NY Islanders agree to play in Brooklyn for 25 years; hurts hopes for move to Seattle

The New York Islanders agreement to move to the Brooklyn's Barclay Center means that Seattle-area hockey fans just lost their best shot and getting an NHL team to relocate to the Northwest.

The Islanders were the favorite for a potential relocation to Seattle because of their ongoing lease dispute at the Nassau Coliseum. Built in 1972, the Nassau Coliseum is widely regarded as one of the worst arenas in the NHL. It is also the second smallest arena in the league.

The former Long Island-based hockey franchise inked a 25-year deal to play at the Barclay Center, the home of of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. The new state-of-the-art arena has a capacity of 14,500 which would make it the smallest in the NHL.

The Islanders, who will retain their name, logo and owner ship despite the relocation, finished last in the Atlantic division last season with a 34-37-11 record. The team has also had the second worst average attendance in the NHL last season at 13,191.