In the summer of 2005, it was announced that the NHL was coming back after a lockout, which lasted over 365 days. For the New York Islanders, this meant that players who spent all of 2004-05 with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers would get another chance with the big club. While a new era of Sound Tiger players made their home in Bridgeport, the 2005-06 Sound Tigers season was a season of redemption.

Returning Players

Into the 2005-06 season, the Sound Tigers returned a couple of big pieces who were fan favorites. Kevin Colley was named the fifth captain in Sound Tigers history. Jeff Hamilton returned after spending 2004-05 with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Rob Collins, Cole Jarrett, and Jody Robinson also returned for their third season, as did goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, although he had a carousel of partners including Garth Snow and Frederic Cloutier. Sean Bergenheim and Matt Koalska both returned for year two. Some of the newcomers were gritty veteran Wyatt Smith, 2003 first-round pick Robert Nilsson, Memorial Cup hero Blake Comeau and small-town Alberta kid Jeremy Colliton.

Most importantly, longtime Sound Tigers Assistant Coach Dave Baseggio was named the third head coach in team history. Lane Lambert, Bernie Cassell, and Pat Bingham were his assistants.

A Slow Start

The 2005-06 Sound Tigers had a rough first month losing five straight into November. The Sound Tigers were 2-6-1. Bridgeport was able to string together six wins in a row after the losing streak, but by Christmas, the Sound Tigers were the last-place team in the AHL with a record of 12-18-3.

After the holiday, the Sound Tigers won six games to get back to .500%, and at the All-Star break, the Sound Tigers got back above .500%.

An Unfortunate Loss

On February 24, 2006, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2005-06 season was flipped upside down. The Sound Tigers were playing the Lowell Lock Monsters, while the New York Islanders were playing Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Kevin Colley had been called up to the Islanders and was playing the 16th NHL game of his career. When in the game, Colley was battling along the boards with Jamie Heward and was hit headfirst into the boards. Colley fractured his fifth cervical vertebra, which ended his career, just as the NHL season was beginning. The Sound Tigers lost their captain, and the fans lost a local kid who became a fan favorite.

Kevin Colley was voted by the Islander fans to be the winner of the Bob Nystrom Award, awarded to the player who persevered the most. Before playing for the Islanders, Colley worked his way from the ECHL playing for teams such as the New Orleans Brass, Pensacola Ice Pilots, and the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies where he won the Kelly Cup.

Earning Their Shot With the Islanders

The 2005-06 Islanders had a lot of hype. Adding pieces like Miro Satan and Alexei Zhitnik to go with Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake, the Islanders were looking to be a top-five team in the East. The Islanders struggled though and Steve Stirling was fired at the new year. Brad Shaw took over, and injuries hurt the team, which meant a few Sound Tigers were going to get the call. Jody Robinson returned to Bridgeport for his fourth season and was looking to make his NHL debut by the end of the season. Robinson played the first 12 games of the season until he tore his ACL. The injury would ultimately end his professional career, even with a try at a comeback in 2006-07 with the Las Vegas Wranglers.

20 members of the 2005-06 Sound Tigers played with the Islanders. For players like Cole Jarrett, Rob Collins, and Kevin Colley, it was a long road to get their first taste of the NHL, while for second-year pros like Matt Koalska, Steve Regier, Ryan Caldwell, and Bruno Gervais, it was a good experience for them to get time at the NHL level.

The Playoff Push

Back at Harbor Yard, the Sound Tigers were looking to make a push for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Rob Collins had 69 points and broke a team record with 48 assists. At the time, his 69 points were the most for a single season by a Sound Tiger. At the end of the season, Collins took the lead for most points in Sound Tigers history in a career, a record which he would hold until 2012 when a former teammate beat it. Heading into the playoffs, the Sound Tigers lost Jeff Hamilton, who went to the Islanders for the rest of the season but Justin Papineau returned, after recovering from an early-season injury. Wade Dubielewicz had another solid season, playing in 46 games.

The Defining Moment

On January 25, 2006, the Sound Tigers were in Wilkes-Barre to take on the Penguins. The Sound Tigers were on the power play, as the penalty to Dennis Bonvie ended, Wyatt Smith stole the puck from Penguins defenseman Paul Bissonnette, and passed it over to Robert Nilsson who took it behind the net, cradled the puck up on his stick and scored it lacrosse style on Penguins goaltender Dany Sabourin, in a move known as “The Michigan”.

The Playoffs

The 2005-06 Sound Tigers Season ended with the Sound Tigers going 38-33-6-9 and earning the 4th seed in the East Division. Bridgeport matched up against playoff rivals and division champion Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins, much like 2004, got some reinforcements from the big club. Luckily, the Sound Tigers wouldn’t have to see Sidney Crosby, but they did see Ryan Whitney, and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Games 1 and 2 saw the Sound Tigers steal wins on the road in Northeast PA. Rob Collins and Robert Nilsson both scored, while Wade Dubielewicz sealed Game 1 with 24 saves. Three quick goals by newcomer Jeff Tambellini, Masi Marjamaki and Rob Collins pushed the Sound Tigers to a 2-0 series lead on the road. Games 3 and 4 back in Bridgeport were also close as the Penguins won in overtime in Game 3 as Sound Tiger killer Matt Hussey won it for the Pens. Game Four was 3-2 Penguins. Back to PA for Game 5, the Trend of road teams winning continued as Masi Marjamaki won it in over time to give the Sound Tigers a 3-2 win and a 3-2 lead heading back to Harbor Yard.

Game 6 went to overtime again, and much like 2004, this series was a nailbiter. Game 6, the trend continued. 3-2 Penguins, on the road in Bridgeport. Game 7, in Wilkes-Barre was back-and forth, but the Penguins stayed ahead and beat the Sound Tigers in Wilkes-Barre. An era had ended for the Sound Tigers. Many players who had been around since 2003 would wind up leaving the team.

The 2006-07 season came calling with some controversy and a new look.

Christian Gardecki

A Native of Danbury, CT. Christian is one of the longest tenured Drive4Five writers, Christian Gardecki began writing for Drive4five In May of 2017. Christian covers Minor League Hockey and the Bridgeport Islanders for Drive4Five. Outside of Drive4Five, Christian was the captain of his High School Hockey team and currently attends Hofstra University with a major in journalism. Christian was the play by play broadcaster for the Danbury Westerners summer collegiate baseball team during their 2021 NECBL Championship. Christian also was the Public Address Announcer for the Danbury Hat Tricks Minor Pro Hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League and NAHL Junior team from 2019-21.