Capital District Islanders

Pro hockey team
text_color = orange
bg_color = blue
team = Capital District Islanders

logosize = 120px
city = Troy, New York
league = American Hockey League
operated = 1990 to 1993
arena = Houston Field House
colors = Blue, orange and white
affiliates = New York Islanders
name1 = Capital District Islanders
dates1 = 1990 to 1993
name2 = Albany River Rats
dates2 = 1993 to present

The Capital District Islanders were a team in the American Hockey League based in Troy, New York. The Islanders were the principal minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders during the 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons.

When the International Hockey League expanded eastward out of its Great Lakes stronghold to move the Fort Wayne Komets to Albany, New York (the Albany Choppers), despite the AHL already having an established team in the Hudson Valley -- the Adirondack Red Wings in Glens Falls, New York -- AHL management attempted to sabotage the move by locating another team in the Albany area. The Islanders switched its affiliation from the then-Calder Cup champion Springfield Indians, to the expansion Capital District Islanders franchise to play out of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's rink on its Troy campus. In the ensuing price and attendance wars, the Choppers folded midseason.

The Islanders' best record was in the 1993 season, when the team finished 34-34-12 for 3rd place in its division and its only playoff berth. Among the team's notable players were Greg Parks, its leading career scorer in only one and a half seasons; forwards Richard Kromm and Brent Grieve, defensemen Dennis Vaske, Jeff Finley and Dean Chynoweth and goaltender Danny Lorenz.

In 1993, the owner of the Islanders, Capital District automobile dealer Michael Cantanucci, sold the franchise to local insurance magnate Albert Lawrence. [cite news
last = Aurentz
first = Tim
title = Lawrence may lose River Rats
publisher = The Business Review
date = 1997-12-19
url = http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/1997/12/22/story2.html?t=printable
accessdate = 2007-03-27 ] Lawrence renamed the team the Albany River Rats, changed its affiliation to the New Jersey Devils, and moved the team to Albany's Knickerbocker Arena, the same arena in which the Albany Choppers played in 1990. The current AHL affiliation of the New York Islanders is the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

eason-by-season results

;Regular season

;Playoffs

References