Here Lies Da Islanders

'Ey yo! you shuda voted!

Ok, now that I've gotten that awful accent out of the way, let's look at the bleak future of the New York Islanders. Votes are still be tallied, but as of 11:30PM it's looking like 58% say no, 42 yes on a new arena for the Islanders. While this certainly isn't the last hope for the Islanders, it doesn't look too good for the near future.

The Islanders have a dramatic history in the NHL, with their four consecutive Stanley Cup wins in the 1980's, to a franchise put firmly in the skids of mediocrity, to the point where they've essentially been an AHL+ team. I won't rehash all the stupid things Mike Milbury has done as Gm, because he's too oblivious anyway, and we all know them well enough by now. Rest assured he's somewhere forming more idiotic opinions about hockey with Pierre McGuire, who's probably dreaming of Sidney Crosby and Mike Richards. Alas, I digress.

It's no secret that the Nassau Coliseum is one of the most outdated and antiquated facilities in the league right now. It's a pain in the ass to get to, and no one wants to go there anyway to see the Islanders lose another game. Even their own commentators dread watching them play. Don't believe me? Go ahead, click here and see for yourself. Anyway, it's easy to see why the average fan, and those not familiar with the game would vote down a measure to pay for a new arena to be built for a team as woeful as the Islanders. However, they are a young team with tremendous talent that will be, if they can stay healthy, an exciting group to watch.

Update: the AP is calling the vote at approximately 11:40pm as a NO for the new arena. So now Charles Wang and the Islanders will have to explore new avenues to secure a new building. Does this mean the team will be fleeing the island? I highly doubt it at this point, but I can't lie, it's not a bad idea. The Islanders are currently under contract through 2015 with the city/arena so there is still time to go ahead and get something done. With the talent the Islanders have on the rise, it would be nice to see them start to turn it around in a new building, with actual fan support. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, months and even years it'll be worth keeping an eye on. A team like the Islanders won't be moved easily, so the league could possibly get involved. Will it actually come that? Who knows. All we do know is that this part of the Islanders saga is over, but a new one is just beginning.