Hamilton Bulldogs 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 . 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 lengthy 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 . Michael Andlauer who has become a minority owner of the parent Montreal Canadiens , has provided great stability to the franchise . 2010 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 15th season , the Bulldogs are the longest serving non - NHL pro hockey franchise in Canada , the longest serving Canadian AHL franchise , and one of its most successful franchises with over 2 , 500 , 000 fans to date . Of the 30 AHL franchises , the Bulldogs are 7th in tenure ( behind only Rochester , Hershey , Providence , Portland , Syracuse and Springfield ) . This market was previously served by : Franchise timelines . List of timelines for the two separate franchises known as the Hamilton Bulldogs . < > Edmonton Roadrunners resurrected as the Oklahoma City Barons .