The rumors of
the Isles and Belmont have heated up a lot lately. According to
Jim Baumbach yesterday, “The Islanders’ proposal to build a new arena at
Belmont Park was selected as the winning bid, according to people familiar with
the situation.” Isles social media exploded in a bevy of excitement, “what ifs”
and “finallys.” After a news conference was scheduled, an announcement was set
at the race track around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, it definitely got the attention
of Islanders Country. Even N.Y Governor, Andrew Cuomo was slated to be in
attendance. The hard work and commitment of John Ledecky, Scott Malkin
continued the efforts of Charles Wang and the Isles are finally on the road to
stability and true free agent lure. Even more so than their then, life preserving
move to Brooklyn. Billy Joel, John Tavares and Cal Clutterbuck are expected to attend as well.
It’s now
official with the official press conference scheduled for 11 am today. So Jim
Baumbach tweeted the letter of approval from the Empire State Development to ‘NYAP’
or the New York Arena Partners to redevelop the 43 acres detailed in the
proposal. “NYAP proposes to build a mixed-use entertainment complex that will
include an approximately 60,000-square foot, 18,000-seat multi-use arena that
will be home to the New York Islanders; a 435,000-square foot retail, dining
and entertainment village; a 193,000-square foot hotel; and 10,000 square feet
of offices and parking (see Proposed Site Plan attached). The proposed project
and any contractual documentation remain subject to all public approval
processes as required by law, including but not limited to review by the ESD
Directors.” It should also be noted that there is a group of residents trying to
file a lawsuit to challenge the project.
Per Jim
Baumbach, “State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), who co-hosted a hearing on
the dueling proposals last week, said the development would benefit Elmont,
Floral Park and the communities surrounding Belmont Park … Governor Cuomo, my
colleagues in government, and I have worked very hard to make the best use out
of Belmont,” Kaminsky said in a statement. “I believe that tomorrow’s
announcement will benefit Long Island and the surrounding communities.”
“Nassau County
Executive-elect Laura Curran, a Democrat who takes office Jan. 1, said she was
“excited to finally welcome the Islanders home to Nassau County, and I’d like
to thank Governor Cuomo for helping make that possible.”
We Know John
Ledecky has said the Isles will finish their obligation at the Barclays Center
next season, but with the time crunch necessary to build a new facility, would
that be enough time? Probably not. Per Baumbach, “The team is currently negotiating
with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which operates Barclays Center and
Nassau Coliseum, on amending their lease. The window for those negotiations,
according to their lease, closes on Jan. 1 and both sides have until Jan. 30 to
formally deliver “opt-out” notices, a formality at this point.” But wait,
that’s not all. Russ Cohen (@sportsology) told NHL radio the Islanders would be
allowed to play at the 13,900 seat, $160M renovated NVMC as a bridge deal for a
year while the new arena is constructed. What are your thoughts?
But in order
for this whole endeavor to be a true success, the complete destination package
needs to exist around the new $1 Billion dollar Islanders-centric complex. More infrastructure
around roadways and railways will need to be tweaked to make the transition
more seamless. A new rail station was said to be in the plans, but the costs
could cause a problem. In a Newsday editorial, the possibilities for profit are
there, but it won’t be easy.
“…Belmont’s
little-used LIRR station is on a short spur off the Main Line — one track in
each direction. The station got an upgrade two years ago, after it couldn’t
handle the prior year’s crowds, but it likely will need work, too. And it’s at
a congested spot between Queens Village and Bellerose. Although there are four
Main Line tracks, the spur only feeds into the southernmost, eastbound track.
For trains to head west, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will have to
find slots between existing Main Line train traffic and likely build new track
infrastructure. Even then, managing the train traffic will be complicated.
A full-time station is on the state’s radar screen and the MTA is willing to try, but it likely will be expensive. Public improvements such as these can be paid for through future property tax revenue from the development. And it’s possible that Genting New York LLC, which operates Aqueduct’s Resorts World and wants to use the expanse of land there to expand its casino and amenities, could play a role in funding Belmont’s needs.”
Failure at the
new “Stable” (Thanks Brian Nystrom of Real Islanders Fans) is not an option and
there is more at stake than just a new building for the Islanders. The
extension of John Tavares was said to partly based on the move and we all know
what a key piece of the future Tavares is to the Islanders. Will it be enough
for Tavares? Andy Graziano sums it up well. “Pretty simple as it stands
currently re: Tavares. Organizational ownership secure, practice rink five
minutes away, new building approved 15 miles away, cap space no issue, contract
length no issue...becomes all about how he feels about team's chances to win.”
New York State and
the Empire State Development group needed to buy into this process and despite
politics and lobbying, the success of the project is something many in local
and state government are counting on. “It’s a chance to add economic vitality
to what’s now asphalt, and to boost that entire Queens-Nassau border area with
a new Long Island Rail Road station that can become a public transit hub.” That
hub should bring business to the race track, shopping, restaurants and public
facilities for a long time to come. And best of all, it means the Islanders are
officially back on the Island and their hard work and results in the win column
are sure to help them gain status on the ice. Now all we need is for the
defense and especially the goaltending (Greiss, 2nd to last in 5v5
sv%) to get back on line. Last night’s let down against Detroit is proof
positive of that. The Isles are now last in gaa with dismal 3.50 goals per game
surrendered, last on the normally solid PK at 72.3% and have gone 3-6-1 in
their last 10 games. I am pretty confident in Weight’s leadership and the staff
will have to figure out what components need changing and what systems need
reorganizing.
Per Chris
Botta, “Congrats to #Isles
and their fans. Biggest day for the team in a generation. Ledecky and Malkin’s
wisest step was knowing they couldn’t do it alone. A collaboration with Wilpon,
Dolan, Leiweke, Azoff, Luukko and others - and deep connections to Cuomo - got
it done.” John Ledecky has been an approachable and visible man of the people
since taking over his part of the majority team ownership. Carol Schram of
Forbes magazine recalls when the shot was fired across the bow. “Islanders
owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky called Belmont their “singular focus” at a media luncheon in October, signaling their strong
commitment to bring their team back to a location less than 15 miles from its
old home at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.”
He has made the
rounds on the political side, the organizational side, made the trips to the
newest state-of-the-art arenas in the hockey world as part of his homework and
made himself available to Islanders fans on the train and around the concourse
to hear what they had to say and share his own story as a fan. I am sure all of
Isles Country feel as I do when I feel so fortunate to have a champion of the
cause push this organization to the next level and give it a serious chance to
become an elite franchise in the NHL. The pieces are almost all in place. Let’s
hope the organization can honor Al Arbour in the naming of the new Arena.
John Tavares
had this to say on the Belmont news “Great for organization, players, our
families but mostly our fans and fan-base. Much deserved, where identity is.
Won't determine or change anything at this point regarding my personal
situation.” Tavares is having a huge year with Lee and Bailey and the team
looks good, but do they look good enough for Tavares?
With Arena
future in hand, the all-important John Tavares watch continues, but one thing
is certain. We as fans once again deserve to celebrate the long enduring and
hard fought coming of age. The Islanders have a legitimate and permanent place
to build in their image and call home.
Thank you for
being among the faithful and keep that snarl. We are going to need it.
Isles Notes:
Per NHL Player
Safety, “Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under
the CBA, for spearing NY Islanders’ Scott Mayfield.”
