Revisiting the 12-Step Program to Turn Around the Bridgeport Islanders: The Steps They Took to Return to Contention

The Bridgeport Islanders were a historically bad team in the American Hockey League last season. They won 16 games and four games at home. Fittingly, they won 10 games in a row at home to clinch their spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

As last season wrapped up, they looked like a mess that needed a lot of work to improve. I wrote up a 12-step program to fix the Islanders, similar to the 12-step program for addicts. While they didn’t nail every step, they addressed most of them to return to the playoffs.

So, let’s revisit those steps and how the Islanders have done as they currently sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. 1) A Plan in the Offensive Zone In the past seasons, the plan was to fling the puck on the net from the point and hope for the best. Maybe a deflection, a tip in, or a rebound would be available and the offense would work from there.

They had one of the worst offenses in the AHL. You May Also Like: Bridgeport Islanders Will Be Patient With Prospect Cole Eiserman This season, when the Islanders get the puck into the offensive zone, they move it with more purpose. There’s a motivation to get the puck to the interior of the offensive zone and more importantly, crash the net to finish scoring chances.