Long Island doesn’t want its Islanders…

You won’t see many NHL posts from me, but this one hits home.

Many years ago, I used to follow hockey. I even traded in a Mark Messier jersey that was a gift to me for an Islanders (fisherman logo) Jersey. Yes, for a jersey that lasted just one year. Did I forget to mention this was a signed Messier jersey? Yeah, I failed to realize that before the trade in. Stupid kid.

In any case, enough about me, let’s talk about the Islanders. Yesterday, Nassau county voted no (57% to 43%) to building a 400 million dollar arena to house their hometown team, the New York Islanders. The owner of the team, Charles Wang, was quoted as saying he was “heartbroken” about the results of the vote.

There are two sides to this, in my opinion. On one hand Nassau county taxes are some of the highest in the country, so you could understand why some residents wouldn’t want to pay. Hockey isn’t particularly popular, especially the Islanders. They have the lowest attendance in the NHL. On the other hand, building the arena would most definitely create more jobs, bring back a dilapidated town, and keep the only professional sports team on Long Island where it belongs. (Queens, and soon to be Brooklyn don’t count for this as they are technically not considered part of ‘Long Island’ even though they physically are. Let’s not get into this right this second…)

It is reported that it would’ve raised Nassau county resident’s taxes about $50-$60 a year. That is about $1-$1.15 a week. This doesn’t really seem like much to keep a professional sports team. On the other hand, the United States almost just defaulted. Like I said, there are always two sides.

On to my next thought. If the Islanders leave Nassau county after their lease expires at the Coliseum in 2015, where will they go? Some people are saying Kansas City. Others are saying Canada. I think it will be Brooklyn. The Barclays Center will be complete in a couple of years, just in time for the expiring lease at Nassau Coliseum. This will keep the revenue in New York, and technically create more jobs in the state. Having two professional teams in one venue means more employees. If this were to happen maybe, just maybe, Brooklynites would finally accept that they are actually located on Long Island. I’m not 100% sure if the Barclays Center can accommodate a hockey team (some sources say yes, and others say no), but I can’t imagine it being hard to add a rink, as they are in the process of constructing it as I write this.

So do you think they will play in Brooklyn? If not, then where? Let’s remember, the Islanders have shared an arena with the Nets before in the 70’s. It could happen again.