The Nassau Coliseum is seen in Uniondale, New York, August 2, 2011. A proposal to finance a new hockey arena for the New York Islanders with $400 million of bonds was rejected by voters in Nassau County, New York, on Monday.SHANNON STAPLETON
Woe are the New York Islanders.
After losing game after game, season after season on the ice, the Isles lost big off it on Monday night, as Nassau County residents voted down a plan for a $350-million (all currency U.S.) arena deal in a referendum.
The vote was held in the middle of the summer, the first day of August, to give the team the best chance of winning, but even with a low turnout that included many Isles fans, the "no" side won with a 57-per-cent margin.
Desperate for a new building to replace the almost 40-year-old Nassau Coliseum, the Isles now face the prospect of having to look elsewhere for a new home.
"I have to tell you I'm disappointed and to put it very bluntly, I'm heartbroken," owner Charles Wang said. "I have to tell you it's a very emotional day for us."
"We will continue to work closely with the Islanders to explore whatever options still may be available in light of what obviously is not a positive development," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Our goal is for the team to remain on Long Island and we still hope that objective can be realized."
What happened?
In a wealthy county with a population of roughly 1.5 million people, only 155,000 cast votes on Monday, a small showing that was believed to benefit the Islanders' cause.
Despite support from fans, union groups and county executive Edward Mangano on the "yes" side, however, they lost by more than 20,000 votes - enough to be considered a landslide defeat.
Part of the problem is that, with issues in the U.S. economy, the desire among many residents to help pro sports teams build facilities is at an all-time low.
Another issue is the Islanders are now so far removed from their glory days in the early eighties that they have trouble drawing a crowd, either to their games or the voting booth. They finished dead last in the NHL in attendance last season and, according to Wang, are losing more than $20-million a season.
What's next?
It's becoming more and more unlikely that the Isles can stay in their long-time home on Long Island, although efforts on that front haven't been scrapped entirely.
The team still has a lease for another four seasons on the arena, something that Wang says he will honour as he attempts to find another solution.
The closer they get to 2015 without finding a way to gut and rebuild the Coliseum, however, the more likely it is the team will be playing elsewhere that fall.
A rebuilt arena was expected to keep the area's only pro sports franchise at its current location until at least 2045.
Where can they go?
The early talk is that, if there's a move, it would mean the team would stay in the New York metropolitan area.
Rumours have abounded in recent years that Brooklyn or Queens could take the Isles. Brooklyn is getting the most attention at the moment, as the new home of the New Jersey Nets, the Barclays Center, is scheduled to open in Sept., 2012, and the Nets and Islanders had previously shared Nassau Coliseum in the mid-1970s.
Brooklyn's new arena, however, wasn't built for hockey and can only accommodate roughly 14,500 fans for an NHL game, which would make it the smallest rink in the league.
One of the biggest benefits, however, from a move to another part of the region would be making the team more accessible, as getting to the Isles' current home from many parts of New York can be difficult.
"The Islanders belong in Brooklyn," borough president Marty Markotiz told the New York Post on Tuesday. "We've got lots of hockey fans, and since we're technically still on Long Island, they can call themselves the Brooklyn Islanders."
Other options for the team could be Quebec City or Kansas City, although those remain long shots as long as other options in and around New York City are viable. What is clear is that the team is closer to leaving Nassau County than ever before.