The New York Islanders’ departure to Brooklyn in 2015 represents a significant loss for Nassau County but a tremendous gain for the franchise moving forward.
While county officials will work toward filling the void before the boys in blue and orange head west, local fans ought to rejoice knowing their team is moving to a brand new arena only 23 miles away, considering that just last year the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers not only moved more than 1,500 miles away (to a different country to boot) but changed their team name and logo altogether.
When asked if the franchise’s colors and logo will remain the same, team owner Charles Wang confirmed and simply said, “We are the New York Islanders.”
With a new building, the team will likely be able to attract better players and greater turnouts for home games – two issues the team had struggled with for several years.
And to prove the great Billy Joel wrong, there is some Island left for Islanders like us.
— C.T.
