Hamilton Bulldogs
From American Hockey League Wiki
The Hamilton Bulldogs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada at Copps Coliseum, nicknamed 'The Dog Pound'. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. The team has won the Calder Cup once in their history, in 2007.
Official Hamilton Bulldogs Website: http://www.hamiltonbulldogs.com/
Contents |
History
The Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Club was established in 1996 after re-locating from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where the team played several years as the Cape Breton Oilers.
On the ice the club has reached the Calder Cup Finals both in 1997, the club's first year, and in 2003 only to lose in both cases. In the 2003 final, game 7, the attendance at Copps Coliseum on June 12, 2003 vs the Houston Aeros was 17,428 marking it the largest playoff crowd in the history of the AHL (the record was since broken in 2005 in Philadelphia). Houston won the game 3–0 and the series 4–3. The Bulldogs won the Calder Cup Final in 2007 against the Hershey Bears. This series was a rematch of the 1997 Calder Cup Final which Hershey won 4 games to 1. The Bulldogs did the exact opposite in 2007 - Hamilton 4 games, and Hershey 1.
Off the ice, the club faced turmoil in 2000 resulting, in a "Stay Dogs Stay" campaign spearheaded by Don Robertson, Ron Burnstein, Nick Javor and club President Cary Kaplan, aimed at keeping the franchise in Hamilton. The campaign was a financial success and resulted in the club remaining in the Steel City with a bolstered fan base and an improved lease with the City of Hamilton.
In spite of a franchise high in attendance in 2001, the Edmonton Oilers announced plans to move their AHL affiliation to Toronto. Local interests made a multi-million dollar investment to secure ownership of the Quebec Citadelles and relocate them to Hamilton thus keeping the Bulldogs in town. For the second time in as many years, the fate of the club was in jeopardy, but ultimately rescued by local interests. The achievement to preserve the franchise was a unique joint venture between the Montreal Canadiens, the Edmonton Oilers, the American Hockey League, and a local consortium of Hamilton owners, which allowed for a joint affiliation in 2002–2003 between Montreal and Edmonton as ownership changed hands. Fans voted to keep the Bulldogs name which won over the Hamilton Canadiens and Hamilton Habs.
In the summer of 2004, Burlington businessman Michael Andlauer became majority owner, governor and chairman of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Andlauer was part of the initial group of local business people, who purchased the club from the Edmonton Oilers in 2002.
Currently in their 13th season The Bulldogs are the longest serving Canadian franchise in the American Hockey League. With having well surpassed the two million (2,000,000) mark in total attendance, the Bulldogs have for a number of years represented a model minor league hockey organization both on and off the ice.
In 2007, the Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup by defeating the Hershey Bears in a 4–1 series. It is their first Calder Cup win in three attempts. In 2008, the Hamilton Bulldogs failed to reach the postseason, this was the first time that the defending Calder Cup Champions failed to reach the post season to defend their title.
Since 2002 Michael Andlauer has been the principal owner of the club since assuming controlling interest in 2004. He has provided a stabalizing force for the franchise.
Franchise Timelines
List of timelines for the two separate franchises known as the Hamilton Bulldogs.
- Edmonton Oilers
- Nova Scotia Oilers (1984–1988)
- Cape Breton Oilers (1988–1996)
- Hamilton Bulldogs (1996–2003)
- Toronto Roadrunners (2003–2004)
- Edmonton Road Runners (2004–2005)
- Springfield Falcons (2007–Present)
- Montreal Canadiens
- Montreal Voyageurs (1969–1971)
- Nova Scotia Voyageurs (1971–1984)
- Sherbrooke Canadiens (1984–1990)
- Fredericton Canadiens (1990–1999)
- Quebec Citadelles (1999–2002)
- Hamilton Bulldogs (2002-present)
Season-By-Season Results
- 1996–2003 Edmonton Oilers Affiliation
- 2002-Present Montreal Canadiens Affiliation
Regular Season
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SOL | Points | Goals for | Goals against | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 80 | 28 | 39 | 9 | 4 | — | 69 | 220 | 276 | 3rd, Canadian |
| 1997–98 | 80 | 36 | 22 | 17 | 5 | — | 94 | 264 | 242 | 2nd, Empire State |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 40 | 29 | 7 | 4 | — | 91 | 229 | 206 | 3rd, Empire State |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 27 | 34 | 13 | 6 | — | 73 | 225 | 262 | 3rd, Empire State |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 28 | 41 | 6 | 5 | — | 67 | 227 | 281 | 4th, Canadian |
| 2001–02 | 80 | 37 | 30 | 10 | 3 | — | 87 | 247 | 205 | 2nd, Canadian |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 49 | 19 | 8 | 4 | — | 110 | 279 | 191 | 1st, Canadian |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 41 | 25 | 10 | 4 | — | 96 | 235 | 191 | 1st, North |
| 2004–05 | 80 | 38 | 29 | — | 6 | 7 | 89 | 225 | 210 | 4th, North |
| 2005–06 | 80 | 35 | 41 | — | 0 | 4 | 74 | 225 | 251 | 6th, North |
| 2006–07 | 80 | 43 | 28 | — | 3 | 6 | 95 | 243 | 208 | 3rd, North |
| 2007–08 | 80 | 36 | 34 | — | 3 | 7 | 82 | 208 | 235 | 4th, North |
| 2008–09 | 80 | 49 | 27 | — | 4 | 0 | 102 | 263 | 201 | 2nd, North |
Playoffs
| Season | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | W, 3–2, SJNB | W, 4–3, SJNL | W, 4–1, ALB | L, 1–4, HER |
| 1997–98 | W, 3–2, SYR | L, 0–4, ALB | — | — |
| 1998–99 | W, 3–2, ALB | L, 2–4, ROCH | — | — |
| 1999–00 | W, 3–1, SYR | L, 2–4, ROCH | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 2001–02 | W, 3–0, QUE | W, 4–1, HART | L, 3–4, BRI | — |
| 2002–03 | W, 3–1, SPR | W, 4–3, MTB | W, 4–1, BING | L, 3–4, HOU |
| 2003–04 | W, 4–2, CLE | L, 0–4, ROCH | — | — |
| 2004–05 | L, 0–4, ROCH | — | — | — |
| 2005–06 | Out of playoffs | |||
| 2006–07 | W, 4–2, ROCH | W, 4–2, MTB | W, 4–1, CHI | W, 4–1, HER |
| 2007–08 | Out of Playoffs | |||
Team Records
Single Season
- Goals: 39 Paul Healey (2000–01)
- Assists: 52 Daniel Cleary (1999–2000)
- Points: 77 Jason Chimera (2001–02)
- Penalty Minutes: 522 Dennis Bonvie (1996–97)
- GAA: 2.10 Jaroslav Halak (2007–08)
- SV%: .929 Steve Passmore (1998–99) & Jaroslav Halak (2007–08)
Playoffs
- Playoff Goaltending Wins (1 Season): 15 Carey Price (2006–2007)
Career
- Career Goals: 85 Corey Locke
- Career Assists: 144 Corey Locke
- Career Points: 229 Corey Locke
- Career Penalty Minutes: 817 Dennis Bonvie
- Career Goaltending Wins: 81 Yann Danis
- Career Shutouts: 11 Jaroslav Halak
- Career Games: 346 Duncan Milroy
Team Captains
- Terran Sandwith 1996–98
- Jeff Daw 1998–99
- Rob Murray 1999–2000
- Scott Ferguson 2000–01
- Alain Nasreddine 2001–02
- Benoit Gratton 2002–04
- Jason Ward 2004–05
- Dan Smith 2005–06
- None 2006–07
- Ajay Baines 2007–08
- Kyle Chipchura 2008-present
Head Coaches
- Lorne Molleken 1996–98
- Walt Kyle 1998–2000
- Claude Julien 2000–03
- Geoff Ward 2003
- Doug Jarvis 2003–05
- Don Lever 2005-2009
- Ron Wilson 2009-Present
President/General Manager
- Glen Sather, President 1996–2000
- Scott Howson, General Manager, 1996–2002
- Cary Kaplan, President 2000–2002 (with club from 1996)
- Steve Katzman, President, 2002–2003
- Brian Lewis, Exec. Director 2003–2006 (with club from 1997)
- Glenn Stanford, President, 2006-Current
Notable Alumni
- Michael Ryder
- Francois Beauchemin
- Jason Chimera
- Scott Ferguson
- Ron Hainsey
- Alex Henry
- Christopher Higgins
- Andrei Kostitsyn
- Dan LaCouture
- Maxim Lapierre
- Georges Laraque
- Fernando Pisani
- Tomas Plekanec
- Jason Ward
- Carey Price
- Daniel Cleary
