NY Islanders AHL affiliate makes wrong type of history with home record futility

Maybe the Fisherman jersey is a problem!

The Bridgeport Islanders, the New York Islanders American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, proudly changed their official logo to a Bridgeport version of the Fisherman logo before the start of the 2023-24 season. Now, after a season that made the 1995-96 Islanders look good, they hold the dubious record for having the worst home record in AHL history.

The team ended its home schedule with a 5-3 loss to the Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins and, by doing so, finished 4-28-1-3 (.167) for the fewest home wins in AHL history. If that didn't sound bad enough, the underlying stats tell an equally lousy story. The team had a minus-70 goal differential (146-76) and is currently on a seven-game losing streak.

But wait, there's more.

The team was playing short-handed on Sunday, following suspensions being handed out for three players following an altercation against the Hartford Wolfpack. Cole Bardreau received a six-game suspension for leaving the bench. Tyce Thompson was also penalized under Rule 70.10, receiving a three-game suspension for leaving the bench. As a result, they'll both miss the rest of Bridgeport’s season. Meanwhile, Chris Terry, who recently became the team's all-time scorer, was suspended for two games under AHL Rule 28 (supplementary discipline) after being assessed a match penalty for slashing during the same game. He's eligible to play in the final game of the season.

Overall, Bridgeport was, by far, the worst team in the league, holding a record of 15-48-4-3 for 37 points, 17 points behind the Manitoba Moose, who hold the second-worst record.

The nightmare is almost over before we wait and see if there will be changes that impact the AHL team during the off-season. The Islanders prospect pool has made strides in recent months, but few of their top propsects are in the AHL, and it feels like an environment you'd want to keep your most talented propsects far away from if you can help it.