Gibson Named Bridgeport's Man of the Year

The Bridgeport Islanders, American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, are proud to announce that Christopher Gibson has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Bridgeport community during the 2019-20 season.

Gibson, 27, exemplifies what it means to be active and devoted to the community. The seventh-year pro and longtime Sound Tigers goaltender continues to build on his outstanding community efforts from his first four seasons in Bridgeport.

He was involved in nearly a dozen programs during the 2019-20 season and was a staple of community outreach in the Greater Bridgeport area, helping in all areas from visits to both Bridgeport Hospital and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, a Christmas toy drive, countless elementary school appearances, a food and coat drive with the Bridgeport Rescue Mission, and a trip to the local veteran’s hospital in West Haven.

Gibson has become one of the most popular players in Sound Tigers history and again this season, he frequently gave up a day off during the week to lend a hand to folks who needed a smile. This is the first time he has received the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award.

Gibson is now one of 31 finalists for the AHL’s 2019-20 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League at a later date.