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April 11, 2012
Mesothelioma Scores? Asbestos May Drive Islanders to Brooklyn for Good
NY Observer
by Matt Chaban
The Observer's Chaban, who is good enough to know better, piles on with the nonsense.
We already know that the first game to be played at the Barclays Center will not be basketball but hockey, as the New York Islanders are playing an exhibition game there. There has been a lot of talk about the team moving there for good, after its lease runs out at the Nassau Coliseum in 2015.
This has been seen by some as a bargaining move for team management to get a new arena approved, but it could become a reality as soon as next season. A state investigation has found asbestos at the coliseum, according to The Brooklyn Paper, and if it’s not cleaned up before next season starts, the Islanders will be looking to leave.
...The Paper points out that the move would keep the team from taking on debt to build a new arena, though this would also be the smallest in the league, at 14,500 seats.
NoLandGrab: The "move," which is never happening anyway given the abysmally bad configuration and sight lines, would also guarantee the Islanders a profit-free existence in someone else's building.
And as Norman Oder points out in the comments, no state investigation has found asbestos — a lawsuit alleges its presence. A state investigation is ongoing.
Posted by eric at April 11, 2012 10:17 PM