The effort between the New York Islanders and Nassau County to keep the Islanders where they belong started back in 2003. Given the financial position of the County, the Islanders developed a plan to fund the transformation of the Coliseum. This plan, which came to be known as the Lighthouse, included additional development necessary to fund the construction and other expense of a new home for the Islanders.
While we have not yet had the time to review the "new vision" just released by Supervisor Murray and the Town of Hempstead for the redevelopment of the Coliseum site, it does not appear to achieve the goals of the County and the developer. Without this, the Town of Hempstead’s "new vision" looks to be economically unviable for both the developer and owner of the site.
The full joint statement from the Lighthouse Development Group and Nassau County Exec. Ed Mangano, preserved here for posterity and the what-not.
almost 2 years ago
Dominik
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what did I say?
Pro forma. The new vision is simply the old vision of we want you to build the arena yourself but we don’t want no stinkin’ Queens in our backyard so you ain’t gettin’ no permit no how no way.
That hardly means Queens though
There is still a 3rd party in this, namely the County, and Wang might still prefer to work with them over the various suggested Wilpon marriage proposals and red tape that would come on that road. Particularly if he is as intent on Nassau as people say.
But since he’s not talking, we’ll just have to speculate as we wait…
Lighthouse Hockey: "A f#$%ing haven of reason compared to practically every other Islanders site." --TMC
but if all it took was the County's say so
we would not be where we are, would we? If Wang and Wilpon agreed to put an arena and a parking garage adjacent to Citifield, I don’t think there would be any significant red tape and I am sure that Bloomberg would do all in his power to eliminate what there was. See my Shinnecock piece linked in the fanshot. There is a very real possibility that the Shinnecock will NOT choose Lighthouse. If that happens, I expect Wang will get moving on Queens sooner rather than later. And my sources tell me that the Shinnecock are not likely to let the grass grow under their feet however they choose.
People may say I don't know what I am talking about
Fine. Show me an alternative that makes sense. Wang and Rechler are on record saying that Murray’s counter is unviable and Murray is on record saying she isn’t going to budge much if any. Doesn’t sound like there is a deal to be had there.
What then? Is Mangano going to build Wang an arena with taxpayer money? In this economic climate? That sounds not only like pigs flying, but pigs flying to Mars.
For a lot of reasons, this franchise needs to see light at the end of the tunnel and soon. I am not convinced that the legal action—I assume by the Foxwood people—has any merit. Even so, I am not sanguine about the Shinnecock gambit. I suspect that they will select a site that does not have a lot of controversy around it. And if that happens, I fail to see a realistic alternative to Queens.
What did you say? A lot of “this is exactly what is going to happen” type stuff- when you do not have the knowledge or inside perspective to make any such projections, let alone with the authority with which you always seem to post them.
Speculate, discuss, post reasons why you feel the way you do, but please BC- face it that your opinions are not facts. I hope you understand what I am telling you.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Jul 13, 2010 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
not what is, what is likely
Facts
A) As we all pretty well knew, Murray is not going to approve a deal that Wang considers viable for Lighthouse.
B) The proposed Shinnecock end run is far from the slam dunk that has been suggested. In fact, there is every reason to suspect that the Shinnecock will not want to get involved with a project as mired in controversy as Lighthouse.
C) Time waits for no one. It isn’t just that 2015 will be here before you know it (although it will). It is also the fact that the team is at a critical stage. We have lost at least one desirable FA because of the Lighthouse mess this year. How many in the past? How many in the future? And if the agents for our RFAs are not already putting bugs in Garth’s ears about Lighthouse and the future, they surely will soon. Can we afford to lose those RFAs?
No, I do not have a crystal ball. I did, however, learn how to connect the dots as a toddler. And that, unfortunately, was a very long time ago!
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
