Apparently, the chances of the New York Islanders returning to Long Island look pretty good.
Twitter user “Incarcerated Bob,” who has over 169,000 followers, tweeted out an exclusive first look at the team’s plans for the 43 acres of land at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY, adding that it’s likely the Islanders will win the bid to build there:
*Exclusive* First Look
NY Islanders #BELMONT proposed arena photos
Islanders look they will win bid and return to Long Island #NHL pic.twitter.com/n4rZmwTfEf— ? (@incarceratedbob) November 30, 2017
There has been no official confirmation if this is the official bid or not.
The Islanders and Oak View Group, a developing agency, submitted the proposal to build a new arena on the land on Sept. 28, which was the deadline set by New York State.
After a tumultuous and what will likely be a short relationship with the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it was clear that the Islanders were in need of a hockey-first home, something the Flatbush Ave. venue could not provide.
However, it was the best possible option for a team that was all but evicted from the Nassau Coliseum after Town of Hempstead politicians barred former owner Charles Wang to properly renovate the arena opened in 1972 to receive proper, NHL-level amenities.
Instead, the Coliseum was given a facelift and developed into a concert and special-events venue. But with 13,000 seats, it can’t properly house an NHL franchise.
Should the Islanders and Oak View Group win this bid, the franchise should have a state-of-the-art, hockey-first home that should be open within five years.
