The business is moving to Hamilton, Ontario.
Connecticut is losing another professional sports franchise. The Bridgeport Islanders American Hockey League team is headed to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Hamilton has a renovated building available to host an American Hockey League franchise. The Bridgeport Islanders team is an affiliate of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders organization. Bridgeport did make sense as the Islanders’ AHL affiliate as the minor league team was just 59 miles away from its Elmont arena. It was a nonstop car ride as it is all highway driving. But the team has been awful lately and attendance is poor. The team is ranked 24th in attendance during the 2025-26 season in the 32 team American Hockey League. Bridgeport is not an area that has had a successful sports history.
Bridgeport is just outside of affluent Fairfield County and the arena is off of an I-95 exit. 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 ran 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 claimed they were in the dark about the move but they also have said it didn’t surprise them that the team could 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. Connecticut politicians may have a bigger sports problem on their hands. Will the state’s WNBA franchise leave after the 2026 season?
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Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
