Remembering the Battle of Connecticut

The rivalry between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders is a special one in the Empire State. Unlike the Yankees and Mets or Giants and Jets, the Blueshirts and Isles play in the same conference and division, and have thus played each other far more than the other inter-city sports rivalries. The clubs, and their respective fanbases, have much more disdain for each other than their counterparts in other sports.

For 25 years, that vitriol has extended to the AHL affiliates of the teams. After the Hartford Whalers moved to Raleigh, North Carolina following the 1996-97 NHL season, the Rangers relocated their minor league club from Binghamton, New York to Hartford, Connecticut for the 1997-98 season, giving birth to the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Just four seasons later, the AHL awarded an expansion franchise to Bridgeport, Connecticut: the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The club became the affiliate for the Islanders, and the Battle of Connecticut was officially born.

The teams have faced off countless times over the last quarter of a century, and what started as a rivalry between the affiliate clubs of two fierce NHL rivals has taken on a life of its own, becoming known as the Battle of Connecticut. Bridgeport and Hartford are separated by a drive of less than an hour, and the frequency of their face-offs has intensified the rivalry. They've gone through name changes - the Wolf Pack played a few seasons as the Connecticut Whale, while the Sound Tigers adopted their parent club's moniker before the 2021-22 season - but the fierceness of the feud never wavered.

However, after 25 years of battles, the rivalry will come to an end tonight. Rumblings of a relocation from Bridgeport to Hamilton, Ontario popped up over the summer. In March, the Islanders confirmed the rumors, and the team will head north of the border next season. The move brings an end to Connecticut's longest-standing professional sports rivalry.

Ahead of the final installment of the Battle of Connecticut tonight, join me in taking a look back at some of my memories from the rivalry.

Gotta Go 4-0

My first season with the Wolf Pack was the 2022-23 campaign. That year, the Islanders got off to a hot start in the Battle of Connecticut, winning the first three contests and holding a 5-3 record against Hartford through eight head-to-head matchups.

Late in the season, the teams were in a fierce competition for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Then-head coach Kris Knoblauch declared that his team had to go at least 3-1 against the Isles over the last four matchups, if not 4-0, to have a chance at making the Calder Cup Playoffs.

In the first game following Knoblauch's declaration, the Wolf Pack trailed the Islanders 4-3 after two periods, but a resilient Wolf Pack team refused to go away. Ryan Carpenter drew the teams even 1:39 into the third period. Five minutes later, the Wolf Pack found their first lead of the night when Tim Gettinger nailed an empty net off a fortuitous bounce. Jonny Brodzinski provided an insurance policy just before the 13 minute mark, and Tanner Fritz capped off the comeback with the empty net dagger. Bridgeport scored with 50 seconds to play, but the intrigue ended there, with Hartford winning the first of the remaining four games by a 7-5 final score.

The next battle took place just three days later. This time, a dominant second period helped the Wolf Pack find another huge victory. Hartford fired 20 shots in the middle frame, with Brodzinski finding the net twice and Carpenter notching a goal of his own. The Wolf Pack survived a late push from the home side to take a massive 3-2 victory.

The third game between the in-state rivals didn't have as much drama. Hartford fell behind after the first period, but another three-goal second period would once again lead the Wolf Pack to victory. Brodzinski tied the game, and a Jake Leschyshyn power play goal gave the Wolf Pack a lead they wouldn't lose. Karl Henriksson capped off the scoring in the period, and Brodzinski nailed the empty net late in regulation to secure the 4-1 win.

The season series wrapped up in the Connecticut capital on the penultimate weekend of action, and this game was all Wolf Pack. Adam Clendening and Will Lockwood scored goals in the first three minutes of the game, and Henriksson put the game out of reach just over the halfway point in the first period. Carpenter, Anton Blidh, and Will Cuylle all tallied goals in the remainder of the contest to give the Wolf Pack a 6-2 victory and complete the four-game sweep.

The 4-0 run would help the Wolf Pack draw closer to the playoffs and eventually help them join the dance. Just one day after they completed the run, they'd clinch a playoff spot thanks to a win over the Providence Bruins and a Bridgeport loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The magical playoff run that ensued couldn't have happened without the wins over their in-state rivals. Knoblauch's declaration was a challenge to his team, and they rose to it and reaped the benefits.

Battling in a Milestone Game

On February 9th, 2024, the Wolf Pack became the tenth team in AHL history to play 2,000 games in one market. That night, they hosted the Islanders, adding a Battle of Connecticut flair to the milestone contest.

Former Wolf Pack forward Julien Gauthier would give the visitors the game's first lead, but the Isles couldn't spoil the Wolf Pack's party. Ryder Korczak tied the game with a power play goal just over 13 minutes into the second period, and Brennan Othmann gave the Wolf Pack a lead they wouldn't lose five minutes later.

Bobby Trivigno notched the insurance marker, while Adam Sýkora nailed the empty net to give the Wolf Pack a 4-1 victory in their 2,000th game.

However, it wouldn't be a Battle of Connecticut without some extracurricular action. That night, Nikolas Brouillard and Cole Bardreau engaged in a spirited tilt in the third period, earning a standing ovation from a raucous Hartford crowd of over 7,000.

This is one of my favorite Wolf Pack games I've attended. The celebration of 2,000 Wolf Pack games was phenomenal, and the game itself was wildly entertaining. Add in a Wolf Pack win, and you can't ask for a much better Battle of Connecticut matchup.

Brawling in Bridgeport

Late in the 2024-25 season, both the Wolf Pack and Islanders were eliminated from Calder Cup Playoff contention. However, the vitriol in the Battle of Connecticut is not impacted by playoff status. Hartford jumped out to a four-goal lead early thanks to goals from Leschyshyn, Dylan Roobroeck, Noah Laba, and Alex Belzile. However, the Islanders would claw their way back into the contest, scoring three unanswered goals to make it a 4-3 game.

The Wolf Pack survived a late push from the Islanders, and Jackson Dorrington notched his first professional goal with the empty net dagger. Just after the tally, all hell broke loose. Chris Terry charged at the Wolf Pack bench, igniting a line brawl between the in-state rivals.

This game's box score features some fun oddities. Connor Mackey was assessed a game misconduct for fighting off the playing surface, which is the only time I've seen this penalty called in a game to this day. Bardreau and Tyce Thompson racked up 35 and 37 penalty minutes, respectively, and both were given game misconducts for leaving the bench to engage in the brawl.

Matchups in the Battle of Connecticut were always intense, no matter where the respective teams stood in the standings. This wild brawl was no exception, and proved that these games didn't need playoff stakes to be entertaining.

Bedlam at the Bank

On March 6th of this year, the Wolf Pack hosted the Islanders for round nine of the Battle of Connecticut this season. At the time, the Wolf Pack were fighting for their playoff lives, and a win against a Bridgeport team they were chasing would be massive for their postseason odds.

This game was all Wolf Pack. The Hartford line of Trey Fix-Wolansky between Sýkora and Brendan Brisson combined for eight points as the Wolf Pack jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Bridgeport's frustrations boiled over just over five minutes into the final frame, and the sides engaged in a wild scrum. Fix-Wolansky, Brisson, Sýkora, Scott Morrow, and Cooper Moore all received two-and-ten for roughing and continuing altercation, while Cam Berg, Alex Jefferies, Matthew Maggio, Cole McWard, and Travis Mitchell all got the same for the Islanders. Jefferies picked up an extra roughing minor, giving the Wolf Pack a power play that Casey Fitzgerald capitalized on to make it 6-0.

The powder keg would completely burst near the halfway point in the period. Hunter Drew attempted to fight Spencer Martin, but Dorrington got in his way and took the fight. After Drew wrestled the rookie defenseman down, he charged at the Wolf Pack netminder for another fight. Martin was game, throwing down with Drew to the delight of a raucous Hartford crowd.

After the fight, Martin did his best Russell Crowe impression, asking the crowd if they were not entertained. The Hartford faithful showered the goaltender in cheers as the officials sorted out even more penalties.

All together, the teams recorded 212 penalty minutes, 198 of which came in just a four-minute stretch in the final frame. The score would ultimately remain 6-0 as the Wolf Pack earned a massive victory.

Entertained indeed.

The Battle of Connecticut may have started as a rivalry between two farm teams of rival parent clubs. But over 25 years, it became so much more.

Connecticut is a state divided when it comes to professional sports. Allegiances are split between New York and Boston. But the Battle of Connecticut, in a way, was the Constitution State's own sports rivalry, even if it was born out of the rivalry between the Rangers and Islanders. There was intensity in every game, no matter the score or the standings, and that's what helped make the rivalry so fun.

The Wolf Pack had the honor of being the Islanders' final regular season opponent in Bridgeport. Now, the teams will battle for the final time in the Connecticut capital tonight, bringing a 25 year rivalry to a close.

The Islanders' move to Hamilton will bring about plenty of change for the Wolf Pack. The sides faced off 12 times this past season, a number that is sure to change now that the club is changing divisions from the Atlantic to the North. While the clubs will likely continue to face off, their matchups will be less frequent and the rivalry won't be nearly as intense as it has been for 25 years.

But tonight, none of that matters. Tonight is another game between two fierce rivals who always want to beat the other. There's no outside noise, just a battle on the ice.

Tonight, for one final time, we Battle in Connecticut.