American Hockey League Wiki
Hamilton Bulldogs
250px-Hamilton Bulldogs.svg
City: Hamilton, Ontario
League: American Hockey League
Conference: Western Conference
Division: North Division
Founded: 1996
Home Arena: Copps Coliseum
Colours: Copper, Red, blue, white

                   

Owner(s): Michael Andlauer
Head Coach: Sylvain Lefebvre
Media: Hamilton Spectator
CHAM (AM)
Affiliates: Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Franchise history
1984–1988
1988–1996:
Nova Scotia Oilers
Cape Breton Oilers
1996–2003
2003–2004:
Hamilton Bulldogs
Toronto Roadrunners
2004–2005
2010–present:
Edmonton Road Runners
Oklahoma City Barons
1969–1971
1971–1984:
Montreal Voyageurs
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
1984–1990
1990–1999:
Sherbrooke Canadiens
Fredericton Canadiens
1999–2002
2002–present:
Quebec Citadelles
Hamilton Bulldogs
Championships
Regular Season Titles: 1 (2002–03)
Division Championships: 4 (2002–03, 2003–04, 2009–10, 2010–11)
Conference Championships: 3 (1996–97, 2002–03, 2006–07)
Calder Cups: 1 (2006–07)

The Hamilton Bulldogs were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at Copps Coliseum (now called the FirstOntario Centre), 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/

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. The team was nicknamed the "Bulldogs" after a lenghty name the team contest; and was determined to best suit the City of Hamilton. The name "Hamilton Havoc" was runner-up.

On the ice the club has 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. The attendance at Copps Coliseum was 17,428, making 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 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.

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. By 2011, Andlauer owned 100% of the franchise.

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.

Soon to start their 17th season, the Bulldogs are the longest serving non-NHL pro hockey franchise in Canada, the longest serving Canadian AHL franchise (a record it gained in 2010 previously held by the St. John's Maple Leafs, which played 14 seasons from 1991 to 2005), and one of its most successful franchises with over 2,500,000 fans to date.

In 2015, Michael Andlauer announced that he sold the Hamilton Bulldogs back to the Montreal Canadiens, and he bought the OHL Belleville Bulls (now called the Hamilton Bulldogs).

In 2022, the Bulldogs announced they would be moving to Brantford for atleast 2 seasons, as the FirstOntario Centre is closed for renovations.

Franchise Timelines[]

This market was previously served by:

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

Edmonton Oilers AHL Affiliates

<>Edmonton Road Runners resurrected as the Oklahoma City Barons.

Montreal Canadiens AHL Affiliates

Season-by-Season Results[]

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
2009–10 80 52 17 3 8 115 271 182 1st, North
2010–11 80 44 27 2 7 95 229 192 1st, North
2011–12 76 34 35 2 5 75 185 226 5th, 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
2008–09 L, 2–4, GRG
2009–10 W, 4–2, MTB W 4–2, ABB L, 3–4, TEX
2010–11 W, 4–2, OKC W, 4–3, MTB L, 3–4, HOU
2011–12 Out of Playoffs