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Column
If the Bridgeport Islanders are on the move, there’s only one place that makes sense — and it’s not Hamilton, Ontario.
It’s Uniondale, Long Island.
Nassau Coliseum.
The Islanders’ longtime home, affectionately dubbed “The Barn,” hasn’t seen professional hockey since 2021.
But now, with reports surfacing that the Islanders’ AHL affiliate could be heading to Canada for the 2026-27 season, it’s time to ask the obvious question:
Why not bring the AHL team to Nassau Coliseum?
Every Islanders fan, local politician and business owner near the Coliseum should be rallying behind this idea.
It’s not just about nostalgia. It’s about logic.
In the meantime, the Islanders are issuing a no comment on the report.
News: Expect @TheAHL back in Hamilton in 2026-27.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 30, 2025
Deal isn't completed yet but discussions have centered on Bridgeport moving to Hamilton, Ontario after this upcoming season to play in a completely overhauled TD Coliseum after a $300 million renovation. pic.twitter.com/7tHJM986jk
Why Nassau makes sense
The Bridgeport franchise — once the Sound Tigers, now the Islanders — has struggled for years to attract fans at Total Mortgage Arena. Meanwhile, Long Islanders are still hungry for hockey. With UBS Arena now firmly established as the NHL team’s home, the AHL squad could give “The Barn” a second life and give fans a new reason to return.
You could stagger game times with the NHL team, run weekend doubleheaders, and even bring back the Sound Tigers name — branding them as the Long Island Sound Tigers. That alone sells tickets.
And it wouldn’t be unprecedented. In 2015, the Flyers moved out of the Spectrum and replaced themselves with their AHL team, the Phantoms. The Islanders could’ve done the same when they left for Barclays Center, and fans were told during a 2015 press conference that Bridgeport would move to the Coliseum once renovations wrapped in 2017.
That never happened.
What’s standing in the way?
Despite their rich history in Uniondale, the Islanders didn’t exactly give the Coliseum a warm goodbye. They played their final season there in 2021 during the pandemic-shortened campaign, capped off by Anthony Beauvillier’s overtime winner in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Islanders quickly turned the page, moving into UBS Arena later that year. Tensions between the team and the building’s operators reportedly played a role. And now, Oak View Group — which operates both UBS Arena and the Bridgeport arena — may prefer a clean break from the Coliseum altogether.
That’s why the Canada rumors have legs.
The Isles should reconsider
Still, there’s an undeniable opportunity here. The Coliseum now sits mostly empty, hosting only the Long Island Nets, occasional concerts, and graduation ceremonies. Hockey would help fill the calendar and re-energize the building with a loyal fan base. It would also keep the AHL team just a short drive away from UBS Arena, making player call-ups faster and easier.
This is about more than convenience. It’s about restoring a sense of history and pride to a venue that helped define Islanders hockey. “The Barn” was home to Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier, Billy Smith, Clark Gillies, Butch Goring and Bobby Nystrom. That kind of legacy doesn’t fade easily.
Oh, if those walls could talk… they’d be on the phone with Islanders ownership right now, asking them to bring hockey back home.
Long Island Sound Tigers. It has a great ring to it.
Top: New York Islanders fans gather outside Nassau Coliseum before Game 3 of the team’s NHL hockey Stanley Cup semifinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
