Well, the referendum results are in, and Nassau County residents decided that they do not want to pay more taxes for a new arena. Check out the reaction from one Islanders fan here:
http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2011/8/2/2310789/charles-wang-reacts-islanders-nassau-coliseum-referendum-defeat
As you'll see, he retains some faith that the Islanders might not leave the metro area or even Nassau County, but I echo his concern that the Islanders are truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. No one is being permitted to build a stadium on his/her own, and the public doesn't want to pay for it either. I get it -- the economy sucks and no one wants money spent on entertainment that has questionable financial returns. But it really brings to the fore the issues I mentioned in my previous blog. They have four years to decide what to do, but the Rangers and MSG need to bear in mind during that period that they have a vested interest in what happens -- where the Islanders move affects them greatly, both in terms of the rivalry and in terms of demand for tickets to games at MSG. The fate of the Islanders is now out of Nassau County's hands, but the Rangers would be well served to keep an eye on whose hands pick up the slack.
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