The tour ended and the bus pulled into City Vineyard where the players and their families enjoyed a champagne toast and a delicious lunch by the Hudson River just as the sun began to win its battle with rain and clouds. After lunch, Mr. Ledecky addressed the group and explained the players would be wearing a CBW patch on their jerseys in honor of Charles. He said he admired Charles not only for his considerable charitable work, but also because the warmth he spread extended towards any child he met, to his players, to the Long Island community. And Ledecky said, that was responsible for Charles' decision to buy the Islanders in 2000 - to ensure they would remain on Long Island. In fact, the plan to build the new arena in Belmont was also Charles' idea and will become part of his legacy. "Charles gave me lots of great advice," he said, "But there's one thing I can't quite do. 'After a tough loss,' he told me, 'You can stew for about 15 minutes and then move on.' It takes me much longer than that," Ledecky admitted.
The Islanders of old also got a glimpse of the future, with a brief presentation on the plans for the new building in Belmont. Part of the pitch was how the architects are making a special effort to keep the bowl tight and recreate the feeling of the old Coliseum, which appealed to the skaters who called the old barn home.
Captain Clark spoke last, remembering Bill Torrey, the cup dynasty General Manager, first as a tough but fair leader who understood what it took to win championships and did everything in his power to give his team the best chance to do that; and second, as a good friend. "Bill didn't come into the locker room more than once or twice a year," he said, "But it was usually when the team wasn't playing very well. One time he came in and told us, 'I know you all want to play on the power play, and if this keeps up, you all will be. Just not here!'"