HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin are encouraging the New York Islanders professional hockey team to consider moving to Connecticut's capital city.
The Democrats sent a letter Friday to the NHL team's management, offering Hartford's XL Center as an option for the team's interim use.
They suggested the building can also be "a long-term solution to your needs," noting it would be transformed into "today's NHL standards." They pledged to work with "private partners to develop the building you would be proud to call home."
Hartford currently hosts a minor league hockey team. The Hartford Whalers, first in the WHA and then the NHL, played there from 1974 to 1997.
The team's future in Brooklyn was called into question Monday when it was reported arena management wasn't counting on any revenue from the hockey club beyond the 2018-19 season. Islanders' management has declined comment.