Here’s the real problem with the Nassau Coliseum: even if the place sold out every seat every game, it still wouldn’t generate enough money for Wang to compete with many of the other teams in hockey. The building is antequated. It is burdened with a horrible lease. It has practically no luxury suites. The place is in the middle of nowhere and there is absolutely no corporate base to solicit corporate sponsors from to purchase the few luxury suites that are there. It’s just incapable of generating enough profit for Wang to keep the team competitive.

Factor in the truth that the building is half-empty on most nights and you can see how the arena is not sufficent. And yes, while the fans have stayed away because of the mediocre on-ice product over the past 15 years, lots of them also stay away because they don’t want to spend top dollar to watch a game in a dump with crappy amenities, no restaraunts and no frills.

First of all, you’re deliberately trying to make this all about attendance when attendance isn’t the problem that the Lighthouse is trying to solve. Financially speaking, the current situation is untenable, and there are only 2 options when you build an arena and can’t recoup the funds straight from it: taxpayers fund the arena, or you develop the land to raise money.

Your other false talking point is that the taxpayers are paying for the arena. Show me where it says that….oh, right, it doesn’t. The Lighthouse Project is meant to provide a situation where the taxpayers don’t have to cover the bill, except for selected infrastructure improvements, which every financial study ever done proves has a multiplier effect in economic activity.

And here we go again with the “We” – I love how you claim opinion polls don’t mean EXCREMENT just because you disagree with the results. Who’s this “We”? Is it the opposition that never topped 25% in any poll, and never topped 30% in any in-person meeting? (That was only the last one – support at most meetings ran over 90%). I’m not spinning; I was THERE. I talked to the people who showed up at these meetings, and I read emails that people send me, both for and against (running over 95% for, by the way). Where were you? Have you ever taken an active role in trying to get your voice out there, or are you just bitching on some blog?

I’ll say it again: I don’t care whether or not you personally support the project, but when you willingly deny facts and accuse us of spinning in the process, we have a big problem. Long Island is dying, and if you don’t want to propose some kind of reasonable alternative, and if you want to continue to look like a moron insisting that there’s no problem with the Nassau Coliseum at all, then you’re one of the biggest parts of the problem.

The arena is NOT the problem. No, its not the most modern, no it does not have tons of luxury suites, no the plumbing is not good, everyone knows that. But the fact remains, if a good team is put forth, the fans will come, regardless of luxury suites and mass transit. The building was sold out all those glory years when the team was winning consecutive cups, put a good team out there and you can play at Cantiague park and draw fans. The point is, no so-called “fair” surveys can change the fact that the residents do not want the lighthouse project as it was submitted. Some peole simply cannot accept that fact, and will spin it any which way they can. Polls and surveys don’t mean EXCREMENT. This town is bankrupt and full of corruption, our roads need to be fixed and there’s no money for it, we already have too many shopping malls, we don’t want high-rise buildings in our backyard. And that is the reality of the situation here, regardless of how you want to spin it. Tough shit. I guess the Isles have to move then. Bye bye.

Any thoughts on the Newsday article confirming talks between the Mets people and Wang??

I’ll happily be wrong for this type of result…especially if it leads to something. Above all, it finally explains the gone silent which we were hoping was productivity with Queens.

Also shows that Brooklyn talk and rumors were a complete feint that many ate up.

Wilpon, Wang talk about moving Islanders to Queens

Originally published: May 12, 2010 12:50 AM
Updated: May 12, 2010 2:09 AM
By KATIE STRANG caitlin.strang@newsday.com

QUOTE
Jeff Wilpon, the Mets’ chief operating officer, said Tuesday he has talked with Islanders owner Charles Wang about building an arena in Queens as a possible home for the hockey team.

Wilpon told Newsday in an exclusive interview that he has had recent discussions with Wang about relocating the team to a new Queens arena and also said that it remains a possibility that he could buy the team.

“I’ve had conversations with Charles,” Wilpon said by phone Tuesday, “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.

“We’ve had numerous discussions with Charles [Wang] and with Don Garber about soccer as well. We’ve been in touch, talking to Charles about what can be done synergistically with all of his technological [assets]. He likes the market here and they have all been positive conversations with him.”

According to the above link, Mets owner Jeff Wilpon claims that he has had recent discussions with Wang for a possible relocation to Queens. Perhaps Ken campbell did not strike with his NY Mets Rumor du Jour

I think the biggest factor for the Isles not being competitive is the arena. Ranked 3rd worst when polled by the league’s players. What top tier elite player would want to play for the team with that reputation? How can the Isles improve the onice product that way? Thusly, how would they draw more fans to games with the inferior product due to the inability to attract those top tier players?

That arguement has been settled a long time ago … but sometimes people need a refresher course. Great post Nick.

As soon as I read “according to a reliable source” … I tune out. I think CB has taught us die hards to ignore that by now. Thanks for putting the screws to that story.

The only one clinging here is you pal. I offered to take this offline via email, you chose to make an ass out of yourself citing innaccurate and false info.

League denials…which counter the so-called facts you tout, ran in Newsday and the NY Post. Botta spoke out against it as well. The only person here still holding on to this is you.

Name them

“We in the TOH”? I live in the TOH and you don’t speak for me. In fact, every unbiased opinion poll says that the supporters of the Lighthouse Project outnumber opponents by a margin of 2:1. If you consider a scaled-down version support goes to 2.5:1.

It’s really rich that you tell people that they need to “get past this” when you can’t get past one little bit of unassailable logic: the fact that you personally oppose the Lighthouse Project doesn’t mean jack for what the rest of your neighbors think.

More people than not have said they want everything the Lighthouse Project would offer. You have insisted numerous times on this board that the arena isn’t the problem; you’ve in fact said repeatedly that there is “nothing wrong” with Nassau Coliseum as it currently exists. That’s just ridiculous. The quality of the arena isn’t the only issue affecting ATTENDANCE, and I’d argue the lack of a mass transit connection is the biggest problem for those of us who live or work in NYC, but you’ve conveniently spun the issue out of the main problem: the New York Islanders cannot and will not survive if they continue to playing in Nassau Coliseum as it currently is. It doesn’t matter whether or not you like that; it’s fact.

IT’S NOT THE RINK THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

Why is this simple logical fact so LOST on all islanders fans?

We in the TofH do NOT want high rise buildings, we do NOT need MORE shopping malls, we do NOT want a casino, we do NOT want to pay for a millionaire sports team owner to bleed MORE cash from a floundering franchise. WE DO NOT!

Get past this, and maybe i’d listen to your other points with more validity. Until then…. this is just another BLOG, with OPINIONS, just like the ones you cite as being crap.