Bridgeport, Connecticut — Last three falls saw the Webster Bank Arena organize an exhibition hockey game between two NHL teams. During these games, more than 22,000 people flocked to see the world’s brightest talent. They’ve decided to reward hockey fans from CT with another — fourth straight — NHL exhibition match. The game is scheduled for September 28 at 7 in the evening.
The New York Islanders announced yesterday they would face the New York Rangers in the Webster Bank Arena for the third year running. When they play against the Rangers in September, that will signify the Islanders’ eight preseason game since 2003 that happened in the CT town. All of their games (bar one) had a great turnout — over 6,400.
When it doesn’t pose as a preseason venue, the Arena homes the AHL team Bridgeport Sound Tigers. An Islanders’ affiliate, the Sound Tigers, will start off their 19th season as an American Hockey League team a week after the exhibition match. Their first game will be a road game, and they will have to wait until October 19 to play in front of the home crowd. The AHL will publish the schedule in full in mid-July.
Ticket prices begin at the rate of $57.50 plus additional fees for the exhibition game, which will take place on Saturday evening. Compared to the previous year, the prices have gone down, and the sales start on June 26. You can acquire yours via the arena box office or Ticketmaster. Season ticket holders of the Sound Tigers will have the advantage of being able to buy them through the team before anyone else. You can also contact the team to buy group sales of 10 or more tickets.
Previous Encounters in Bridgeport
The Islanders will have seven games in the preseason, and their game in Bridgeport will be the last one before the NHL 2019–20 season starts. Similarly, this will also be the Rangers’ last test before the season, who will go on a six-game preseason schedule.
In 2016, around 6,400 of the Bridgeport crowd gathered to watch the Islanders play against the Washington Capitals. Back then, no one could have predicted that the grand part of the Capitals’ staff would end up coaching their opponents on that evening.
In the previous two years, the Rangers were the ones to challenge the Islanders in Connecticut. The year 2017 saw the greatest hockey crowd in the 18-season-long history of the Arena, with 8,612 fans flocking to watch the game rinkside. A year later, that number was lower by a thousand, due to higher ticket prices.
The president of the Sound Tigers, Michael Picker, released a statement regarding the exhibition match. In it, Picker said that Bridgeport had the honor of watching live some of the best players the NHL had to offer. With the best players visiting the town, it’s great for every hockey fan that this tradition continues in 2019. Picker went on to say that the rivalry between the Rangers and the Islanders still represents one of the biggest in sports overall. Therefore, it’s a magnificent sight that the Sound Tigers’ growing fanbase can have the experience of watching the two rivals go head to head in their hometown.
