| 31 January 2012
The faces of the players on both the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils probably lit up when they heard they would be playing a preseason game at a neutral venue next year.
Could it be in Sweden or Prague, where their rival New York Rangers have played in recent years? Or perhaps Finland or Russia, which were hosts of preseason games last season?
Well, when the teams made the announcement earlier today, the players were delighted to find out that on October 2, 2012, they will be traveling to... Brooklyn.
That's right, the Islanders and Devils will play in the first ever hockey game at the brand-new Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Barclays Center, which will be the new home of the NBA's New Jersey Nets, opens its doors on September 28, hosting a concert starring part-owner of the Nets, Jay-Z.
Is this just another preseason game at a neutral site? Or, could this be a possible field test for the Islanders as a possibility for a future home. With the never-ending/never-moving effort by Islanders owner, Charles Wang, for a new arena in Nassau County, the move to the Barclays Center could open up a new opportunity for the Islanders.
Sure, Long Islanders might be irked at the new inconvenience of traveling to Brooklyn, but, it's a lot closer than Kansas City or Quebec, isn't it?
Here's what Isles GM Garth Snow had to say about the game next October:
“We’re extremely excited to play the first NHL game in the new, state-of-the-art Barclays Center. We already have some of the most passionate fans in the league supporting our young team, and we are looking forward to expanding our base into Brooklyn.”
So will this be a showcase for one of the Islanders potential landing spots after their lease at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is up in 2014?
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, who previously worked hard alongside Charles Wang to keep the Islanders in Uniondale, is beginning to see the writing on the wall.
“I hope their experience in Brooklyn reaffirms why they should be playing hockey in Nassau County," Mangano said earlier today.
This comes a few weeks after B.D. Gallof of CBS New York was told by a source in Mangano's administration told him “It will be a small miracle if they can even get it off the ground and keep the team here. I really believe the Isles are going to Brooklyn, barring divine intervention.”
Both sides seem extremely exhausted by the process of trying to come to an agreement on a new arena at the current location, something they finally looked like they may have done before their August 1 referendum was shot down by Nassau County residents. Unless something changes, it seems as though the Islanders will be trying out new locations in the hopes that one will soon become their new permanent home.
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