9/12/2012 10am (Europe time)....Sportky.com: Another Visnovsky interview, he does not know the results of his hearing yet.
I sent Visnovsky arbitrator, George Nicolau an e-mail asking if he can provide a date for his decision, his past work with the NHLPA could be a small factor, however both sides agreed, the resume inside/outside of sports is a mile long.
We know where Visnovsky stands per his words/agent. He wins he goes back to Anaheim, where he would apparently like to stay if management wants him. He loses he reports to the Isles happy per agent, Neil Sheehy.
Personally I'm indifferent leaning toward perhaps wanting back the second round pick more.
A thirty six year old player, coming off a six goal/twenty seven point season is simply not worth this much trouble.
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Updating my recent entry on how things project out now that we have reached past the 9/10 critical point, I did not see Donald Fehr playing the Quebec labor board card, but it just shows how bad things are if that's where he feels compelled to go instead of back to the bargaining table for a sport where franchise players receive a hundred million dollars (or more) front-loaded at this time, getting contracts over ten years where many of those contracts are not designed for the player to be active that long.
Fehr was part of a negotiation that cancelled it's season that was underway, and winning a system in baseball so broken it's not competitive for many teams beyond the check they receive from other corporate teams to this very day.
You can bet it's a big part of his playbook, nor will he accept what will be seen as losing.
Gary Bettman may well have to convince the corporate owners, no more front-loading, no more contracts above five years, he will have resistance from some but not the majority, he will not accept a losing deal.
The players will be unplugged more and more, the media is running along party/market lines with their spin/propaganda.
So far about the only thing I misjudged are the owners speaking out but it's early, plus if Bettman has major fines for them speaking that's a different twist from 2004-05.
Bottom line the owners deserve their criticism for spending hypocrisy, but what choice did Buffalo, Columbus, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Nashville and others have in joining the front-loaded club with most teams having to put out contracts over a hundred million or lose their franchise talent?
Buffalo a few years ago saw their team dismantled to front-loaded contracts in free agency, new owners (like Wang long ago) have their one initial wave of big spending which Terry Pegula did, and already is getting his Lighthouse Pegulaville after one year.
Those teams have no business front-loading, owners with a billion dollars will never get back revenue equal to a hundred million dollar contract for one player, plus that short term front-loaded payment could cripple a non-corporate ownership like Nashville, who has to match or lose their franchise defender to Ed Snider's Comcast/SMG/NBC Sports Network Flyers.
This league has no business having a market where Christian Ehrhoff/James Wisniewski are getting close to forty million dollars with most of their contracts front-loaded, or close to a hundred players receiving NTC/NVC in their contracts.
Yes, the players are entitled to get every dollar they can.
Charles Wang, like Montreal/Toronto never joined the front-loaded club, it would be folly for Wang to do so given unlike many of those above franchises that were handed new or modern taxpayer funded facilities in most cases, and still lose money.
Charles Wang's Neulion invested 160m to secure future Olympic rights recently here.
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James Dolan's Islander assigned beatwriter in their joke of a newspaper has not written one Islander player article since late July, but needs a vacation to where the laughingstock Post has more quotes unless it's Randi Marshall stirring the pot on arena developments to drive away as many people as possible.
If there is a deadline for Matt Martin to sign by Friday or his season is over? No one knows? Updates on players skating locally? Sorry, the Isles are not Cablevision's team.
Most other NHL papers are updating the players skating locally.
Last I looked hiring a full time beat writer or spin against the Knicks new competition cost money, that means Dolan's heavy hitter, Mark Herrmann, will surface often to remind everyone Dolan's basketball team runs this town.
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Funny, last I looked the NHL says there is plenty of time for the Islanders to come to an arena agreement as in three years (just like Pittsburgh) which goes beyond the term of Ed Mangano.
Even more funny Nassau County out of the Kate Murray/Frederick P. Clark Associates of Westchester playbook, has Mangano again going Westchester over anything that would generate local business for a law firm?
I guess only Wang/Rechler had to hire local for their project as a requirement plus Armand D'Amato.
Does Ed Mangano wish to tell the public my administration is bringing in another team to replace the New York Islanders if they do not make a commitment to stay by x date, which would be an all time first for professional sports in the modern era, and a new low for Nassau County?
The same Manhattan media that had nothing but double-standards on the referendum while other local teams got taxpayer money will have no problem with it.
Bottom line Charles Wang does not have to say one word or announce anything until his leases expires in 2015, his control of the Marriott site gives him permanent stake on that property with the connecting Coliseum abatement regardless what Mangano or his successor decides.
Projection/Guesswork?
Could be right or wrong here, but here goes on who becomes replacement Master Developer for Charles Wang/Scott Rechler at the Nassau Hub.
When the RFQ/Master Developer is announced whatever Hofstra President, Stuart Rabionwicz wants will be selected.
Rabinowicz is co-chair of Democrat Andrew Cuomo's funding committee, who all have huge ties to Sterling equities aka Fred Wilpon, who helped settle their Madoff lawsuit issues.
Former Governor, Mario Cuomo, was pictured celebrating with Fred Wilpon at the time in the street after the settlement.
If Syosset developer Ed Blumenfeld, of the Blumenfeld Development Group has any future chance (not now supposedly) of Sterling Equities aka Mets involvement vs anyone enthusiastic about the New York Islanders (not a popular thing in terms of Nassau/TOH) that's the way I see things breaking ultimately.
Rabinowicz clearly was very enthusiastic about the Blumenfeld/Sterling Equities/Mets (University Town proposal) in 2005 to the point he sent Tom Suozzi a letter this blog referenced, he has made clear he wants things built at the HUB site that would benefit his university.
The Sterling Equities/Mets have their own Lighthouse plan in Flushing right now so Blumenfeld by himself may not be as attractive a current proposal.
Where did Ed Mangano have his campaign fundraiser on 7/24/12? At the Citi Field hospitality suite of Saul Katz, one of the New York Mets owners.
Rabinowicz had his three day Met's 50th anniversary tribute in April, Isles got nothing from Hofstra for their 40th.
Feel free to tell me I'm wrong, but expect Ed Blumenfeld to be named Master Developer of the Nassau Hub site when it's ultimately announced unless he's really not qualified by himself.
This is Rabinowicz chance to get what he wanted in 2005.
Updated:
The Isles opened a the pro shop, and thought for sure the person in the image was Ed Mangano, but kind of thought, no chance because the teams website would have written that in the update.
Turns out that was Ed Mangano here at his first Islander-event since the referendum defeat.
Color me shocked, now he's got to attend some games.
