Unless Ed Mangano agrees to let the team move, even walking away from the sub-lease will not free the club before 2015 without Nassau approval.
I will get ahead of myself and submit Ed Mangano and Kate Murray (who could not correctly remember Islanders Stanley Cups) cannot even spell the word Kovalchuk.
If he won the Stanley Cup in 2010-11, scored a hundred goals, and brought the Cup to Nassau and TOH, it would not mean a thing for the LH, those suggesting it would are kidding themselves or have a very short memory.
Our team has a much bigger problem right now, it's an old story, the perception game the media plays, complete with agenda's that influence outside media, potential free agents, and the fans.
This is not really being written in regards to Ilya Kovalchuk, he played here long enough for the Devils, he experienced what will happen already in terms of limited/negative hockey media.
The Devils, at least have the Newark Star-Ledger, some excellent hockey writes, and the team moved to it's mostly, Newark-financed arena.
No US based franchise has the problem that is the New York Islanders media in 2010-11, the coverage even back as an expansion team was far superior.
Virtually nothing positive, going negative as possible at every opportunity, lack of player features, the Long-Island label slapped on everything, which the team itself has badly misplayed through several ownerships that has provided the dwindling Manhattan hockey media a very easy out to save on coverage.
Anyone think the Washington Capitals in Landover for thirty years, were ever referred to as Landover Caps? Or the Detroit Pistons at Palace of Auburn Hills, ever written up as the Auburn Hills Pistons?
It's 34.2 miles from Auburn Hills to Joe Louis Arena in Michigan for those curious.
Think the Detroit Free Press/News is going to slap an Auburn Hills label on Pistons in terms of their perception, if or Wings relocate there and share that building?
Maybe in 80's when 3,000 people were lining up to win a car to attend games, not today, even with Wings playoff attendance issues.
Of course, we all know the comical media and league standards involving the two New Jersey football teams, who shared the same parking lot with the Devils and Nets for decades.
It's a nice little media fan club with absolutely no one on the New York Islanders side, not in Newsday or in the Manhattan papers.
Why would anyone want to come to a media, that will put a negative slant on practically anything because it's not a team that publication needs to sell in a positive light for their financial bottom line?
If a player on the New York Islanders does well then the game becomes, if they played in a different market, we have seen a career of this done to Martin Brodeur.
Meanwhile the same people asking these questions in print, control the game and create the perception in the first place.
This is the journalism landscape (insert free agent) will face here if he does sign.
If someone is up for the MVP or a league award, don't think for a second this is not a huge problem in negotiations because other players can have that bonus put in contract, expecting a fair shake in voting from writers, not here.
I dislike bringing attention even to professional media people with zero credibility in terms of being honest, who will write with virtually no recollection of past articles.
I'm only doing it now to once again demonstrate a clear double-standard/agenda or bias in reporting, whatever you want to call it because this is not honest journalism, and regardless of what team you are a fan of, deserve better.
NY Post: Larry Brooks for his 7/4 column claims maybe Kovalchuk is an attempt by Islanders to get free publicity/good will among the battered fan base, and makes it about the LH which is silly because Wang spend 130m dollars on UFA a decade ago, and was told he could not get a renovation in 2002 from Nassau.
Mr Brooks also writes today:
It would be different, if Kovalchuk goes to the Island, where he's likely to be lost even while commanding the spotlight.
Meanwhile on 1/14 he wrote something entirely different that acquiring Kovalchuk would give the Islanders a huge boost on the ice in their effort to make the playoffs, it would give them a marquee box office attraction and a presence in New York sports they currently do not have.
To write one thing on 1/14, then something entirely different on 7/4 is not credible journalism, it indicates an agenda beyond hockey, or someone doing a brutal job at the very least.
Meanwhile at Newsday we have the only man in North America telling the public to trust Glen Sather, who's paper sells a dump like Msg.
In the end, it's up to you to believe what you read.
I can only write for myself, I do not want positive spin, only fair, reasonable and consistent coverage based on how teams do and players perform.
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