Professional Sports in Connecticut

American Hockey

This includes American Hockey League teams, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and a farm team for the New York Islanders. Both of which play at the Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport. There's also the Hartford Wolf Pack, which is affiliated with the New York Rangers, and plays in the XL Center, Hartford. It was the first professional team to bring a championship to Connecticut. It defeated the Rochester Americans in 2000, competing in a best-of-seven series and won the Calder Cup.

American baseball

In the baseball department, Connecticut is home to the Hartford Yard Goats of the Eastern League. This team is an AA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. There is the Connecticut Tigers who play in the New York-Penn League. This team is affiliated to the Detroit Tigers. And then there is the Bridgeport Bluefish and the New Britain Bees. Both of which play in the Atlantic League.

In women's basketball the Connecticut Sun of the WBNA are regular players at the Mohegan Sun Arena, located in Uncasville.

Connecticut plays host to a number of major sporting events

A PGA Tour golf tournament has been held in Connecticut since 1952 and has been held in the Hartford area. It's not always been known by the same name and originally it was called the Insurance City Open. Later on it became the Greater Hartford Open and at present is known as the Travellers Championship.

Tennis events are also regularly held and the biggest in the Connecticut Open tournament. It is held at Yale University in New Haven. There is a 1.5 mile road racing course in Salisbury, called the Lime Rock Park. It is home to a variety of races including IMSA (International Motor Sports Association), SCCA (Sports Car Club of America), USAC ( United States Auto Club) and K&N Pro Series East.

Weekly races are held at the oval tracks at Thompson International Speedway, Stafford Motor Speedway and Waterford Speedbowl. Even martial arts get a look in with several major mixed martial arts events held in the state. Including Bellator MMA and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Connecticut has been home to some major league teams over the years

At present there are no teams from Connecticut in the big four sports leagues, but that doesn't mean there haven't been a few in the past. The only modern full-time and longest-tenured "big four" franchise was the Hartford Whalers who played in the National Hockey League. From 1975 until 1997 they played at the Hartford Civic Center. There was a huge dispute with the state regarding the building of a new arena and this caused the Whalers to up sticks and move to Raleigh, North Carolina. After which they became known as the Carolina Hurricanes.

Going back even further in time, Hartford had a franchise in the NFL in 1926. It was known as the Hartford Blues. The NFL didn't return to Connecticut until 1973 and 1974 when the New York Giants played at the Yale Bowl in New Haven. This was because the Giants Stadium was being built.

The National League had a Connecticut team, in the form of the Hartford Dark Blues, in 1876, but only for one season. To date, this has been the state's only Major League Baseball franchise. It moved to Brooklyn, New York and then disbanded one season later. In basketball, from 1975 to 1995, the Boston Celtics of the NBA played a few home games at the Hartford Civic Center.