In an interview with MSG on Wednesday (but just posted Friday), NHL commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledges he's "had some conversations with the people in Brooklyn," but remains non-committal about an Islander move to the Barclays Center, calling it "premature." Pointedly, he didn't exclude it.
"I don't know, and we have'nt focused on this, whether it works for the fanbase in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens, because driving to Brooklyn from Nassau and Suffolk is not the easiest thing to do," he told Stan Fischler. "Yes, the train does go there, but it's not something we've looked at. So I don't think anyone should view it as an excluded option or a possible option. I think it would be premature."
Islanders owner Charles Wang has spent $20 million just to find a new location for the team on Long Island, but voters rejected a $400 bond issue for a new Nassau Coliseum in August and there's no new plan on the table. The Islanders lease runs out in 2015.
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Gary Bettman on Isles' Arena Situation (Video) - Stan Fischler - MSG