The Governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy, has proposed that the US state should renovate the city of Hartford’s downtown sports arena – a move that could attract the New York Islanders NHL ice hockey franchise.
Last month it emerged that the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, had opted to end its association with the Islanders.
Malloy said that the state should set aside $250m to redevelop the XL Center – Hartford’s top sporting arena.
The renovation plans would include a 3,000-seat increase in the capacity to 19,000, plus the addition of a second concourse.
The venue currently hosts University of Connecticut basketball and ice hockey games, as well as the home matches of the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
According to reports, Malloy’s office and the Mayor of Hartford, Luke Bronin, last week sent a letter to the Islanders to ask the team to consider moving to Connecticut’s capital city.
The state has been without an NHL franchise since the Hartford Whalers departed for North Carolina 20 years ago.
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