Fan Central | 1/15/2009 10:30:00 PM | | | | |
I may be the only one but the big news Thurday was Billy Jaffe telling everyone (or making a big mistake on air) training camp will not be in Eastern Canada when it's announced in a few months.

That means goodbye Moncton which means camp could be anywhere, hopefully it means New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
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The rest of this is a lot of noise to stir up the masses.

By the reaction you would think Mr Wang said he's selling or moving vs one exhibition game next September. I guess that's the idea as the focus goes in so many directions no one can think or remember anything with all the screaming.

Get the earmuffs ready and not just because it's cold outside.
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Newsday: Eden Laiken reports that representatives for team owner Charles Wang said yesterday there's no plan to move the team, which reportedly loses more than $20 million a year as history of the project was done with Lighthouse spokesman Paul Lancey's comments when you're building the next generation of suburbia, it's extensive.

Kate Murray had this which Mr Logan apparent missed:

"We met with the [Lighthouse group] as recently as last week," Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray said yesterday, and "they've expressed no interest in relocating.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
If Mr Wang or the people with him wanted to issue a threat here they apparently did not attempt to by their comments to this point. The comments speak for themselves from the key players.

Newsday: Greg Logan interviews Town of Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray who is not not particularly perturbed or concerned by an announcement of a game in Kansas City and says from the mouth of Mr. Wang that he isn't anywhere close to moving the team as she dismisses comparisons to these circumstances vs Pittsburgh a few years ago because of the scale of this project.

Ms Murray repeats a lot of what she told Newsday in November about offering to expedite a Coliseum renovation as a stand alone project and does not want the Islanders to leave but that will be a business decision by Mr. Wang and his associates that he makes for his own well-being. Lighthouse Development Group president Mike Picker explains their position and what has been done to expedite issues for the Town of Hempstead and is still hopeful of a July 2009 ground-breaking as he gave out some specifics.

General manager Garth Snow for his part described playing in KC as a "hockey operations decision," but it wouldn't happen without Mr Wang's approval and is
encouraged as part of his job to find ways to expand the fan base and describes this as consistent in the way he has scheduled preseason games in the past.

Newsday: Mark Herrmann on this day goes all over the place about how the Islanders should stay in Nassau County, what they mean to the community and what they have done for the Rangers? He does a lot of yelling about the politicians and what they should do about the Coliseum if they do not approve the Lighthouse to keep it viable for someone if Mr Wang does not wish to continue as owner while talking about this season being a poor one (he does not talk about injuries but that no Islanders are youngstars?) and that they cannot afford poor seasons like this as he goes through the litany of past decisions that did not work.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I guess Mr Herrmann wants the Islanders to sell off the kids via Mike Milbury to get the team winning/mediocre now instead of sticking to the on-ice plan? Who knew the young stars was the barometer for how well a youth movement is going on a team with two hundred sixty man games lost to injury?

That's a lot of ranting by Mr Herrman that goes basically nowhere but in a circle but that's the idea I guess.

Newsday: Katie Strang got a ton of fan reaction for the paper with some more noise that tells no one anything but keeps folks stirred up.

Kansas City Star: Randy Kovitz reports on the game in KC with fan reaction and notes the previous Kings-Blues game from last season and how that was setup.

Newsday: Anthony Rieber has an article
about KC reaction from officials and general reaction.

Daily News: Mr Botte has general manager Garth Snow's comments that he is not worried about perception of a game on KC and maintained the last few years, and even before he became GM, the team always played preseason games in different markets.

Mr Botte includes one person involved with what the Lighthouse project also contends that any potential power play by Mr Wang's business decision to get a nice appearance fee by playing the Los Angeles Kings in Kansas City next in September are not connected.

NY Post: Dan Martin's game coverage is mostly about the Lighthouse and includes most of what Garth Snow told Newsday and the Daily News that a KC game is only about playing a game in another market.

Point Blank: Mr Botta has his take on all this with his game recap.








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