Why cant/wont the Islanders move to Brooklyn?

[aholbert32]

I'll admit that I know very little about Hockey but I was reading articles about the lockout and some notes about the struggles the Islanders are having in Long Island. Here are the facts as I know them:

- Brooklyn has a new arena.
- That arena is hosting hockey. The KHL is hosting a game there in January.
- The Islanders havent been able to secure a new arena.
- The Islanders old arena is a dump.
- Brooklyn's arena needs as many events as possible to help fund the building costs.

So why cant/wont they move to Brooklyn like the Nets?

[BunnyHardaway]

The arena wasn't designed for hockey, which makes the one end of the arena unusable because of poor/obstructed sightlines.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

I'll admit that I know very little about Hockey but I was reading articles about the lockout and some notes about the struggles the Islanders are having in Long Island. Here are the facts as I know them: - Brooklyn has a new arena. - That arena is hosting hockey. The KHL is hosting a game there in January. - The Islanders havent been able to secure a new arena. - The Islanders old arena is a dump. - Brooklyn's arena needs as many events as possible to help fund the building costs. So why cant/wont they move to Brooklyn like the Nets?

It may well happen in time. But there are significant obstacles:

- The Barclays Center was built by the Nets' owners for the specific purpose of playing there
- It was not built to be an NHL rink; without major renovations, maximum seating for NHL games is 14,500 (500 less than the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, by far the smallest rink in the NHL); gonna be difficult to make a profit unless you're charging far more for tix than the Rangers do (unlikely)
- The Islanders' lease at Nassau Coliseum doesn't expire until after the 2014-15 season, so the Isles ain't going anywhere for 3 years
- The Islanders' owner, Charles Wang, is very unlikely to move the team to another arena where he's a tenant; if he can't convince/blackmail Long Island into approving a new stadium/development deal, he's almost certainly going to sell
- Are the Nets' owners interested in buying the Islanders? Are they prepared to pay more than a group from Quebec City or Seattle or Toronto will?

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by JJLinn

The arena wasn't designed for hockey, which makes the one end of the arena unusable because of poor/obstructed sightlines.

Correct. And if anyone's wondering how Winnipeg can survive in a similarly small arena, it because a.) the team owns the arena, and b.) their fans are willing to pay insane prices for tickets.

2011/12 average ticket prices (in US dollars):

2. Jets - $98.27
8. Rangers - $66.20
20. Islanders - $49.06
22. Devils - $45.86

[gopher_guy]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

Correct. And if anyone's wondering how Winnipeg can survive in a similarly small arena, it because a.) the team owns the arena, and b.) their fans are willing to pay insane prices for tickets. 2011/12 average ticket prices (in US dollars): 2. Jets - $98.27 8. Rangers - $66.20 20. Islanders - $49.06 22. Devils - $45.86

Wow, they better hope the team doesn't go through a multi year rough patch...

[ImTellinTim]

Quote: Originally Posted by gopher_guy

Wow, they better hope the team doesn't go through a multi year rough patch...

Who the Jets? They'll still sell out the place at that price when they suck.

[TracerBullet]

Quote: Originally Posted by ImTellinTim

Who the Jets? They'll still sell out the place at that price when they suck.

Yep. My guess is that all of the Canadian teams have relatively high prices, but will always sell out for the most part.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by gopher_guy

Wow, they better hope the team doesn't go through a multi year rough patch...

You mean like the Oilers and their 270 consecutive sellouts while residing in the West basement?