The Bridgeport Sound Tigers had spent the past few days teasing what many assumed was going to be a reboot for the franchise before releasing this video.
Founded in 2001, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers were purchased by the New York Islanders in 2004 and have remained their AHL affiliate since.
It’s not been a particularly successful partnership for the Sound Tigers on the ice since being purchased.
Up until the last full campaign in 2018-19, Bridgeport had only qualified for the playoffs on six occasions and never made it past the first round.
Attendances have also been on the wane from a peak between 2011-2015 when the seasonal averaged hovered around 4900 per game.
Since then approximately one thousand fewer patrons attended each home game which doesn’t sound like much but added up across a season that’s a lot of money for an AHL franchise.
So is this ‘reboot’ because of the aforementioned factors to start afresh?
Apparently not. The main reasoning seems to be forging ties with the NHL club, a concept you have to be careful with in my opinion as an AHL team still requires its own identity.
Sound Tigers president of business operations Brent Rossi said the change was in the works for some time.
“We wanted to create a stronger connection between the New York Islanders and their AHL affiliate up here,” Rossi said. “The timing was really perfect. It aligned with our 20th anniversary as a club. Most importantly, it aligned with UBS Arena opening in the fall.”
“We’re not turning our back at all on the history of the club.” For us, it’s a way to strengthen the brand here in Connecticut. When it comes to our connection to the New York Islanders, we as an organization see Connecticut and Westchester as a massive opportunity.”
Rossi went on to add that many of the incidental details about the change have yet to be determined, like whether to keep the team’s mascot or about the banners that hang at Webster Bank Arena.
Bridgeport general manager and New York Islanders assistant general manager Chris Lamoriello had this to say.
“Having the Islanders name associated with Bridgeport creates a stronger tie between the NHL team and the top development team. Every time a player puts on the Bridgeport uniform, they’ll be putting on the identical uniform the NHL team wears, except for the new logo.”
A quick search through Twitter reveals the rebrand has split opinion amongst fans. Perhaps unsurprising in these days of social media but it’ll be interesting to watch whether Bridgeport will win over its fan base and grow in doing so.
An AHL team taking the same name as their NHL affiliate has not been an uncommon practice in the league’s history.
This season for example we had:
Ottawa Senators – Belleville Senators
Vegas Golden Knights – Henderson Silver Knights
Minnesota Wild – Iowa Wild
Boston Bruins – Providence Bruins
Dallas Stars – Texas Stars
Pittsburgh Penguins – Wilkes/Barre-Scranton Penguins
New Jersey Devils – Binghamton Devils *affiliation now ended
This isn’t the first occasion that Bridgeport has refreshed their logo having twice made minor alterations in 2005 and 2010.
As per the Bridgeport Islanders press release.
A true rebirth of our team cannot be accomplished without an iconic new logo, and that is what we set out to create. From the “Stick B” to our “NY Tape”, we are paying homage to our 20-year history as AHL affiliate for the NYI, our commitment to the city of Bridgeport, and our obsession with the game of hockey.
- Adopting the Islanders Name
- Sharing the Pride of the Blue & Orange
- An Iconic Mark for the Future
- A Subtle Nod to NYI
- Forging a True Alliance
The Bridgeport Islanders have updated all their social links as per the rebrand.
Website bridgeportislanders.com
Facebook @AHLIslanders
Twitter @AHLIslanders
Instagram @AHLIslanders
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