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.

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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.

This market was previously served by:

• Hamilton Canucks (1992 to 1994)

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)

Current roster

Roster on April 7 2009

Goaltenders
#		align=left	Player	Catches	Date of birth	Place of birth
30		Cedrick Desjardins	L	September 30, 1985	Edmundston, New Brunswick
38		Marc Denis	L	August 1, 1977	Montreal, Quebec

Defencemen
#		align=left	Player	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth
4		Dan Jancevski	L	June 15, 1981	Windsor, Ontario
5		Alex Henry	L	October 18, 1979	Elliot Lake, Ontario
6		Chad Anderson	R	June 16, 1982	Chisago City, Minnesota
7		Yannick Weber	R	September 23, 1988	Zurich, Switzerland
10		J.T. Wyman	R	February 27, 1986	Edina, Minnesota
24		T. J. Kemp	L	July 3, 1981	Pickering, Ontario
44		Shawn Belle	L	January 3, 1985	Edmonton, Alberta
72		Mathieu Carle	R	September 30, 1987	Gatineau, Quebec

Forwards
#		align=left	Player	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth
11		Steve Gainey	L	January 26, 1979	Montreal, Quebec
12		Andrew Conboy	L	May 16, 1988	Burnsville, Minnesota
15		Mike Glumac	R	April 5, 1980	Niagara Falls, Ontario
16		Gregory Stewart	L	May 21, 1986	Kitchener, Ontario
17		Kyle Chipchura	L	February 19, 1986	Westlock, Alberta
19		Brock Trotter	R	September 18, 1987	Brandon, Manitoba
20		Ryan Russell	L	May 2, 1987	Caroline, Alberta
23		Max Pacioretty	L	November 20, 1988	New Canaan, Connecticut
28		Ryan White	R	March 17, 1988	Brandon, Manitoba
36		David Desharnais	L	September 14, 1986	Quebec City, Quebec
39		Thomas Beauregard	R	February 9, 1986	Montreal, Quebec
41		Mathieu Aubin	R	September 18, 1986	Sorel, Quebec
42		Olivier Latendresse	L	February 12, 1986	LaSalle, Quebec
49		Ryan Flinn	L	April 20, 1980	Halifax, Nova Scotia
85		Ben Maxwell	L	March 30, 1988	North Vancouver, British Columbia

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
2008–09	L, 4–2, GRG	—	—	—