Voters in Nassau County have the chance to cast a ballot on whether $400 million in taxpayer money should go towards building a new arena to replace the aging Nassau Coliseum. Islanders owner Charles Wang, who has been begging and pleading for some help for years, even threatening to take the team to Queens, told reporters, "I vote ‘yes’ of course. It’s an opportunity to do something and start the process of rebuilding Long Island." However, in this depressed economy, some people are against rebuilding anythig. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg offered his two cents (25 cents?) on Mets COO Jeff Wilpon's revelation that he was talking to Islanders owner Charles Wang about relocating the hockey franchise to Queens: "I haven’t talked to the Wilpons yet. I will. I don’t know whether it’s just the owner or the team negotiating, using us as a negotiating ploy out on Long Island." The Mets did release a statement saying they spoke to the Isles and MLS "about building a sports/entertainment facility near Citi Field" but the NY Times reports, "Such a facility is not part of the city’s plan to redevelop the nearby 62-acre Willets Point industrial property." Yet. more ›

Could Queens become the next professional hockey destination? Newsday spoke with Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, who confirmed that he has spoken to Islanders owner Charles Wang about moving the franchise to Queens: "I've had conversations with Charles and we've talked about Queens. We'd like to be helpful and I think Queens is an option. We built Citi Field well under budget and on time. I have all my guys ready." more ›

According to the LI Press, Islanders owner Charles Wang has "abandoned" his billion-dollar plans for a new hockey arena in Hempstead called the Lighthouse. Last week, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said the hockey team would be welcome in Brooklyn, but the Atlantic Yards' Barclays Center isn't big enough to house a hockey rink... Now, word—via ESPN Radio— has it that the Isles have reached out to Queens to see if something can happen in Flushing! more ›

It was almost 30 years ago that the New York Islanders began their run of four-straight Stanley Cup victories. They had sprung up from scratch in 1972 and quickly supplanted their local rival, the New York Rangers, as the preeminent hockey team in the area. But the team, which is currently the worst in the NHL, hasn’t won a playoff series since 1993 and may be moving out of town in the near future. While he hasn’t explicitly said it, Charles Wang sent a message to the Town of Hempstead last week with the scheduling of an exhibition game in Kansas City: approve the Lighthouse Project or lose the Islanders. more ›

Could the Islanders really move from Long Island? That’s the conclusion Newsday draws from the announcement that the Islanders will play an exhibition game later this year in Kansas City. And, their thinking makes sense. Kansas City, rumored to be the next city to get an NHL team, recently built a new NHL-ready arena, something Islanders owner, Charles Wang, has been trying to build on Long Island since he bought the team. With his lighthouse project seemingly dead, Wang needs to create some options and this is a way to do that. Will it work? In this economy it is hard to see how a new stadium could be built, but maybe Wang’s message will spur politicians to act. more ›