Islanders co-Owner Steven Gluckstern "suggested" that
the team will "remain in survival mode, limiting
expenditures and focusing on the economic bottom line"
without an agreement to build a new arena, according to John
Valenti of NEWSDAY. Gluckstern, in his "first public
comments on the state of the team in months," said that
without a new arena, "we're going to have to figure out what
that means for us." Gluckstern: "We're not seeking to leave
Long Island. We're not seeking to move our team. We're
trying to design a model that allows us to survive and to
flourish." However, Valenti wrote that Nassau County execs
do "not want to work an arena deal" with team co-Owner
Howard Milstein, as one county official said, "My sense is
that with the current Islander ownership, there will not be
a deal" on an arena. Gluckstern said that Howard and Edward
Milstein currently hold a 45% share of the team, but an NHL
source said that the Islanders are planning "a major front
office shake-up," including the "probable reassignment" of
team President David Seldin (NEWSDAY, 4/25).