As many of you may know, I’ve been a fan of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers since I was a month old. I went to my first game on Jan. 31, 2000, when the Bridgeport Sound Tigers hosted the Worcester IceCats. That year, the team went all the way to the Calder Cup Finals but lost to the Chicago Wolves. Today, almost 19 years later, the Sound Tigers have changed their name to the Bridgeport Islanders. I wanted to share my thoughts on this, and why I think this is an awful decision.

The Sound Tigers name means a lot to the city. It refers to the Long Island Sound, which is the southern border of the state of Connecticut. The tigers are a reference to PT Barnum’s circus, which had real live tigers. There are also still tigers at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. The name has a lot of local significance.

The team means a lot to my family, too. Early in the team’s history, my dad, along with a few other fans, co-founded the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Booster Club. We started with a meeting on Long Island, then we had two dinners every season with the players until 2019-20.

One of the interesting things about Sound Tigers fans was that not all fans were Islanders fans. Southern Connecticut, which is closer to Manhattan than Long Island, is Rangers territory. I know of many Sound Tiger fans who are not fans of the New York Islanders and actually cheer on the New York Rangers.

One of the original season ticket holders, Dave Brzezon had this to say on the situation, “As a season ticket holder from day 1 when the team was announced, this is an insult but should have seen it coming. Not sure now on renewing tickets if will be the Islanders name.”

That doesn’t bother me, but with this supposed name change from Sound Tigers to Islanders, the team will alienate a whole group of fans who won’t cheer for a team with the name Islanders. That is one of the cons of this supposed name change.

This situation reminds me of the old New Haven Nighthawks. After being the Los Angeles Kings’ affiliate, the Nighthawks became unaffiliated in 1991-92 when the expansion Ottawa Senators bought them. Ottawa then changed the Nighthawk’s name to the New Haven Senators. Fans in New Haven did not like the idea. In 1989-90, a year after the Nighthawks went to the Calder Cup finals, attendance averaged over 3,500 people. In 1991-92, with no affiliate, attendance went down to 2,683. Then when the Senators changed the name, the average attendance was about 1,926 people.

Does this mean, now that the team will change their name, that they will move to the Nassau Coliseum after the season? It’s certainly possible. The average attendance for 2019-20 was 3,537 people. This name change has the potential to drop attendance below 3,000 people.

I hate the decision. I think this will alienate a lot of fans, as I said above. The Sound Tigers brand existed for almost 20 years, and they throw it away because the new general manager is a traditionalist? No thanks.

“I’m sad to tell you that the team exists no more,” my father wrote on social media. “In fact, there will be just one single season of hockey left in Bridgeport next year. The team will be renamed the Bridgeport Islanders and the Rangers fans, who make up a full 50% or more of the fanbase, will stop coming because they won’t root for a team called Islanders. Following a season of no fans, the parent club will move them and we’ll have no more hockey. I’d tell you all to complain, but I doubt they’ll care. Why start now? It’s been a fun 20 years!”

This isn’t the first time Lou Lamoriello has changed the name of his affiliate. The Devils acquired the Lowell Lock Monsters to be their affiliate and changed the team’s name to the Lowell Devils in 2006-07. That same season, the Devils changed the name of their ECHL affiliate, the Trenton Titans to the Trenton Devils. Later, the Lowell Devils became Albany, New York’s, new minor league team after the Albany River Rats moved to Charlotte. They held onto the Devils name instead of paying homage to the River Rats.

This decision was a shock to me. I don’t think anyone expected this at all. However, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the team announced that they were moving to Long Island. This was the last year of the Sound Tigers’ initial 20-year lease.

As for the season ticket holders, I stand with you if you do not agree to this. The team did not ask the fans for any input about a name change from Sound Tigers. Sound Tigers is a unique name, and making a name change away from it is not great.

While this was likely supposed to bring the Islanders and Sound Tigers closer together, I think it will hurt the whole fanbase. Even though I’m just a fan, I’ve covered this team for the last four years and I’m telling what I feel is the truth. I think the Sound Tigers will play one more year in Bridgeport. Afterward, the Sound Tigers, or Islanders now, will go to Long Island and play at the Coliseum after the name change.[sendtonews key=”E7x6wwWQ73-1291982-9119″ type=”single”].

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.