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Islanders Owner Commits to Brooklyn, Not to Coliseum, and to Full Budget for Hockey Ops

"Brooklyn is our home," and "if we need to be a cap-max team to compete for Stanley Cup, we will be."

By Dominik
Home improvement.
Home improvement.
Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Media and other guests were invited to a meet-and-greet luncheon with new New York Islanders co-owner Jonathan Ledecky in Manhattan Wednesday.

Among the highlights as reported by those who could attend were a commitment to Brooklyn and to be able to spend to the salary cap when necessary, a promise to continually improve the fan experience at Barclays Center, a distancing from the always shaky Ratner dream of playing six or so games per season in a renovated Nassau Coliseum, and the traditional owner pledge to let the hockey people run the hockey operations.

Yours truly was otherwise unavoidably detained (i.e. employed in other industries, alas), so here is a sampling of paraphrased quotes tweeted out by some of the reporters in attendance. Look for fuller coverage in Newsday, nhl.com, the Post, Daily News and others, surely.

On the Salary Cap, Owner Mingling

On Brooklyn: 'Our Home' (and Coliseum is not)

Let's get this out of the way: the ownership is committed to making it work in Brooklyn.

On that note, when it's your home, you make it so:

On Nassau, Bridgeport

As part of Barclays Center developer Bruce Ratner's hyping the Islanders' move from their longtime home and his dreams of developing a renovated Nassau Coliseum venue and property, he often alluded to having the Isles play preseason and even some regular season games back in their original home.

Mind you, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner have both said there was no such agreement (and strongly implied no such intention) to do so. Ledecky apparently indicated as much:

Furthermore, another side dream that won't seem to die...

Finally, a bit about acknowledging history this season, when the NHL celebrates its centennial:

Most of these things should not be too surprising to fans who have followed the team and news with a critical eye. If any of the above is somehow not a true reflection of their intentions, you weren't likely to hear about it through this venue.

However, it should really put to bed some of the long-running hopes (or fears) and rumors surrounding the incoming new ownership. They paid a pretty penny for this franchise, in the building and location where it is now. Part of that means growing the new revenue opportunities, and using that revenue to try to create an outstanding on-ice product.

They're in control now. Let's see what they do with their baby which we like to call our own.

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