Islanders win bid to build arena at Belmont Park

ELMONT, N.Y. --The New York Islanders' bid to build an arena at Belmont Park has been selected by New York state, and co-owner Jon Ledecky said he hopes to start construction quickly.
"That's our mantra moving forward. We want to play in this facility as soon as possible," Ledecky said after the announcement was made at Belmont Park on Wednesday.

The Islanders' proposal includes an 18,000-seat arena, a hotel, 435,000 square feet of retail space, and a 10,000-square-foot innovation center that would be developed with input from residents.
"Our fans deserve this," Ledecky said. "This is about a legacy for them, this is about us being community stewards of a great team, a great franchise. This building, this world-class, state-of-the-art, third-generation building, that gives them the reward that they deserve so justly for hanging with the team.
"The second thing they deserve, they deserve a Stanley Cup, and we need to work hard on the ice, we need to work hard to win that Cup, and we need to work just as hard on the arena project. We're not doing an arena project and turning our backs on this team. This team has great players and can compete for a Stanley Cup. That's our goal."

The Islanders are in their third season at Barclays Center in Brooklyn after playing at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, from 1972-2015. They won the Stanley Cup in four consecutive years from 1980-83 but have won one playoff series (in 2016) since going to the Wales Conference Final in 1993.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said getting a new arena was important for the Islanders.
"It's not about relief," Bettman said. "I'm happy for Long Island, I'm happy for Islanders fans, I'm happy for the Islanders players. I think this is a great day for the franchise and a great day for Long Island."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was in attendance and asked Commissioner Bettman if the Islanders could at least play some games at Nassau Coliseum while the new arena is being built. The Coliseum was renovated after the Islanders moved to Barclays Center and has fewer than 14,000 seats for hockey. The Islanders are committed to playing at Barclays Center next season, but it's unclear where they would go after that.

"We're going to have to take a look at it," Bettman said. "This was a recently made request, which we will respond to at the governor's request."
Captain John Tavares, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, said the Belmont site is the right place for the Islanders.
"I think it's really, truly where the team belongs," Tavares said. "The New York Islanders are called the Islanders for a reason. It's exciting news. Obviously, we have some time left playing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and we've got to make the most of it and build off the success we've had there for the last couple of years."
Tavares maintained he wouldn't rule out re-signing with the Islanders before the end of this season.

"I'm not going to state when or why at this point in time," he said. "I don't think it's fair to the way things have been going between me and the organization. I'm open to anything and just taking things day by day.
"Obviously, it's great news in many aspects. For me, I think any player that has an opportunity to re-sign, you look at all factors that involve your daily life. Certainly, going to the rink every day is a big part of that. It's obviously great news. I'm not going to say it's a deciding factor, but certainly we're going to continue the process."
Tavares said he's focused on helping the Islanders qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs after they came up one point short last season. New York is 18-13-3, fifth in the Metropolitan Division, and holds the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
"I've stated how important it is for me to be fair to the group in our locker room and focus on playing one game at a time and putting all my energy into helping the team make the playoffs, and obviously doing something special this year," he said. "As time goes on and things come together, we'll hopefully get something done. I've always stated how much I enjoy being here. I love being an Islander."
The Islanders were one of two bidders seeking approval to develop the property next to the racetrack. New York City FC of Major League Soccer proposed a stadium, retail space, a community park and a 2-acre soccer facility.