All-Time Bridgeport Hockey Team: Goalies
To begin our All-Time Bridgeport hockey team to honor the 20th anniversary of the Bridgeport Islanders/Sound Tigers franchise, we will be ranking the franchise’s best goalies. We will rank the three best goalies in Bridgeport Sound Tigers/Islanders franchise history for our team.
Starting Goalie: Wade Dubielewicz
After a stellar career at the University of Denver, Wade Dubielewicz signed a professional contract with the New York Islanders and started the 2003-04 season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Dubielewicz played alongside veteran goalie Dieter Kochan. Dubielewicz was fantastic on a team that was among the best defensively in the AHL. Dubielewicz made the All-Star Game, as well as the postseason All-Star team, and won Rookie of the Year. He also grabbed the Harry “Hap” Holmes Award alongside Kochan for having the best goals against average in the AHL, in which Dubielewicz had a 1.38.
In 2004-05, after making two appearances for the Islanders, Dubielewicz continued to share the net with Kochan. However, Bridgeport struggled defensively, but Dubielewicz was still good with a 2.67 GAA. In 2005-06, Kochan left the organization. Dubielewicz made seven appearances with the Islanders, was the main guy for the Sound Tigers and led them back to the playoffs. Despite a valiant effort in goal, the Sound Tigers were bounced in seven games for the second postseason in a row to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
In 2006-07, the man known as “Dubie” returned again for the fourth season and was stellar in goal for the struggling team that the Sound Tigers had. Dubielewicz represented the Sound Tigers again in the AHL All-Star Game. However, after an injury to Rick DiPietro, Dubielewicz was called up to the Islanders again and cemented his legacy in the blue and orange by poke-checking them into the playoffs. After that season, Dubielewicz earned a full-time job with the Islanders as DiPietro’s backup and made 20 appearances in 2007-08.
In 2008-09, Dubielewicz signed in the KHL with Ak-Bars Kazan. However, things did not go well, and Dubielewicz re-signed with the Islanders following Rick DiPietro’s injury and shared the crease with Joey MacDonald. Dubielewicz had to re-enter NHL’s re-entry waivers and was claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, and then played the 2009-10 season for the Houston Aeros and Minnesota Wild. Dubielewicz’s career ended after a season in the DEL with the Cologne Sharks, as he retired following the season. Dubielewicz is now the General Manager for the Columbia Valley Rockies of the KIJHL, a Jr. B league in British Columbia. He currently sits #1 all-time in career wins and shutouts for a goaltender for the Sound Tigers. And his single-season GAA and save percentage from 2003-04 is still an AHL record with a 1.38 GAA and a .946 save percentage.
Backup Goalie: Rick Dipietro
The first player to ever step on the ice with a Bridgeport Sound Tigers jersey was 2000 first overall pick DiPietro. After splitting the 2000-01 season with the Islanders and the IHL’s Chicago Wolves, the Islanders sent DiPietro to their new full-time affiliate in the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, with the additions of Chris Osgood and Garth Snow. In the first game, DiPietro secured the team’s first win and shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Rochester Americans.
Throughout the season, DiPietro was a part of a solid tandem with Steve Valiquette, but it was DiPietro who got most of the time in goal. DiPietro appeared in 59 games for the Sound Tigers and was fantastic, earning him an appearance at the 2002 AHL All-Star Classic in St. John’s. He finished the season with a record of 30-22-7, a GAA of 2.32 and a .924 SV%. In the playoffs, DiPietro was strong, but was picked apart by Chicago in the Final, as the Sound Tigers lost in five games.
In 2002-03, Chris Osgood was still the #1 goalie on the Island, so Rick DiPietro reassumed the starting job in Bridgeport for the Sound Tigers. In 34 games, his numbers were better, with a 2.14 GAA, and he earned a call-up and started for the Islanders in the postseason after Osgood was traded to St. Louis. DiPietro returned to Bridgeport for their run after the Islanders were bounced from the playoffs.
DiPietro made a cameo appearance for two games before fully taking over in goal for the 2003-04 season with the Isles. DiPietro returned to Bridgeport on rehab in 2009-10 for four games, and he struggled. His NHL woes continued and was placed on waivers in 2013, and came down to Bridgeport playing in 18 games with a 2.93 GAA and a 9-9 record on a struggling team. He was bought out by the Islanders after the season and ended his career after a short stint with Charlotte.
Third Goalie: Chris Gibson
This was a tough decision to make. It came down to Kevin Poulin and Gibson. Gibson is second all-time in Sound Tigers history for wins, and is one of the most popular goalies in Bridgeport hockey history. Gibson was picked up in the Michael Grabner trade, in which he was acquired alongside Taylor Beck, Matt Finn, Tom Nilsson and Carter Verhaeghe. Gibson was a Los Angeles Kings’ draft pick, who was unsigned by the Kings and signed by the Leafs. In his first year with Bridgeport, Chris Gibson helped lead the Sound Tigers back to the playoffs, but lost the series as he only played one game as he was called up to the Islanders during the playoffs.
In 2017-18, he returned from an injury to play in eight games for the Isles, but earned an AHL All-Star selection with Bridgeport, becoming the third goaltender in Sound Tigers history to play in goal representing the team at the All-Star Game. He finished the season with a 2.42 GAA and a 19-14 record on a team that just missed the playoffs.
In 2018-19, Gibson shared the net with Jeremy Smith, went 22-16-2 and helped lead one of the best tandems in the AHL back to the Calder Cup playoffs. In 2019-20, an injury derailed most of the season and with the COVID-19 pandemic, he only played 20 games while sharing the crease with Jared Correau. As previously mentioned, Gibson left Bridgeport second all-time with 78 wins in goal, and was one of the most popular players in franchise history.
That will do it for the Bridgeport Hockey All-Time Goalies ranking! Next up: defensemen!
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.
