Charles Wang Reacts to Islanders, Nassau Coliseum Referendum Defeat

even with weak turnout! i still believe they will stay in ny somewhere,simply because that is where most of there value lies. lets enjoy the next few years at least of jt,grabs,ko and co.

i just can’t help and think of all the times wang got screwed… like in every orifice

the money he lost… what like 230 million?
the promises that weren’t kept
the politics that derailed the lighthouse
the politics that derailed this

and yet there are still people that think he’s the bad guy

he’s gotta be thinking what more can i do?

I don’t know about you guys, but I am sick over this. Mangano now asking for RSP’s that don
t include an arena? This team is gone.

I was so looking forward to this season. Now? Now… I jut feel like “what’s the point?” I can imagine three more years of what? An NVMC that is empty… do you really think that anything short of a MAJOR playoff run will bring any fans to games, knowing that the team is gone? Do we think ANY free agents will sign here, knowing the situation is so up in the air? Do we think JT will sign here with no certainty? This is the end of the road.

If Wang was smart (and honestly, he isn’t) he would begin work immediately on a new project—the fanbase is demoralized. We need some sort of certainty. Don’t keep us sitting here waiting. If the team is gone, tell us. If you are going to stay, tell us. Just end this misery.

The simultanious breaking of Islander fans’ hearts!

I had a very very bad feeling about this when I heard from one of my vote Yes recruits early in the evening about the LIRR and the fact there were a lot of as he put it … “Old Timers” at the polls. He said that is never a good thing when you are asking people to spend money.

I really don’t have anything to add that others are not already feeling or have said … So I’ll wait to when I’m in a better mood … because it’s not always good to vent in anger and disappointment.

I’ll catch up with ya’s all later in the afternoon.

…for the season. I feel like there is no point caring anymore, when the team is just going to leave.

I just finished reading about 8 of well over 600 comments on this news story on ESPN (it’s all I could take) and seeing the ignorance of the commenters, many who I am sure saw this one story and based there decision. Also by there logic, the Blackhawks and Penguins and Boston should have been dissolved years ago, the Blues need to move as well as Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Los Angeles and realistically Edmonton should be forgotten as well. Really pathetic.
    Although I have been removed from Nassau for 12 years or so, currently out of country, I want to believe the best for the county which i grew up and believe that this is not a vote against the Islanders, but the county just telling the powers(?) that be to let Mr. Wang do as HE pleases, let him build his own arena, sell him the land(funny, I don’t think he will buy it at full value at htis point) and put up his own arena, let him pay his taxes and have the county more or less out of it. They will have essentially lost money but it won’t affect the residents wallet, There is still a chance to make this a win for the county, but I think full value is out of reach, the pols screwed the pooch big time. And as a previous commenter mentioned that he received 3 calls saying to vote NO, I understand from family in Nassau that this was the case all over. Two callers did not even state a specific group, just to Vote NO. Really sad, short sightedness(?). Anyway I retain faith that the team will be accessible in the area for a very long time and will see another cup for the franchise sooner than later, stay positive. Want to kick it to Nassau? Let Wilpon build them a facility and have everyone afraid to drive through Nassau as opposed to Queens. Let Queens reap the benefit, I lived in Queens for years and I loved it.

Good Luck, Stay Positive!!!

Very sad day for the Isles, but the people who should be disappointed are the Citizens of Nassau. The same people who voted no are the same waiters, waitresses, small business owners, etc. who will see their businesses and jobs close/leave when the Colesium closes (which if the Isles leave is inevidable). I grew up in Westchester as a big Isles fan (my mother is from LI), now that all her cousins (over 20) have left, and my grandparents generation has passed, why the heck would I EVER have a reason to go the Nassau (except to drive through to go to Montauk). It drives me up the wall with all these politicians saying Wang should pay, WELL THEN SELL HIM THE LAND!

The only way the Isles stay is they do that, and he can build what he wants, or by some miracle of GOD the win the Stanley Cup, and then to avoid embarrassment, the Politicians help something new get through (although Wang and Betteman have said Dec 2011 a decision needs to be made).

Queens is not the answer, the Wilpons are more broke than Nassau…..CAN ANYONE SAY BROOKLYN? NEW ARENA OPENING IN TIME (CAN STILL BE THE ISLES!)

Will start by saying that there was no way this was gonna pass. The voters have spoken. But a fair amount of Hofstra/Nassau/Adelphi students, that would likely vote yes, are away for the Summer. And as to vacationers, many are families with young children, and I believe more likely to vote yes.

Geez, 66,000 is 4 sellouts of the building. I realize our attendance is terrible, but are we really pulling from a pool of only 66k residents in Nassau?

So what happens now? I sat helplessly here in Pa. only to see failure. I agree with many of the previous post about Mr Wang getting it in the rear. He has shown how dedicated he is to making this team a success. Yes he is a business man and he wants to make money, but he’s a team owner that is liked by the fans. We’ve had our fair share of evil, self serving owners. And don’t get me started on the politics. Elected officials are supposed to speak for the people. Not push for their own personal agendas. I can only hope the team stays somewhere in the region. Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens maybe. Now that my kids have become NYI fans, I’d like to know there will be a place to take them for many years to come.

Well – Charles is it really over?
should the team really call a mover?

First Kate Murray said NO!
and now the voters say GO!

But I have an idea for a do over.

The deal you proposed was really great
even though the voters didn’t take the bait

Have the Banks deal directly with you
the money is there for a great coup

Then a private deal will be our new fate!

I could use a fake IPB headline to make me laugh

but i think it was unfair that the vote, and the entire decision was left up to nassau county. I know that it is the “nassau” coliseum and the burden would have been placed on nassau residents, but to me, that is where the initial problem was.. If anyone lives on long island they know that the coliseum is maybe 10 miles from the nassau/suffolk border. The crowd at islander games and coliseum events, I would imagine, is AT LEAST 20% suffolk county residents. I dont know if it would’ve been possible, but this vote should have been up to Long Island. I live about a mile from the border, and could not vote. The entire process, and now the result is just frustrating.