Nystrom again fights for Islanders
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- It's been 37 years since Bob Nystrom first arrived on Long Island, when he was drafted by the New York Islanders.
It was love at first sight, so much so that he's never left.
Nystrom, who scored the clinching goal in the 1980 Stanley Cup Final and was known for standing up for his teammates as a player, had Isles' owner Charles Wang's back on Tuesday as he helped lead a "Just Build It" rally in the parking lot of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum before marching down the street to Hofstra University. It was there where a public hearing was held for Wang's Lighthouse Project, which would feature a transformation of the 37-year-old Coliseum in Uniondale. Wang would like a decision from the Town of Hempstead by Oct. 3, when the Islanders open the 2009-10 season at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"We've got to get this done," said Nystrom, who played his NHL entire career with the Isles from 1972-86. "There's no better place to live than Long Island. The only way we can continue to grow is by projects like this. We need everyone to continue to support it."
Hundreds of supporters -- including many unemployed building trades workers -- were present at the Coliseum. Nystrom raved about their passion and reflected on the times when the then-first class facility was fondly referred to as "Fort Neverlose."
"You are the people that make Long Island what it is, and you're the reason that I've stayed here since 1972," Nystrom told the crowd. "You're the reason that the New York Islanders went out there each and every night and busted their hump. They wanted people like you to feel good about what they were doing out there."
Nystrom relayed his thoughts to the town board roughly two hours later at the public hearing, which provided him with an opportunity to speak with Town Supervisor Kate Murray. He didn't hold back his feelings.
"I'm here for a number of reasons," Nystrom told Murray and her constituents. "I love the Island. I found it to be an incredible place to live, an incredible place to play hockey, an incredible place to work and an incredible place to raise a family. Are we willing to lose our kids to places that support growth? I hope not.
"We need to support the project and get it done. Long Island needs it."
The Islanders are the only major-league sports franchise on Long Island. The New York Jets practiced at Hofstra for more than 30 years before moving to New Jersey, where they also play their home games. Should the Lighthouse Project not receive approval, it's likely that the Isles could pack their belongings and head elsewhere.
Commissioner Gary Bettman, who spoke before Nystrom, said the Coliseum "must be replaced, because I have no doubt that the Islanders can not and will not stay in this facility one second longer than they are legally bound to."
That's a thought simply too difficult for Nystrom -- affectionately known as "Mr. Islander" -- to stomach.
"We need to keep the Islanders on Long Island," Nystrom said. "We lost the Jets. We've got the 'New Jersey' Giants. We can not afford to lose the New York Islanders. They are a symbol of Long Island."
-- Brian Compton
That was the message NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman conveyed politely to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray and her constituents on Tuesday morning at Hofstra University during a public hearing on the Lighthouse Project -- a $4 billion vision of New York Islanders' owner Charles Wang that has the franchise's fate hanging in the balance.
Bettman, who grew up on Long Island, gave his full support to the project -- and managed to earn some friends in the process.
"Thank you to all the people that are here today ... it's not very often I get an ovation like that," joked Bettman, who was cheered loudly as he walked to the podium. "I am a native Long Islander, and I support the Lighthouse Project. I don't believe there's any place that the New York Islanders should be playing but here on Long Island."
Should the Lighthouse Project receive approval in the coming months, the first phase would include a renovation of the aging Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The entire project would cover 150 acres and include 2,300 apartments, a five-star hotel, a sports technology center, 1 million square feet of office space as well as restaurants and shops.
Naturally, Islanders fans are most interested in the facelift that the 37-year-old arena desperately needs. The capacity for hockey would increase from a League-low 16,234 to 17,500, while the concourses would be expanded and increased. The Isles' current lease with Nassau County expires in 2015.
As he has in the past, Bettman said the Isles' future is intertwined with the fate of the Lighthouse Project.
"There's probably no worse major-league facility in North America than the Nassau Coliseum," Bettman said. "This facility must be replaced, because I have no doubt that the Islanders can not and will not stay in this facility one second longer than they are legally bound to. The future of the Islanders on Long Island depends on this project going forward and this team getting a new arena. I'm here to respectfully urge that you expedite this project in any way you can."
While No. 1 draft pick John Tavares should help the on-ice product, a modernized Coliseum could certainly provide the Islanders with a much-needed boost at the box office. The Isles, who finished the 2008-09 season with a League-low 61 points, averaged just 13,773 fans per game -- dead last in that department as well.
Bettman said the Coliseum itself helps keep fans away.
"I think attendance has been impacted by the state of this facility," Bettman said of the Coliseum, the Islanders' home since they entered the NHL in 1972. "In this day and age, when people go to sporting events and other entertainment venues, they're used to a certain level of ambience that you don't get any longer at the Nassau Coliseum.
"But look at draft day," Bettman continued. "Ten thousand people showed up to witness the Islanders draft John Tavares. I think there's a great deal of support for this franchise on Long Island."
Wang has unquestionably done his share to keep the team afloat. Despite finishing in the red each and every season since purchasing the team in 2000, the computer mogul has said remains dedicated to keeping the franchise on Long Island. The Lighthouse Project would allow him to do so.
"Dedication, perseverance ... endurance," Bettman said to describe the Isles' owner, who has reported losses of roughly $20 million annually. "He has given all of himself financially and emotionally in support of the Islanders. I don't think he ever imagined that seven years after he began this effort, he'd still be at it. But he has stuck with it. I think that's a testament to the man, and it should give people great comfort that he'll see this project through."
Just a few months ago, it seemed as if the project was at a crossroads. Since then, though, several highly-respected politicians -- including New York Gov. David Paterson -- have endorsed it publically. Former Islanders Mike Bossy and Bobby Nystrom also spoke Tuesday and pleaded with the Town of Hempstead to move forward with the project.
"It looks like the attention that it's getting and the momentum is the strongest that it's been," Bettman said. "I'm hopeful this indicates a new era."
Contact Brian Compton at [email protected]
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