Updated:
Newsday: Neil Best also had a few words on his resignation, how hard he worked for the franchise and how tough it is being in media relations.
Newsday: Steve Zipay also received an e-mail from Jiggs McDonald praising Mr Botta for his great years of service to the Islanders.
NYI Fan Central Comments:
I have never met Mr Botta but have followed his work for this franchise back to the eighties and how he gave everything he had and more. It's a very sad day for me and a huge loss to the NHL, the local hockey media and of course the New York Islander family. Back in the late 90's we spoke by telephone for about a half hour about some things. He never attempted to sell me a ticket, was a gracious man, a class act and I came away with a lot of respect for him.
Mr Botta was one of the biggest reasons I offered my blog to the team for the blog box. I knew how hard he worked for the fans and fought for media coverage, I wanted to do something that perhaps could help?
As a member of the Islanders new blog box which Mr Botta created he was always fantastic with his praise for my efforts here, it's been a first class experience and I cannot thank him enough for his generosity.
I remember several years ago he brought a disabled woman to a game and has always gone above and beyond even in the worst of times as the latest owners would say one thing, do another and he would be stuck with the fallout as they went AWOL. He always would tell us what's happening and keep reaching out to the fans. My guess is few in the NHL in his position had to do what he did to get the teams message out.
Mr Botta's did a great job for the New York Islanders, this fan will miss him a lot and wishes him nothing but the best.
