When the New Jersey Devils preseason schedule first came out, there was a rather interesting note on the schedule. Next to the October 2nd game against the New York Islanders, the location was listed as “to be determined.” This wasn’t completely surprising considering the Islanders have spent the past few seasons bouncing between Barclays Center and the Nassau Coliseum.
This year they’re slated to move into their brand new arena, UBS Arena, located next to Belmont Park in New York. These preseason games could have provided hockey fans their first glimpse at the Islanders new home. Instead, the Devils will be headed to a rather unconventional place.
Set The GPS For Bridgeport, Connecticut
Yes, the Devils will be playing this matchup in Connecticut. According to Islanders’ general manager Lou Lamoriello, all of the Islanders preseason games will be played in Connecticut. Turns out UBS Arena won’t be ready yet.
In fact, the new arena won’t even be ready for the start of the NHL season. The Islanders open their season on a 13 game road trip while they wait to play their first home game on November 20th. The Calgary Flames, including newly signed former Devil Blake Coleman, will be the first visiting team.
Why Won’t Their Arena Be Ready in Time?
Having to open on the road while awaiting a new arena is not ideal, but it’s hardly a rare issue. When the Devils opened up Prudential Center in 2007, they had to open their season on a 10-game road trip. Their first home game was an October 27th loss against the Ottawa Senators. Prudential Center opened for the first time a week earlier on October 20th for a chorus concert. The “official” opening was on October 25th with a Bon Jovi concert, beating the Devils by two days.
Unlike the Devils and Prudential Center, the Islanders will host the first event at their new arena with their November 20th game. The first non NHL event will take place just over a week later on November 29th for WWE’s Monday Night Raw. Eric Church will perform the arena’s first concert on December 4th.
The Islanders Have Done This Before
I know a few things about Connecticut: people from New Haven love their pizza, living there is expensive, and they used to have a hockey team called the Hartford Whalers. While it may seem that this Islanders temporarily relocated preseason will finally bring some NHL action back to the state Peter Karmanos forgot, the Islanders have actually played eight preseason games in Bridgeport since 2006. That includes a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils in the 2006 preseason.
The games will take place at Webster Bank Arena, which is the home of the Islander’s AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The arena has a capacity of 8,412 for ice hockey. The past Islander’s preseason games there saw attendance between 6,900 and 8,412 fans.
Since the Whalers left Hartford, the New York Rangers AHL affiliate has called the city of Hartford home. The Connecticut Whale are rivals of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and have adopted most of the identity the Whalers left behind. That means don’t expect to hear Brass Bonanza if the Islanders score a goal. That’s a Hartford thing unfortunately.