Unfinalized Sale Of New York Islanders Approved By NHL

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/30/2014 07:16:00 PM |


NYIFC Comments: The title is that ambiguous because it's the truth. Wang/Barroway was pushed back to 12/16/14 per court with no venue decided yet (announced today) so that could drag well into 2015. If Mr Barroway is awarded ownership of the team by a court, Ledecky-Malkin is not a legal sale and the league looks worse than Spano because they know this is currently a legal matter. All future press conferences/sale announcements in the possible near future mean absolutely nothing until Barroway vs Wang decided legally. Bettman/BOG should have waited until the question of who owns the team is officially decided by a court.

New York Notables

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/30/2014 10:40:00 AM |
The usual day to day injuries which are keeping players who on paper were regular defenders (Visnovsky, deHaan, Carkner) on a thin unit already are happening already.

What's going to happen if Hamonic get's one of his frequent concussions in the three games against Boston/New Jersey this week?

A lot of defenders on the prospect list, no answers.

And is anyone expecting Calvin deHaan or Lubomir Visnovsky not to struggle after all this time off without playing? (the same players who finished last season injured with Grabner off two concussions?)

This time the 2014-15 October schedule can frankly can end a season, and easily get a coach fired with a 3-7/2-8 start) before they go to the West coast in November this time.

The 2013-14 schedule was far easier as the club limped to five hundred that first month.

Up front the thirty million dollar center they signed (Grabovski) who's played nine career games as a winger has been skating as a winger at times because the coach wants Brock Nelson to play center or to put him with Tavares/Okposo.

No one gives a player thirty million dollars (after being bought out) to change positions.

Bottom line if you want Nelson to be a center (which is fine) don't sign Grabovski because those alternatives include Nelson/Nielsen/Strome becoming wingers with Cizikas or someone is traded.

Find a winger who will take thirty million dollars?  If you can't find one don't spend the money.

Center:
Tavares-four years.
Grabovski-five years.
Nelson-several years before UFA.
Nielsen-two years.
Strome-several years before UFA.
Cizikas-several years before UFA.
Part time drafted center Josh Bailey-four years before UFA.
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My advice is do not put a lot of stock in all ATO/PTO contracts or players placed on waivers.

Many Stockton players are now here also.

Being sent to Bridgeport until next week means being sent to a different part of Iceworks with Brent Thompson. A recall means going to a different part of the rink.

And these players are not skating in any games because none are scheduled. Some have been here for about three weeks and have played one game at best.

After the three games Snow/Capuano will make the real changes, and there will be a good three/four days of practices/chemistry with whoever is healthy. 

New York Makes First Roster Cuts

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/29/2014 12:13:00 PM |
Most of the players cut or released from their PTO are signed with Bridgeport for 2014-15.


Gallant accepted his qualifying offer 7/14/14

Michael Dal Colle Signs ELC With New York

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/28/2014 11:39:00 AM |

NYIFC Comments: I had a series of tweets on first round signings by NYI back to 2003 recently. Obviously Dal Colle signing in this time frame is management's trend. Brock Nelson (college) and Calvin deHaan (CHL) were not signed during their first NHL training camp. Ho-Sang's comparative to deHaan suggest he's signed at the end of this season. Alan Quine was also signed out of camp a year ago so Lukas Sutter/other 2014 picks could be signed.

J.P Parise Stage 4 Lung Cancer

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/28/2014 06:59:00 AM |


Pioneer Press has comments from the Islander legend as he's fighting lung cancer, a man who never smoked after 1973.

NYIFC Comments: 
Thoughts and prayers are with J.P Parise and his family, who's battled many health issues over the years.

Charles Wang Sells Long Island Marriott For 66 million

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/27/2014 06:12:00 PM | | |
Long Island Business News Reported 9/25/14 that the hotel was sold for 66.2 million.
Rechler sold his half-interest in the property to Wang at the end of 2009 after the pair’s Lighthouse mega-plan to redevelop the Coliseum’s 77-acre parking lot fizzled. RXR still gets $566,000 a year for the hotel’s ground lease, one of 18 ground leases the company bought from Nassau County for $37.5 million in 2011.
Wang’s firm, CBW Hotel, had been making interest-only loan payments on the Marriott’s mortgage until February 2013, when the payments stopped. The loan’s special servicer, C-III Asset Management, started the foreclosure process July 29, according to documents from Trepp, a Manhattan-based commercial mortgage analyst, which also confirmed the sale price to Starwood.
Earlier this month, the hotel’s new owner assumed the tax breaks that the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency had given to Wang and Rechler that expire in 2016. In exchange, Starwood pledged to retain the hotel’s 260 full-time and 72 part-time employees for the next two years, according to IDA documents.
NYIFC Comments: Part of owning the hotel included the walk of champions abatement. The hotel remaining open during Ratner's possible renovations could be an issue for them. Who's to say how this effects how the Islanders/Sound Tigers do business with the hotel or if using it was part of the purchase price. An AHL home team would likely make heavy use of the facility.

Interesting how the foreclosure made big headlines, not the sale? Either way Charles Wang is out of the hotel business at a loss from the 90 million purchase price in 2005. The hockey business is part of this article and the hotel was operating at a profit the last three years under Wang according to the documentation.  The value of the property itself declined for the lack of a development.

Note-Scott Malkin's name is in some articles where Starwood is mentioned, but not with any stake or affiliation with the company. Bruce Ratner & Current Msg CEO Tad Smith also have past fringe associations with this company.



New York's First Goal/Win In New York City

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/27/2014 08:44:00 AM |
Sorry folks, I know 3-1 record, but aside from some individual performances (Nelson, Johnson) I'm not seeing anyone step up here and force management to give them a spot. (credit to Pulock on his goal/Reinhart shot that led to a goal Wednesday)

They were dramatically outplayed against a team full of mediocre tryout players the final two periods on Friday, with a lot of defensive turnovers and some of our top offensive players skating in their third games in five days. Our team also had it's best defender Hamonic dressed.

The NYC media made it's cameo to take their obligatory shots at the Barclay's Center. Mr Yormark was honest about seating.

Thirteen days. A lot of time to find answers. If Garth Snow gave Grabovski thirty million dollars to change positions something is very wrong here in teams management. He's played every game of his career at center but nine of them, that's where he should play.

New York Notables

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/23/2014 08:11:00 AM | | | | | | | | |
Not much to write about hockey, double-header preseason games with a team getting on a plane that same morning are almost unheard of much less playing one of those games that afternoon.

The dominating double-header sweep of Ottawa on 9/29/13 ultimately proved nothing to close the 2013-14 preseason. Nice to win games, and no doubt Jack Skille finding an open net thanks to Cizikas, Colleberg, Nelson, Bailey, and Grabovski getting some goals sure do not hurt their confidence. 

I'm warming up to the idea of Josh Bailey (who was the playoff left wing with Tavares/Boyes) becoming the first line left wing but it has to be the final position change, who knows if it's a showcase or a one game thing? 

Blake Comeau was a nice kid who kept changing positions for Scott Gordon, he became a perimeter player who could not score. A year ago Bailey said he's fine playing anywhere, and that he could make the switch to the right wing. I wrote back then it's on him.

Bergenheim was asked to change positions he flat out said no.

History says you keep changing someone's position all you end up with is a confused player.
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So where does John Tavares not play the Nassau Coliseum or Barclay's center because the core players making the club will be placed together toward the end of the preseason?

Likely both, but if I'm coaching the Barclay's center ice is not where I want Tavares playing coming off a serious knee injury. 

There are about twenty players who did not travel Monday, who no doubt would like to dress for a game.  (Matt Martin)

After Friday there are three off days. 
Bridgeport has not announced an AHL preseason game.
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Peter Karmanos seems to agree with Charles Wang's way of selling, and is looking into a sale of the Hurricanes. His comments about Forbes not being credible were of course spot-on as to the value of franchises considering a member of their board is part of the group giving Wang substantially more.

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I read Wang's legal response to Barroway. So on one hand Barroway writes in his complaint he felt he had an agreement 3/10/14 but in another letter much later he acknowledges Wang does not have to sell him the team?

These are all Mr Barroway's own written words contradicting himself.
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So Bruce Ratner said in January 2014 he was submitting his zoning plan to the TOH shortly, and now he's waiting until the end of the year, knowing he said he needs IDA financing to do this project? 

Is he expecting Murray approval in less than seven months for anything?

Knowing Kate Murray's history, will she stall this long enough to force Ratner to walk away from the project which he could do at any time? If Murray wants Dolan's Msg plan, and his Newspaper creates a referendum-like circus to stall things that is exactly what will happen.

And Dolan/Msg did a fantastic job with the Los Angeles Forum.

Ratner a year ago put on a dazzling show for the legislature and got a 19-0 vote. He needed over a year to submit plans for a building permit for a bowling alley, restaurants that are only a small footprint around the Coliseum that should not be an issue in Murray's 2010 zoning?

He must have a clue about Kate Murray's history, why did he not have his plans ready for submission on the first day he could submit them so he could ride that support to easy zoning approval?

This is the man who is somehow going to get the NHL/Dolan in that order approve the New York Islanders having two home NHL facilities for regular season games, and somehow get Wang/successors to break the lease in Bridgeport?

Howard Saffan said his Sound Tigers claims were irresponsible at the time.  I have seen these long periods of silence/delays forever and not once has something worked out whether it be the Coliseum or the ownerships. It falls apart.

I don't know. Ratner's on Bloomberg News this week doing his video's talking football, finance. His pre-assembled housing units literally attached to Barclay's center is not only shutdown with lawsuits, but perhaps structurally flawed while it sits ten stories high?

The 2014-15 Season Begins For New York

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/17/2014 05:14:00 PM |
For better or worse it begins 9/18/14.

The first season since 2011-12 that will run on a normal schedule. There will be fewer exhausted teams playing backup goaltenders against the New York Islanders.

And of course our team will have more rest which means less five games in eight day stretches on the road where this team has been above par overall.

The best interviews are always in small town local papers, John Tavares made his thoughts clear on the team/himself.
It's not rocket science for Jack Capuano/coaches, the team gather's Thursday, by Sunday they get on a plane, then start playing games on Monday (twice) Wednesday, Friday.
Some players will stand out, others will not. Decisions will be made quickly. Some changes to accommodate roster limits must happen with players on one-way contracts. 
Feel free to throw it back at me Dolan allowed a live telecast from Barclay's. Of course a partnership that shows one preseason game in about twenty years (and only one) to me is not something anyone should be thankful for. Of course the television schedule by Msg reflects the truth.
Let's see how many games Mike Bossy actually does, who replaced Ken Daneyko.
Ok, now we start getting answers. My preference is we don't have those minor injuries that final week of camp that linger into January.

Minnesota Wild Co-Owner Phil Falcone May Also Purchase Stake in Islanders

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/15/2014 03:08:00 AM |
Note-Considering Josh Kosman's pathetic record on our teams business I debated even posting this here but he is a co-owner of an NHL team.  Falcone brings some baggage with his resume, not nearly as much as Craig Leipold as a taxpayer sponsored NHL owner.

Hopefully there are far more credible newspapers out of Minnesota to confirm any of this information. 


New York Islander Informal Skate Updates/Notables

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/05/2014 02:06:00 PM |
Regardless of what's announced (Trades/Ownership/Coliseum/Barclay's/Lawsuits/Preseason/Media/Whatever) it's time for a long break and to let the hockey/peripheral subjects play themselves out on/off the ice.

More than enough subjects have been addressed both here/twitter.

Eyes/ears open/keyboard closed.

Thank You.

On Paper At This Time---Another Losing Season For New York

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/04/2014 08:04:00 AM |
Anyone who follows a team long enough know the trends of their organization.

For example the trend/tradition here is the top draft picks are signed during camp, so we wait to see if Dal Colle, Ho-Sang sign an ELC very soon.  

As for 2014-15 sure the answers could be here, younger players progress, but not today/not on paper.

Games are not played on paper.

I write this knowing full well the team finished 17-5-2 in it's final 24 road games, with the same 55 points over the final 48 games in 2013 that was good enough to qualify for a playoff spot.

Also that they played without Tavares, Okposo, Visnovsky and many veterans and used every prospect in Bridgeport to fill out a lineup card in April 2014

9/7/13 Anything Can Happen, But Expect New York To Take Step Back Out Of Playoffs

Game Plan Creative/Tom O'Grady On "Tradition Has A New Home Campaign"

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/02/2014 01:14:00 PM | |
This was first announced back in March with Brett Yormark's comments. A little article/video on 9/2 to show Mr O'Grady. This company has a first class background. Past firms have ranged from Manhattan to Montauk which did win an award under Blumenfeld & Fleming.

chicagobusiness.com with better working link to video than twitter link.

NYIFC Comments: So teams relay a lot on their broadcast partners to tell the story for who they are as a franchise? You mean the broadcast partner who hides the New York Islanders product 24/7/365 on television/beyond the legal contract of having to show the games, and then uses it's pay-walled newspaper to spam their own team while giving our fans the bare minimum, then claiming they are mostly irrelevant? The partner who bid even for the Nassau Coliseum to showcase their own brand in their own Msg-Zone? Someone better have a little talk with Mr O'Grady because our partner will not be showing preseason from Barclay's (or anywhere) nor even allowing the people hired by our broadcast partner to mention it during telecasts as our fans discovered a year ago. Even YES Network did a video feature last year.

New York Islanders 2014 Hall Of Fame

New York Islander Fan Central | 9/01/2014 08:01:00 PM |