The Bridgeport Islanders ownership is rumored to be moving to Hamilton.
Is this the last year that Bridgeport, Connecticut hosts an American Hockey League team? According to a report by Frank Seravalli, the Bridgeport Islanders hockey team could be headed to Hamilton, Ontario in 2026 where a renovated building will be available to host an American Hockey League franchise. But Bridgeport officials have not heard anything from the Bridgeport ownership group, the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders organization, about a relocation. Bridgeport does make sense as the Islanders’ AHL affiliate as the minor league team is just 59 miles away from its Elmont arena. It’s a nonstop car ride as it is all highway driving.
Bridgeport is just outside of affluent Fairfield County and the arena is off of an I-95 exit. But the team has been awful lately and attendance is poor. Bridgeport is not an area that has had a successful sports history. The city built a minor league baseball park for an independent team but baseball ended in town in 2017. The ballpark was turned into an amphitheater by 2021. Islanders ownership runs the Bridgeport arena although the city, which is struggling financially, is putting money into the building for upgrades. The building has no events scheduled for July while the adjacent amphitheater has a full slate of concerts. The Islanders ownership signed a 10-year deal to keep the team in Bridgeport in 2021. Bridgeport politicians are claiming they are in the dark about the move but they also have said it doesn’t surprise them that the team may leave after the season. Minor league hockey has not done well on the Connecticut coast. New Haven lost its minor league hockey team in 1993. Minor League Baseball struck out in the area. West Haven lost its team in 1982. Bridgeport politicians are now playing a waiting game.
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