{"id":756170,"date":"2017-10-11T00:55:48","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T00:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/?p=756170"},"modified":"2018-04-03T01:33:35","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T01:33:35","slug":"islanders-ownership-focused-on-belmont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/islanders-ownership-focused-on-belmont\/","title":{"rendered":"Islanders Ownership Focused on Belmont"},"content":{"rendered":"

There wasn\u2019t much talk of the Islanders struggling power play or debate over why Ryan Pulock remains out of the lineup on Tuesday. No, with the Islanders inactive the conversation turned to the team\u2019s ongoing hunt.<\/p>\n

But it was more than just the usual conjecture on Tuesday, it was a declaration from Islanders\u2019 ownership on just where their focus is on the matter. During a sit down with reporters in midtown Manhattan co-owner Jon Ledecky made the most substantive comments about the team\u2019s future and their plans for Belmont to date.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a singular focus at playing at Belmont Park,\u201d Ledecky said according to the New York Post<\/a>. \u201cTake away all the other noise. That\u2019s the objective that will give the New York Islanders the best chance to win a fifth Cup. Everything about going here, there and everywhere else is absolute noise to us right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Islanders have been a team in search of a permanent home long before John Ledecky and Scott Malkin took over majority control of the franchise at the beginning of last season. And the pair are trying to accomplish something that numerous ownership groups have not been able to produce, which is a sustainable home for the Islanders.<\/p>\n

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\"UNIONDALE,<\/p>\n

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Repeated attempts to renovate the Nassau Coliseum yielded no results and the team\u2019s move to Brooklyn, which at first appeared to have finally brought some stability to the organization, quickly became an issue of its own.<\/p>\n

So now Ledecky and Malkin, along with Sterling Project Development and Oak View Group, are putting all their eggs in the Belmont basket.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re focused on getting that shovel in the ground and move forward on Belmont,\u201d Ledecky said according to NHL.com<\/a>. \u201cWe’re not concerned at all [about the interim]. Our concern and our focus should be on Belmont. Off of that, everything else becomes clear. We either get Belmont or we don’t get Belmont. That’s exactly our focus — to get Belmont.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no plan B for the Islanders or ownership and unlock the New York City Football Club Belmont is the Islanders preferred destination. The MLS club is reported to be more interested in sites in the Bronx or Queens than a site in suburban Long Island.<\/p>\n

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Ledecky: \u201cWe are not looking at other places, other things, other opportunities. We want to make Belmont a reality.\u201d (Unlike NYCFC)<\/p>\n

— Jim Baumbach (@jimbaumbach) October 10, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n