Connecticut is making a pitch to bring the Islanders to Hartford
It may not be an island, but Hartford wants to be the Islanders' next home.
With reports surfacing this week that the Islanders may be getting kicked out of Brooklyn's Barclays Center in the near future, a couple of Connecticut's leading politicians are stepping up and making their pitch to bring hockey back to the state.
As reported by WFSB on Friday, Connecticut governor Daniel Malloy and Hartford mayor Luke Bronin penned a letter to the Islanders' ownership group offering an interim (and possible permanent) home for the team if they ultimately need to leave Brooklyn.
Connecticut has been without a pro hockey team since the Hartford Whalers relocated to Carolina and became the Hurricanes in 1997. However, Malloy and Bronin used their pitch to highlight the strengths of the area -- including the facilities, amenities and surrounding businesses. The Hartford-New Haven television market is also the largest in the country without a pro sports team.
Here's the letter, in full:
One letter obviously doesn't make Hartford the leader in the clubhouse (or even a legitimate candidate) to become the Islanders' new home, but I'm sure it's exciting for many hockey fans, especially in that area, to see that the interest is there.
