New York Islanders to join Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in 2015

Multiple sources are reporting that the New York Islanders have agreed to join the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, starting in 2015, when the Isles' lease at Nassau Coliseum runs out. The decision to move west along the Long Island Railroad will be detailed at a 1 p.m. press conference.

Islander owner Charles Wang will be joined at the press conference by Bruce Ratner, Brett Yormark, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. The Nets have long sought the Islanders who have tried and failed at numerous attempts to either renovate the 40-year-old Coliseum or build a new arena amidst a residential and commercial center in Hempstead. A year ago, Nassau County voters voted down spending $400 million on a new arena.

Barclays Center currently can seat 14,500 for hockey. The big problem is that the far end of the rink cannot be seen from seats in the upper bowl. Those seats cannot be sold as a result. Barclays has enough space for an "Islander campus" to house a locker room and other player amenities, said a league source.

• Islanders to Move to Brooklyn From Long Island - Charles V. Bagli - New York Times
• Should the Islanders Keep Their Name? - New York Times
  
• Islanders to move to Brooklyn by 2015 - David Seifman & Rich Calder - New York Post
• Wang: Islanders make 'ironclad' 25-year commitment to Brooklyn - John Valenti and Arthur Staple - Newsday
• Islanders move to Brooklyn is a shame, but it doesn't need to be a disaster - Lane Filler - Newsday
• Barclays Center and Islanders announce NHL franchise to relocate to Brooklyn in 2015 - Christian Red & Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
  
• Islanders following Nets to Brooklyn - ESPN
• Brooklyn move restores Isles pride - Katie Strang - ESPN
  
• Islanders Plan Move to Brooklyn - Eliot Brown - Wall Street Journal
• The New York Islanders Move to Brooklyn - Adam Gopnik - New Yorker
  
• NY Islanders decamp for Brooklyn - Aaron Elstein - Crain's New York Business
• Report: Islanders to announce move to Brooklyn in 2015 - Dan Rosen - NHL
• A tree grows in Brooklyn ... and a hockey team moves there - Helene Elliot - Los Angeles Times
  
• Barclays Center :: Welcome NY Islanders - Barclays Center
• Mayor Bloomberg Joins Islanders Owner Charles Wang and Bruce Ratner for Major Announcement (Video) - Office of the Mayor of New York City