Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
| Hamilton Bulldogs | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Hamilton, Ontario |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Western Conference |
| Division | North Division |
| Founded |
1984 (first franchise) 1969 (second franchise) |
| Operated | 1996–2015 |
| Home arena | FirstOntario Centre |
| Colours | Blue, red, copper, tan, white |
| Media |
The Hamilton Spectator AM900 CHML TVA Sports |
| Affiliates |
Montreal Canadiens Edmonton Oilers |
| Franchise history | |
| First franchise | |
| 1984–1988 1988–1996 |
Nova Scotia Oilers Cape Breton Oilers |
| 1996–2003 2003–2004 |
Hamilton Bulldogs Toronto Roadrunners |
| 2004–2005 2010–2015 |
Edmonton Road Runners Oklahoma City Barons |
| 2015–present | Bakersfield Condors |
| Second franchise | |
| 1969–1971 1971–1984 |
Montreal Voyageurs Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| 1984–1990 1990–1999 |
Sherbrooke Canadiens Fredericton Canadiens |
| 1999–2002 2002–2015 |
Quebec Citadelles Hamilton Bulldogs |
| 2015–present | St. John's IceCaps |
| beginning in 2017 | Laval Rocket |
| 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, at FirstOntario Centre (formerly known as Copps Coliseum), nicknamed 'The Dog Pound'. They were the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. The team won the Calder Cup once in its history, in 2007.
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 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 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. 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 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.
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