After Nassau County voters rejected a referendum to build a new arena for the Islanders, the Barclays Center being built in Brooklyn has emerged as a possible new home for the hockey team when its lease at Nassau Coliseum expires in 2015.
For years, Barclays Center officials claimed the arena would be too small for pro hockey.
But, earlier this week, they confirmed the arena would actually be fitted with an NHL-regulation rink when it opens in September 2012.
And the NHL says it doesn’t have a minimum-seating requirement for arenas that its teams play in.
Barclays Center officials skated around questions about interest in the Islanders, but arena CEO Brett Yormark said “we hope to explore hockey opportunities in the future.”
The arena holds 18,000 seats for basketball, and sources said it could hold about 14,500 seats for hockey.
The smallest seating capacity for an NHL team is 15,015 at the MTS Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Beginning this fall, it will be home to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Nassau Coliseum seats 16,234, but the Islanders averaged only 11,059 fans per game last season — the worst in the NHL.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz says the team “belongs in Brooklyn.”
“We’ve got lots of hockey fans, and since we’re technically still on Long Island, they can call themselves the ‘Brooklyn Islanders,’” he said.
Barclays Center is also just a slap shot away from Islanders owner Charles Wang’s alma mater, Brooklyn Technical HS in Fort Greene.
Some local officials privately said they could see Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who also owns 45 percent of the Barclays Center, potentially acquiring the Islanders to add 44-60 dates per year to help fill the arena.
A Prokhorov spokeswoman, however, said the Russian billionaire “has no interest in buying another sports team at this time.”
The arena currently is projected to host about 200 events annually, including Nets games.
Queens, Kansas City, Mo., Suffolk County and Canada have also been rumored as potential landing spots for the Islanders.
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano yesterday said he still hopes to keep the club on Long Island.