View source for Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)

{{Short description|Ice hockey team in the American Hockey League}}
{{For|the [[Ontario Hockey League]] team|Hamilton Bulldogs}}
{{Infobox ice hockey team
| current     =
| text_color  = Black
| bg_color    = background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#A6192E 5px solid; border-bottom:#012169 5px solid;
| team        = Hamilton Bulldogs 
|logo         = Hamilton Bulldogs.svg
| logosize    = 200px
| city        = [[Hamilton, Ontario]]
| league      = [[American Hockey League]]
| conference  = Western Conference
| division    = North Division
| founded     = [[1984–85 AHL season|1984]] (first franchise)<br>[[1996-97 AHL season|1996]] (second franchise)
| operated    = [[1996–97 AHL season|1996]]–[[2014–15 AHL season|2015]]
| arena       = [[FirstOntario Centre]]
| colours     = Blue, red, copper, tan, white<br>{{color box|#013475}} {{color box|#BF2F38}} {{color box|#9E6F53}} {{color box|#D4AE7D}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}}
| owner       = 
| coach       = 
| GM          = 
| media       = ''[[The Hamilton Spectator]]''<br>''[[CHML|AM900 CHML]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.900chml.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocalGeneral/story.aspx?ID=1997934|title=CHML & Bulldogs sign broadcast deal }}</ref>''<br>''[[TVA Sports]]''
| affiliates  = [[Edmonton Oilers]] ([[National Hockey League|NHL]])<br>[[Montreal Canadiens]] (NHL)
<!---Franchise history--->
| name1       = '''First franchise'''
| name2       = [[Nova Scotia Oilers]]<br>[[Cape Breton Oilers]]
| dates2      = 1984–1988 <br> 1988–1996
| name3       = '''Hamilton Bulldogs''' <br> [[Toronto Roadrunners]]
| dates3      = 1996–2003 <br> 2003–2004
| name4       = [[Edmonton Road Runners]] <br> [[Oklahoma City Barons]]
| dates4      = 2004–2005 <br> 2010–2015
| name5       = [[Bakersfield Condors]]
| dates5      = 2015–present
| name7       = '''Second franchise'''
| name8       = [[Nova Scotia Voyageurs|Montreal Voyageurs]] <br> [[Nova Scotia Voyageurs]]
| dates8      = 1969–1971 <br> 1971–1984
| name9       = [[Sherbrooke Canadiens]] <br> [[Fredericton Canadiens]]
| dates9      = 1984–1990 <br> 1990–1999
| name10      = [[Quebec Citadelles]] <br> '''Hamilton Bulldogs'''
| dates10     = 1999–2002 <br> 2002–2015
| name11      = [[St. John's IceCaps]]
| dates11     = 2015–2017
| name12      = [[Laval Rocket]]
| dates12     = 2017–present
<!---Championships--->
|reg_season_titles = '''1''' ([[2002–03 AHL season|2002–03]])
|division_titles = '''4''' ([[2002–03 AHL season|2002–03]], [[2003–04 AHL season|2003–04]], [[2009–10 AHL season|2009–10]], [[2010–11 AHL season|2010–11]])
|conf_titles = '''3''' ([[1996–97 AHL season|1996–97]], [[2002–03 AHL season|2002–03]], [[2006–07 AHL season|2006–07]])
|calder_cups = '''1''' ([[2006–07 AHL season|2006–07]])
}}
[[File:Aaron Palushaj - Hamilton Bulldogs - 2012-11-09.jpg|thumb|right|[[Aaron Palushaj]] wearing the Bulldogs uniform during a game played at the Bell Centre in Montreal]]
The '''Hamilton Bulldogs''' were a professional [[ice hockey]] team in the [[American Hockey League]]. They played in [[Hamilton, Ontario]], at [[FirstOntario Centre]] (formerly known as Copps Coliseum), nicknamed 'The Dog Pound'. They were the AHL affiliate of the NHL's [[Edmonton Oilers]] and [[Montreal Canadiens]] as two separate franchises over 19 seasons of continuous participation in the AHL. The team won the [[Calder Cup]] once in its history, in 2007.

==History==
===1996–2002: Edmonton Oilers AHL franchise===
The Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Club was first established in 1996 following the relocation of the [[Cape Breton Oilers]]. The team was nicknamed the "Bulldogs" as it was determined to best suit the City of Hamilton. The name "Hamilton Havoc" was runner-up.

On the ice, the club reached the [[Calder Cup]] Finals three times. Firstly in 1997, the club's first year, and again in 2003 only to lose in both cases. The 2003 game 7 final was played June 12, 2003, vs the [[Houston Aeros (1994–2013)|Houston Aeros]]. The attendance at Copps Coliseum was 17,428, making it the largest playoff crowd in the history of the AHL (the record was later broken in 2005 in Philadelphia). Houston won the game 3–0 and the series 4–3.  The Bulldogs finally 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 reversed that in 2007 – Hamilton 4 games to Hershey's 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, Ontario|Hamilton]].

===2002–2015: Montreal Canadiens affiliation, and keeping the Bulldogs in Hamilton===
In spite of a franchise high in attendance in 2001, the [[Edmonton Oilers]] announced plans to move their AHL franchise to Toronto. The same "Stay Dogs Stay" committee went back to work for the second consecutive year, and secured local interests who made a multimillion-dollar investment to secure ownership of the [[Quebec Citadelles]] franchise from the [[Montreal Canadiens]] and merged them with Hamilton, thus keeping the Bulldogs in town.<ref name="Hamilton to St. John's">{{Cite web|date=March 12, 2015|title=The Montreal Canadiens announce the transfer of the Hamilton Bulldogs to St.John's, Newfoundland|url=http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=757730|access-date=March 12, 2015|website=[[Montreal Canadiens]]|publisher=}}</ref> The achievement to preserve the team 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 [[2002–03 AHL season|2002–03]] between Montreal and Edmonton as ownership changed hands. After the 2002–03 season, the Oilers officially relocated their franchise to Toronto and became the [[Toronto Roadrunners]]. As part of the merger agreement, the Bulldogs were able to retain much of their team and staff that had been affiliated with the Canadiens to keep team continuity for the following season. 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]] bought out much of the minority shares of the franchise to become majority owner, governor, and chairman of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Andlauer was part of the initial group of local businesspeople who purchased the Bulldogs team from the Edmonton Oilers and the Citadelles franchise from the Montreal Canadiens in 2002. By 2011, Andlauer owned 100% of the franchise.

[[File:AHL- June 7 Bears v Bulldogs (38634699440).jpg|thumb|left|2006-07 Bulldogs with the Calder Cup]]

In the 2006–07 season, the Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup after defeating the [[Hershey Bears]] in the Calder Cup finals in five games. However, they failed to qualify for the playoffs in the 2007–08 season, making them the first defending Calder Cup champion to miss the playoffs in the following season since the Calder Cup playoff bracket expanded from 12 teams to 16 teams in 1996.

In 2010, fans saw the Bulldogs under coach [[Guy Boucher]] advance to the Western Conference finals against the [[Texas Stars]], only to lose a hard-fought series in game seven.

===2015: repurchase by the Canadiens and relocation to St. John's===
On March 12, 2015, Michael Andlauer announced that he had sold the Hamilton Bulldogs' AHL franchise back to the Canadiens, and that the team would move to [[St. John's, Newfoundland]] for the [[2015–16 AHL season|2015–16 season]] as the [[St. John's IceCaps]].<ref name = "Hamilton to St. John's"/> The existing [[True North Sports and Entertainment]]-owned IceCaps, which are affiliated with the [[Winnipeg Jets]], moved back to Winnipeg as the [[Manitoba Moose]]. Concurrently, Andlauer announced his acquisition of the [[Ontario Hockey League]]'s [[Belleville Bulls]], and that the team would be moved to Hamilton and adopt the Bulldogs name.<ref name="cbc-hammove">{{cite web|date=March 12, 2015|title=Hamilton Bulldogs sell AHL franchise, buy the OHL Belleville Bulls|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/hamilton-bulldogs-sell-ahl-franchise-buy-the-ohl-belleville-bulls-1.2992840|access-date=March 12, 2015|website=[[CBC News]]}}</ref>

===Franchise timelines===
List of timelines for the two separate franchises known as the Hamilton Bulldogs.

;Edmonton Oilers AHL franchise:
*[[Nova Scotia Oilers]] (1984–1988)
*[[Cape Breton Oilers]] (1988–1996)
*'''Hamilton Bulldogs''' (1996–2003)
*[[Toronto Roadrunners]] (2003–2004)
*[[Edmonton Road Runners]] (2004–2005)
*Franchise dormant from 2005–2010
*[[Oklahoma City Barons]] (2010–2015) – Edmonton Oilers franchise resurrected.
*[[Bakersfield Condors (AHL)|Bakersfield Condors]] (2015–present)


;Montreal Canadiens AHL franchise:
*[[Montreal Voyageurs]] (1969–1971)
*[[Nova Scotia Voyageurs]] (1971–1984)
*[[Sherbrooke Canadiens]] (1984–1990)
*[[Fredericton Canadiens]] (1990–1999)
*[[Quebec Citadelles]] (1999–2002)
*'''Hamilton Bulldogs''' (2002–2015) – Affiliation only; franchise purchased by the ownership group of Hamilton Bulldogs and fully owned by Michael Andlauer in 2004.
*[[St. John's IceCaps]] (2015–2017) – Canadiens ownership group repurchased franchise license from Michael Andlauer.
*[[Laval Rocket]] (2017– )

==Season-by-season results==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-size:100%"
|-
!colspan=12|Regular season
!colspan=5|Playoffs
|-
!Season
!Games
!Won
!Lost
!Tied
!OTL
!SOL
!Points
!PCT
!Goals<br>for
!Goals<br>against
!Standing
!Year
!1st<br>round
!2nd<br>round
!3rd<br>round
!Finals
|-
|[[1996–97 AHL season|1996–97]] || 80 || 28 || 39 || 9 || 4 ||—|| 69 || .431 || 220 || 276 || 3rd, Canadian || [[1997 Calder Cup playoffs|1997]] || W, 3–2, [[Saint John Flames|SJF]] || W, 4–3, [[St. John's Maple Leafs|SJM]] || W, 4–1, [[Albany River Rats|ALB]] || L, 1–4, [[Hershey Bears|HER]]
|- 
|[[1997–98 AHL season|1997–98]] || 80 || 36 || 22 || 17 || 5 ||—|| 94 || .588 || 264 || 242 || 2nd, Empire State || [[1998 Calder Cup playoffs|1998]] || W, 3–2, [[Syracuse Crunch|SYR]] || L, 0–4, [[Albany River Rats|ALB]] ||—||—
|- 
|[[1998–99 AHL season|1998–99]] || 80 || 40 || 29 || 7 || 4 ||—|| 91 || .569 || 229 || 206 || 3rd, Empire State || [[1999 Calder Cup playoffs|1999]] || W, 3–2, [[Albany River Rats|ALB]] || L, 2–4, [[Rochester Americans|RCH]] ||—||—
|- 
|[[1999–00 AHL season|1999–00]] || 80 || 27 || 34 || 13 || 6 ||—|| 73 || .456 || 225 || 262 || 3rd, Empire State || [[2000 Calder Cup playoffs|2000]] || W, 3–1, [[Syracuse Crunch|SYR]] || L, 2–4, [[Rochester Americans|RCH]] ||—||—
|- 
|[[2000–01 AHL season|2000–01]] || 80 || 28 || 41 || 6 || 5 ||—|| 67 || .419 || 227 || 281 || 4th, Canadian || [[2001 Calder Cup playoffs|2001]] ||colspan="4"|Did not qualify
|- 
|[[2001–02 AHL season|2001–02]] || 80 || 37 || 30 || 10 || 3 ||—|| 87 || .544 || 247 || 205 || 2nd, Canadian ||[[2002 Calder Cup playoffs|2002]] || W, 3–0, [[Quebec Citadelles|QUE]] || W, 4–1, [[Hartford Wolf Pack|HFD]] || L, 3–4, [[Bridgeport Sound Tigers|BRI]] ||— 
|-
|[[2002–03 AHL season|2002–03]] || 80 || 49 || 19 || 8 || 4 ||—|| 110 || .688 || 279 || 191 || '''1st, Canadian''' || [[2003 Calder Cup playoffs|2003]] || W, 3–1, [[Springfield Falcons|SPR]] || W, 4–3, [[Manitoba Moose|MTB]] || W, 4–1, [[Binghamton Senators|BNG]] || L, 3–4, [[Houston Aeros (1994–2013)|HOU]]
|-
|[[2003–04 AHL season|2003–04]] || 80 || 41 || 25 || 10 || 4 ||—|| 96 || .600 || 235 || 191 || '''1st, North''' || [[2004 Calder Cup playoffs|2004]] || W, 4–2, [[Cleveland Barons (2001–2006)|CLE]] || L, 0–4, [[Rochester Americans|RCH]] ||—||—
|-
|[[2004–05 AHL season|2004–05]] || 80 || 38 || 29 ||—|| 6 || 7 || 89 || .556 || 225 || 210 || 4th, North || [[2005 Calder Cup playoffs|2005]] || L, 0–4, [[Rochester Americans|RCH]] ||—||—||— 
|-
|[[2005–06 AHL season|2005–06]] || 80 || 35 || 41 ||—|| 0 || 4 || 74 || .463 || 225 || 251 || 6th, North || [[2006 Calder Cup playoffs|2006]] ||colspan="4"| Did not qualify
|-
|[[2006–07 AHL season|2006–07]] || 80 || 43 || 28 ||—|| 3 || 6 || 95 || .594 || 243 || 208 || 3rd, North || [[2007 Calder Cup playoffs|2007]] || W, 4–2, [[Rochester Americans|RCH]] || W, 4–2, [[Manitoba Moose|MTB]] || W, 4–1, [[Chicago Wolves|CHI]] || '''W, 4–1, [[Hershey Bears|HER]]'''
|-
|[[2007–08 AHL season|2007–08]] || 80 || 36 || 34 ||—|| 3 || 7 || 82 || .513 || 208 || 235 || 4th, North || [[2008 Calder Cup playoffs|2008]] ||colspan="4"|Did not qualify
|-
|[[2008–09 AHL season|2008–09]] || 80 || 49 || 27 ||—|| 4 || 0 || 102 || .638 || 263 || 201 || 2nd, North || [[2009 Calder Cup playoffs|2009]] || L, 2–4, [[Grand Rapids Griffins|GRG]] ||—||—||—
|-
|[[2009–10 AHL season|2009–10]] || 80 || 52 || 17 ||—|| 3 || 8 || 115 || .719 || 271 || 182 || '''1st, North''' ||[[2010 Calder Cup playoffs|2010]] || W, 4–2, [[Manitoba Moose|MTB]] || W 4–2, [[Abbotsford Heat|ABB]] || L, 3–4, [[Texas Stars|TEX]] ||—
|-
|[[2010–11 AHL season|2010–11]] || 80 || 44 || 27 ||—|| 2 || 7 || 95 || .606 || 229 || 192 || '''1st, North''' || [[2011 Calder Cup playoffs|2011]] || W, 4–2, [[Oklahoma City Barons|OKC]] || W, 4–3, [[Manitoba Moose|MTB]]|| L, 3–4, [[Houston Aeros (1994–2013)|HOU]] ||—
|-
|[[2011–12 AHL season|2011–12]] || 76 || 34 || 35 ||—|| 2 || 5 || 75 || .493 || 185 || 226 || 5th, North || [[2012 Calder Cup playoffs|2012]] ||colspan="4"|Did not qualify
|-
|[[2012–13 AHL season|2012–13]] || 76 || 29 || 41 ||—|| 1 || 5 || 64 || .421 || 159 || 228 || 5th, North || [[2013 Calder Cup playoffs|2013]] ||colspan="4"|Did not qualify
|-
|[[2013–14 AHL season|2013–14]] || 76 || 33 || 35 ||—|| 1 || 7 || 74 || .487 || 182 || 224 || 5th, North || [[2014 Calder Cup playoffs|2014]] ||colspan="4"|Did not qualify
|-
|[[2014–15 AHL season|2014–15]] || 76 || 34 || 29 ||—|| 12 || 1 || 81 || .533 || 201 || 208 || 3rd, North || [[2014 Calder Cup playoffs|2014]] ||colspan="4"|Did not qualify
|}

==Players==
{{Main|Category:Hamilton Bulldogs players}}

===Team captains===
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
*[[Terran Sandwith]] 1996–98
*[[Jeff Daw]] 1998–99
*[[Rob Murray]] 1999–2000
*[[Scott Ferguson (ice hockey)|Scott Ferguson]] 2000–01
*[[Alain Nasreddine]] 2001–02
*[[Benoît Gratton|Benoit Gratton]] 2002–04
*[[Jason Ward (ice hockey)|Jason Ward]] 2004–05
*[[Dan Smith (ice hockey)|Dan Smith]] 2005–06
*[[Ajay Baines]] 2007–08
*[[Kyle Chipchura]] 2008–09
*[[Mathieu Darche]] 2009
*[[Alex Henry]] 2009–2012
*[[Martin St. Pierre (ice hockey)|Martin St. Pierre]] 2013–2014
*[[Gabriel Dumont (ice hockey)|Gabriel Dumont]] 2014–15
}}

===Notable NHL alumni===
List of Hamilton Bulldogs alumni who played more than 100 games in Hamilton and 100 or more games in the [[National Hockey League]].

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
*{{flagicon|SUI}} [[Sven Andrighetto]]
*[[François Beauchemin|Francois Beauchemin]]
*[[Nathan Beaulieu]]
*[[André Benoit|Andre Benoit]]
*[[Marc-André Bergeron|Marc-Andre Bergeron]]
*[[Mike Blunden]]
*[[Sean Brown (ice hockey)|Sean Brown]]
*[[Jason Chimera]]
*[[Kyle Chipchura]]
*[[Matt D'Agostini]]
*[[David Desharnais]]
*[[Scott Ferguson (ice hockey)|Scott Ferguson]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ron Hainsey]]
*[[Alex Henry]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Chris Higgins (ice hockey)|Chris Higgins]]
*{{flagicon|LAT}} [[Raitis Ivanāns|Raitis Ivanans]]
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Andrei Kostitsyn]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dan LaCouture]]
*[[Maxim Lapierre]]
*[[Georges Laraque]]
*[[Craig Millar (ice hockey)|Craig Millar]]
*[[Bryan Muir]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Brad Norton]]
*[[Ryan O'Byrne]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Pateryn]]
*[[Fernando Pisani]]
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Tomáš Plekanec|Tomas Plekanec]]
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Alexei Semenov (hockey player)|Alexei Semenov]]
*[[Zack Stortini]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jarred Tinordi]]
*[[Patrick Traverse]]
*[[Jason Ward (ice hockey)|Jason Ward]]
*{{flagicon|SUI}} [[Yannick Weber]]
*[[Ryan White (ice hockey)|Ryan White]]
}}

==Team records==
===Single season===
:'''Goals:''' [[Paul Healey]], 39 (2000–01)
:'''Assists:''' [[Daniel Cleary]], 52 (1999–2000)
:'''Points:''' [[David Desharnais]], 78 (2009–10)
:'''Penalty minutes:''' [[Dennis Bonvie]], 522 (1996–97)
:'''GAA:''' [[Cédrick Desjardins|Cedrick Desjardins]], 2.00 (2009–10)
:'''SV%:''' [[Steve Passmore]] (1998–99) & [[Jaroslav Halák|Jaroslav Halak]] (2007–08), .929
:'''Points:''' 115 (2009–10)
:'''Most wins overall:''' 52 (2009–10)
:'''Most wins at home:''' 25
:'''Most wins on the road:''' 27

===Playoffs===
:'''Playoff goaltending wins (1 season):''' [[Carey Price]], 15 (2006–2007)

===Career===
:'''Career goals:''' [[Corey Locke]], 85
:'''Career assists:''' Corey Locke, 144
:'''Career points:''' Corey Locke, 229
:'''Career penalty minutes:''' [[Dennis Bonvie]], 817
:'''Career goaltending wins:''' [[Yann Danis]], 81
:'''Career shutouts:''' [[Jaroslav Halák|Jaroslav Halak]], 11
:'''Career games:''' [[Alex Henry]], 486

==Head coaches==
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
*[[Lorne Molleken]] 1996–98
*[[Walt Kyle]] 1998–2000
*[[Claude Julien (ice hockey)|Claude Julien]] 2000–03
*[[Geoff Ward (ice hockey)|Geoff Ward]] 2003
*[[Doug Jarvis]] 2003–05
*[[Don Lever]] 2005–2009
*[[Ron Wilson (ice hockey, born 1956)|Ron Wilson]] 2009–June 2009
*[[Guy Boucher]] 2009–2010
*[[Randy Cunneyworth]] 2010–2011
*[[Clément Jodoin|Clement Jodoin]] 2011–2012
*[[Sylvain Lefebvre]] 2012–2015
}}

==Team presidents and general managers==
*[[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, 2003–2006
*[[Glenn Stanford]], president, 2006–2010
*[[Bob McNamara (sports executive)|Bob McNamara]], president, 2010–2011
*Stephen Ostaszewicz, president, 2012–2015
*[[Marc Bergevin]], general manager, 2012–2015

==See also==
*[[List of ice hockey teams in Ontario]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.hamiltonbulldogs.com}}

{{Laval Rocket}}
{{AHL Bakersfield Condors}}
{{Defunct AHL}}
{{Hamilton}}

[[Category:Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)| ]]
[[Category:Edmonton Oilers minor league affiliates]]
[[Category:Ice hockey clubs established in 1996]]
[[Category:Montreal Canadiens minor league affiliates]]
[[Category:Tampa Bay Lightning minor league affiliates]]
[[Category:Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2015]]
[[Category:1996 establishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:2015 disestablishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:Defunct ice hockey teams in Hamilton, Ontario|Bulldogs]]