Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin on Friday sent a letter to the owners of the Islanders "asking them to consider moving to Hartford's XL Center," according to Russell Blair of the HARTFORD COURANT. Malloy and Bronin's letter was "met with both excitement and bewilderment." The letter read, "This is a ready market anxious for an NHL team, eager to fill seats, buy merchandise, and support your team." Malloy and Bronin "pitched the XL Center for the team's interim use but also said it could be a long-term solution." Legislators this year are "expected to consider" a controversial $250M upgrade to the arena, "adding a second concourse and bringing it up to NHL standards." The Hartford-New Haven television market is No. 30 in the country and "the largest without a professional sports team." In addition, the Islanders' AHL affiliate, the Sound Tigers, play in Bridgeport, Conn. There is "no guarantee that the Islanders will move" out of N.Y., especially since the organization "made their desire to play in a more metropolitan corner of the state so clear" (HARTFORD COURANT, 2/4). In N.Y., Brett Cyrgalis noted both the Islanders and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which operates Barclays Center, are "contractually obliged to enter an attempted negotiation before opting out" of their current lease (N.Y. POST, 2/4).
A HOME OF THEIR OWN? FIVE THIRTY EIGHT's Nate Silver wrote under the header, "Is It Time To Bring Back The Hartford Whalers?" The question is "whether the Islanders would be better off with one-eighth of a loaf" in N.Y. or a "market to themselves in Connecticut." Considering the popularity of the Rangers, the presence of the Devils, the "inadequacy of the Barclays Center for hockey, and all the other competition for the fans’ entertainment dollar" in N.Y., it is "probably a pretty close call" (FIVETHIRTYEIGHT.com, 2/3). YAHOO SPORTS' Josh Cooper wrote a return of the NHL to Hartford "may sound enticing for those who appreciate nostalgia around the Whalers, but such a scenario is probably unlikely" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/3).
