Waterbury Republican-American Editorial February 28th 2017

March 1, 2017

One of the biggest Connecticut news stories of February involved Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin inviting the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders to move to the capital city. The pitch came 20 years after the Hartford Whalers left for North Carolina. The Islanders would play in the XL Center, the facility that hosted the Whalers.

The Islanders quest should immediately cease: it is a waste of time, energy and money.

The XL Center is run by the Capitol Region Development Authority, a state agency.

Gov. Malloy contends that if the 42-year-old facility is to host NHL games, extensive renovations are in order.
To this end, he has proposed a $250 million plan.

It is unlikely this money would be well-spent.

As we noted in a Feb. 13 editorial, Hartford was incapable of supporting an NHL team in the past, and Gov. Malloy and Mayor Bronin have not made a persuasive case for why things would be different in the future. Indeed, the governor has conceded the odds are against attracting the Islanders, WTNH-TV reported Feb. 20.

On a related note, NHL hockey in Hartford is not essential to life and business in Connecticut, so one would be hard-pressed to find a better example of wasteful state spending.

We made this argument in the Feb. 13 editorial, and The (Norwich) Bulletin editorial board made a similar one Feb. 15.

But that’s not all.

Gov. Malloy’s plan could exacerbate tensions between Connecticut’s cities and its smaller towns, Terry Cowgill of CT News Junkie asserted in a Feb. 24 column. Mr. Cowgill, of Lakeville, noted the XL Center is owned by the city of Hartford and run by the state, both of which have serious financial problems. He argued Gov. Malloy’s proposal may not go over well with “those rural communities that (have) managed (themselves) well,” and would take hits under the governor’s 2017-19 budget proposal. Such tensions are not needed when Connecticut is at a crossroads.
Some folks, Gov. Malloy included, argue that even if Hartford doesn’t gain an NHL team, the XL Center still has an important role to play. It hosts some University of Connecticut basketball and hockey games, as well as conventions and other events.

Why not let private investors pick up the costs of needed upgrades?

Sen. Joseph C. Markley, R-16th District, recommended this course in an op-ed column The Sunday Republican published last Dec. 11.

Indeed, the state spent $35 million on an extensive 2014 modernization project.

“Scope of work includes upgrading existing locker rooms, repairing and upgrading the existing (mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems) and life safety systems, and improving the building’s energy and operational efficiency,” Dimeo Construction, a regional company with its Connecticut headquarters in New Haven, noted at the time. “As part of the enhancements to fan/guest experience, some lower level seating was removed from the venue to make way for the new interactive fan bar and private loge boxes.”

http://www.rep-am.com/opinion/editorials/2017/02/28/nhl-fantasies/