Barclays Not Giving Up on NHL

The sightlines are awful for hockey. A big chunk of Barclays will be empty when the Islanders and Devils play a preseason game on October 2, labor problems permitting. You can't see the goal from seats at one end of arena. So whole sections will be closed off; the seats won't be sold. Still, conditions are so bad at the Islanders current home, Nassau Coliseum, the NHL is seriously considering Brooklyn.

The Post reports that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman quietly visited the nearly complete arena on Friday to get a tour. Isles owner Charles Wang has already had at least one tour and Bruce Ratner and Brett Yormark have spoken with both men and made public pitches about the possibilities every chance they get. The Islanders must play three more seasons in Nassau, which could give Barclays a chance to upgrade for hockey and give the arena more than 14,500 seats.

The addition of 44 dates would be a big boost for the arena to meet its goal of hosting 225 events a year.

• Islanders moving to Brooklyn worth discussing - Larry Brooks - New York Post