Hamilton wins overall points title
April 5, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
SPRINGFIELD, MA ... The Hamilton Bulldogs have won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the American Hockey League's 2002-03 regular season points champion. The Bulldogs clinched first place overall with a 5-3 victory over the Manitoba Moose at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton on Saturday night.
With one game remaining, the Bulldogs own a record of 49-18-8-4, good for 110 points. The Canadian Division champions will be the top seed in the Eastern Conference when the Calder Cup 2003 Playoffs begin next week.
As the top development team for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers, the Bulldogs' roster has been stocked all season with some of the brightest young players in the game, including recent first- and second-round draft picks such as Mike Komisarek, Ron Hainsey, Jarret Stoll, Jani Rita and 2003 First Team AHL All-Star Jason Ward. Hamilton was 33-6-3-3 under head coach Claude Julien before he was promoted to the head coaching position in Montreal on Jan. 17; the Bulldogs have gone 16-12-5-1 under his replacement, Geoff Ward.
The Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, which was instituted in 1997, honors the late Macgregor Kilpatrick, a member of the AHL Board of Governors for 27 years. Kilpatrick also served as the AHL's senior vice president and general counsel during his tenure, and earned the James C. Hendy Award in 1976 as the league's outstanding executive.
Now in its 67th season, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 77 percent of all players to compete in the NHL this season have been AHL graduates, and over 380 players have taken the ice in both leagues in 2002-03. Four AHL head coaches have also been promoted to the NHL during this season.
The Calder Cup 2003 Playoffs get underway in just a few days, with 20 teams vying for the honor of capturing the league's coveted championship trophy.
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