In October of 2011, I was with my family at the Islanders Children’s Foundation Day at Adventureland on Long Island. All of the Islanders players were on hand, to meet and greet the fans at tables next to all of the rides at the amusement park, and as we were making our way towards the log flume at the back end of the park so that my sons could meet now John Tavares, we saw then-owner Charles Wang walking towards us.
As the Islanders were honoring their late former owner during the second period of Sunday night’s game against Minnesota at UBS Arena, I couldn’t help but think of that day and how appropriate it was for the Islanders to dedicate a plaque for Wang, who owned the team from 2000 to 2018.
Part of the plaque reads: “IT IS THANKS TO CHARLES WANG THAT THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS ARE ABLE TO STAY IN NEW YORK, WHERE THEY BELONG. UBS ARENA WOULD NOT EXIST WITHOUT HIS REMARKABLE VISION.”
The plaque is on a wall next to the Islanders Hall of Fame, which is located at the top of the escalator that fans take when they enter UBS Arena at The Great Hall. Truthfully, the Islanders should have gone a step further by inducting Wang into their Hall of Fame.
Without Charles, the Islanders might have left the New York area completely when the Coliseum lease expired. But, because of his love of Long Island and the franchise, he found a way to keep them around long-term.
Wang and I had a friendly relationship from my time as the radio announcer for the New York Dragons arena football team, which he also owned, so I went over to say hello at the Adventureland event. A couple months earlier, Nassau County residents voted down a referendum to build a brand-new arena in the parking lot next to the Nassau Coliseum. Prior to that, local politicians would not give the green light to the “Lighthouse Project” that would have transformed the Coliseum into a state-of-the-art facility (similar to what was done with Madison Square Garden).
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With the Islanders’ lease at “The Barn” set to expire at the end of the 2014-15 season, the team’s future on Long Island was in question, so I told Charles that I was sorry to hear the news about the latest disappointment.
“It’s okay Peter,” said Wang with a smile. “I’m a free agent.”
Wang said hello to my wife Sheryl and my boys Bradley and Jared before walking away with his family and Islanders employees. What we didn’t know at the time, but we know now, is that Charles had a backup plan. If the Islanders were going to leave their long-time home, he wanted the blood to be on the hands of the politicians who would eventually be responsible for the team’s departure to Brooklyn.
Wang did not want the Islanders to pack their bags completely, so he signed an “iron-clad” 25-year lease for the team to play at Barclays Center. What we also know now that we didn’t know then was that the lease wasn’t iron-clad at all, but playing at Barclays Center gave Charles a little more time to find the Islanders a long-term home on Long Island while also searching for new ownership that would carry the torch.
As Charles entered into an agreement to sell a majority share of the team to a group led by Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, there was also a path for the Islanders’ return to Long Island. As I understand it, there was a snowy day when Wang was shown the New York State-owned land next to Belmont Park and it was suggested to him that it could potentially be a site for a new arena.
Wang let Malkin and Ledecky know about the potential Belmont Park redevelopment opportunity, so when they assumed majority ownership prior to the 2016-17 season, the wheels were in motion for the Islanders’ return to Nassau County. It started with a part-time return to a renovated Nassau Coliseum in December 2018, and then this past November, the Islanders moved into their beautiful new home, UBS Arena at Belmont Park.
It was all because of Charles Wang.
“Charles’ commitment and vision is why we are here today celebrating this remarkable new home for the Islanders, UBS Arena,” Ledecky said Saturday. “This arena correctly belongs to the most passionate fans in professional sports.”
The Islanders now have their state-of-the-art new home on Long Island, and are in great hands now with owners Malkin and Ledecky, President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello, and Head Coach Barry Trotz…but we may never have reached this point had in not been for the passion and vision of Charles Wang.
I’ve written before that the last spot on the current Islanders Hall of Fame banner should be filled with the name of Roy Boe, the original owner of the team and the man who brought NHL hockey to Long Island. It would also be appropriate if the first name on a second Hall of Fame banner be Charles Wang, the man who made sure that the Islanders stayed on Long Island.
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