NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday reiterated his stance about Nassau Coliseum "not being viable as a permanent home" for the Islanders, and he "doesn't think it makes sense for the Islanders to play even a small number of games" at the renovated venue, according to Justin Tasch of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Regarding a possible temporary residency at Nassau, which now has a 13,000-person capacity for hockey, Bettman said, "I don't view it that way, certainly not now. ... My gut reaction is it's not even a viable option." Tasch noted the Islanders are "seeking to build an arena" at Belmont Park, a "proposal involving the Mets' owners' Sterling Project Development." Bettman believes another arena in the N.Y. area "is feasible." Bettman: "The Islanders have options, very good options, and they're in the process of evaluating what makes the most sense for the franchise, and in particular for their fans." Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said, "We represent and are working with the Islanders, and it's their call. Like the commissioner said, they have a bunch of good options and we're gonna play them all out and see what happens" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/9).
