A Charles Wang quote about the NY Islanders just became an ESPN Jeopardy! clue

For New York Islanders fans of a certain age, it was an instantly recognizable quote.

During a recent episode of the show, streaming on Hulu, contestants were shown a quote from former Islanders owner Charles Wang that read: "If I had the chance, I wouldn't buy this hockey team again." The correct response, of course, was: "Who are the New York Islanders?"

Nicely done, Peter Schrager, the NFL insider that buzzed in correctly.

The quote dates back to 2009, when Wang reflected on the challenges of owning the franchise after nearly a decade at the helm. The context was that, according to a recent audit by Ernst & Young, Wang had been burning through cash since purchasing the team and was $100M in the red over the previous years. Forbes even said the team was worth $16M less than the price Wang paid for the team in 2000. So, there was some, or a lot of truth, behind that answer.

After becoming the Islanders' majority owner in 2001, Wang tried to stabilize a franchise that was struggling both on and off the ice. He empowered Mike Milbury to make some bold trades and returned to the playoffs for three consecutive years starting in 2002 and again in 2007 before things once again started to turn for the worse.

His long-term commitment to the franchise was tested in 2011 when Wang's ambitious Lighthouse Project, which included a new arena, retail space and surrounding development at Nassau Coliseum was rejected by Nassau County voters. The failed referendum left the franchise without a long-term home and forced Wang to explore alternatives.

Rather than relocating the Islanders to markets such as Kansas City or Quebec City, Wang instead accepted a temporary move to Brooklyn's Barclays Center. While the arena proved to be an imperfect fit for hockey, it accomplished his primary objective of keeping the franchise in the New York metropolitan area while a permanent solution was found.

That bridge ultimately led to Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky acquiring majority ownership and securing the development of UBS Arena in Elmont, which opened in 2021.

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