Bridgeport Islanders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bridgeport Islanders |
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| City | Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | Atlantic |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Home arena | Total Mortgage Arena |
| Colors | Blue, orange, white |
| Owner(s) | Jon Ledecky |
| General manager | Chris Lamoriello |
| Head coach | Rick Kowalsky |
| Captain | Cole Bardreau |
| Media | Connecticut Post MSG Network News Radio WPOP (1410 AM) AHL.TV (Internet) |
| Affiliates | New York Islanders (NHL) Worcester Railers (ECHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2001–2021 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers |
| 2021–present | Bridgeport Islanders |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (2001–02) |
| Division Championships | 2 (2001–02, 2011–12) |
| Conference Championships | 1 (2001–02) |
| Calder Cups | 0 |
The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team. They play in the American Hockey League (AHL). This team is like a training ground for the New York Islanders, a bigger team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The New York Islanders actually own the Bridgeport team! The team started playing in the 2001–02 season. They play their home games in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at the Total Mortgage Arena.
Contents
Team History: From Tigers to Islanders
The team first joined the American Hockey League in 2001. Back then, they were called the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Their first coach was Steve Stirling. The "Sound Tigers" name came from the Long Island Sound and the famous circuses of P. T. Barnum.
In their very first season, the Sound Tigers were amazing! They won their division and had the best record in the regular season. This earned them the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy. In the playoffs, they won the Eastern Conference championship. They even made it to the Calder Cup finals! But they lost to the Chicago Wolves in the championship series.
In their second season, the team did well again. They reached the conference semifinals in the playoffs. After that, the team had some tough years. They missed the playoffs many times. They didn't win another playoff round for a long time.
On May 10, 2021, the team got a new name. They became the Bridgeport Islanders. This change happened for the 2021–22 season.
Meet the Team: Mascot and Rivals
Team Mascot: Storm the Tiger
The Bridgeport Islanders have a cool mascot named Storm. He is a blue tiger who acts like a person. You can see him at all the home games. Storm wears a jersey with the number 01 on it. This number stands for the year the team started (2001). Storm loves to get the fans excited. He even skates on the ice during breaks in the game!
Team Rivalries: Battle of Connecticut
The Islanders have some exciting rivalries! Their main rival is the Hartford Wolf Pack. This team is also from Connecticut. The Wolf Pack is the AHL team for the New York Rangers. The Rangers are the biggest rivals of the New York Islanders, Bridgeport's parent team. Games between Bridgeport and Hartford are called the "Battle of Connecticut."
The Islanders also have rivalries with other teams. These include the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Providence Bruins. They often play against these teams in the playoffs. They also have a friendly rivalry with the Hershey Bears.
Team Captains: Leaders on the Ice
- Alan Letang, 2003–04
- Keith Aldridge, 2004–05
- Richard Seeley, 2004–05
- Ed Campbell, 2005
- Kevin Colley, 2005–06
- Mark Wotton, 2006–11
- Jeremy Colliton, 2011–12
- Colin McDonald, 2012–13
- Matt Watkins 2013
- Chris Bruton, 2013–14
- Aaron Ness, 2014–15
- Ben Holmstrom, 2015–19
- Kyle Burroughs, 2018–20
- Seth Helgeson, 2021–24
- Cole Bardreau, 2024–present
Team Records: Best of the Best
Here are some of the best performances in the team's history:
Single Season Records
- Most Goals: Jeff Hamilton, 43 goals in the 2003–04 season.
- Most Assists: Rob Collins, 48 assists in the 2005–06 season.
- Most Points: Jeff Tambellini, 76 points in the 2007–08 season.
- Most Penalty Minutes: Eric Godard, 295 penalty minutes in the 2004–05 season.
- Best Goalie Average (GAA): Wade Dubielewicz, 1.38 goals allowed per game in 2003–04.
- Best Goalie Save Percentage (SV%): Wade Dubielewicz, .946 (meaning he stopped 94.6% of shots) in 2003–04.
Career Records
- Most Career Goals: Jeff Hamilton, 89 goals.
- Most Career Assists: Jeremy Colliton, 126 assists.
- Most Career Points: Jeremy Colliton, 203 points.
- Most Career Penalty Minutes: Brett Gallant, 857 penalty minutes.
- Most Career Goaltending Wins: Wade Dubielewicz, 81 wins.
- Most Career Shutouts: Wade Dubielewicz, 15 shutouts (games where he allowed no goals).
- Most Career Games Played: Mark Wotton, 368 games.
