Islanders to play Preseason game in Kansas City
Jan 16, 2009 18:52:42 GMT -5
Post by V-HAB on Jan 16, 2009 18:52:42 GMT -5
NEW YORK (AP)—The New York Islanders agreed to play a preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings next September in Kansas City, raising questions about their future on Long Island.
While scheduling exhibition games in other cities is not uncommon, Islanders owner Charles Wang has been unhappy that the team has not been able to get approval for a new arena for several years, and there has been talk he might sell or move the team.
Kansas City recently built an NHL-ready arena and has been trying to lure a team. Officials made an offer to the Penguins in 2007 before the club received funding for a new rink in Pittsburgh.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow told local media Thursday that he was not concerned with the reaction to the choice of locale for the game. The decision was hockey based.
“We always played preseason games in different markets,” he said. “This is just another opportunity for us to bring this organization and our team to a different market.”
The Islanders, last in the NHL with 28 points this season, have been playing in the Nassau Coliseum—with modest renovations—since the franchise joined the league in 1972. Wang has been trying to gain approval from the Town of Hempstead for a huge real estate development called the “Lighthouse Project,” which includes the arena.
No NHL club has relocated since the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996.
While scheduling exhibition games in other cities is not uncommon, Islanders owner Charles Wang has been unhappy that the team has not been able to get approval for a new arena for several years, and there has been talk he might sell or move the team.
Kansas City recently built an NHL-ready arena and has been trying to lure a team. Officials made an offer to the Penguins in 2007 before the club received funding for a new rink in Pittsburgh.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow told local media Thursday that he was not concerned with the reaction to the choice of locale for the game. The decision was hockey based.
“We always played preseason games in different markets,” he said. “This is just another opportunity for us to bring this organization and our team to a different market.”
The Islanders, last in the NHL with 28 points this season, have been playing in the Nassau Coliseum—with modest renovations—since the franchise joined the league in 1972. Wang has been trying to gain approval from the Town of Hempstead for a huge real estate development called the “Lighthouse Project,” which includes the arena.
No NHL club has relocated since the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996.
Source: sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-islanders-kansascity&prov=ap&type=lgns
There's speculation that this is a veiled threat by the Islanders organization to get funds for a new arena. It's no secret that Kansas City is interested in getting an NHL team. The Penguins pulled something similar to this 2 years ago to get Pittsburgh to help them pay for a new arena.
