http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/nyregion/at-barclays-center-islanders-to-play-where-hockey-was-an-afterthought.html?_r=1According to Robert Sanna, Forest City Ratner’s executive vice president for construction and design development, the seating capacity will be reduced to 14,500 from 18,000 for basketball, which would make it the league’s smallest rink. Retractable seats will mostly be collapsed on one end, closest to the Atlantic Terminal side, and therefore the alignment around the rink will resemble a horseshoe.Mr. Sanna said the construction team would also have to design additional locker rooms for hockey players.The ice, which will be manufactured in July, will stay underneath the basketball floor permanently. Whether this leads to an N.H.L. franchise that will wear Brooklyn on its jerseys, Mr. Sanna could not say.
Before we make a final judgement on the arena and it configuration lets see how October 2nd goes.
Why would they not be able to use the upper level seats on the far end?
ReplyDeleteIn order to fit an NHL size rink in the Barclays Center it will have to be off center simialr to the picture above. By doing this the upper level will not be able to see the near goal. Several AHL arena suffer from this configuartion.
ReplyDeleteI'm a sharks fan but I stumbled upon this blog because I'm a Fanatic about how these sort of thing play out w the stadiums and where teams play for example the islanders possibly moving to brooklyn and the nets moving to Brooklyn (btw I've heard rumors about them possibly building an islanders arena out in willets point near citi field.) anyhow in my opinion I think it is very minor league to have to tarp seats off for the game because some seats cannot view the goal. I was a proponent of the team moving to barclays center but after seeing that I may have to reconsider.
ReplyDeleteThere has been no news about Willets Point and the Islanders. Several Queens politicians tried to get Wang involved, but he wasn't interested. That may be due to the fact that the development project there is being held up in court, so it should be interesting to see if anything happen after the issues are cleared up. I recommend this article if your interested on the topic http://mobile.newsday.com/inf/infomo;jsessionid=471F385D505BD574F2BA.3216?site=newsday&view=sports_item&feed:a=newsday_5min&feed:c=sports&feed:i=1.3550252
ReplyDeleteI've been an Islanders fan for nearly 30 years and lived in Brooklyn for 25 years. Initially when I heard that the Barclays Center was being built I was thrilled with the prospect of the Islanders moving to Brooklyn. When I heard what the dimensions and seating capacity were for hockey I couldn't believe it. This building will never be able to host a full time team. It will be spectacular for basketball. I understand that the original design would have supported a higher capacity for hockey and even though they had to cut back due to costs I can't believe this blunder. The extra cost for the original design could have been made up by the 41 home games that the Islanders or another team would have played over the years. I still feel the Barclays Center is a great place, but hockey on a full season basis will never happen.
ReplyDeletehttp://newyorkislandersadrift.blogspot.com/2012/03/barcalys-hockey-sightlines.html
ReplyDeleteThe hope is the Isles play there for a few seasons as a trial run and if successful renovations are made for hockey. Plus those few years in Brooklyn gives them more time to try to work with Queens or Suffolk. Plus let's wait and see how October 2nd goes before we kill it.
so off center ice rink for 14,500 seats for hockey (well realistically) the islanders is no good????? a team who play in the leagues worst and oldest building, who average 11,500 fans per game,are 45mins to an hour drive for most of its fans, in the middle of nowhere, in an ugly undeveloped barron wasteland, who have no easy transit available, and cannot take advantage of the corporate money that is 20 miles to the east (new york city). A franchise that gets zero local financial support from its government, an owner and an assemblyman who has been rejected twice in the past 12 years on new arena proposals. A devoted fanbase who are looking for any excuse to reject the brand new and easily accessable by 7 subway lines and long island railroad (and the most logical
ReplyDeletemost cost effective solution) to keeping the islanders in the nyc area. IS unnacceptable????? Keeping the islanders within 22 miles of where they are now? only having 14500 seats for the 11,000 fans that buy tickets???? being at the ultimate transit hub in a new city arena that will be en vouge for the forseeable future??? IS unnacceptable? Playing in brooklyn, Nyc which will attract more free agents. its unnacceptable>>> wait, did i read this correctly? the rink will be off center? THats unnacceptable. You inland residents who refuse to pay for a new arena are sooo right. no way they can go to barclays. so for all that is semetrical and right, you rather them move to quebec....or remain a joke in an abandoned building with 10 year old paint under the broken ice..... YOUR SOO RIGHT. keep telling Mr wang this. So When they move to Quebec we will have to buy the out of market cable package or become ranger fans... Great and well thought of comments here. Off center is unnacceptable