Three Bulldogs Grads to play in NHL All-Star Game

January 23, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


HAMILTON, ON - Three former Hamilton Bulldogs graduates, defenceman Mike Komisarek and goaltenders Carey Price and Tim Thomas, will take part in the NHL Skills Competition on Saturday and the NHL All-Star game on Sunday. Former Bulldogs Head Coach Claude Julien will be coaching the Eastern Conference All-Stars while former Hamilton equipment manager Patrick Langlois will serve as the Eastern sides' equipment manager. Current ‘Dogs defenceman Yannick Weber will compete in the AHL Skills Competition on Sunday before starting for PlanetUSA at the AHL All-Star Classic on Monday.

Komisarek, 27, will be making his first appearance as an NHL all-star and will start on the blue line for the Eastern Conference. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound defenceman played with the Bulldogs in parts of three seasons from 2002 until 2005. He played a total of 94 games with the ‘Dogs accumulating 44 points (eight goals, 36 assists) along with 175 penalty minutes. This season, the native of West Islip, New York has played in 30 games with the Canadiens registering five points (one goal, four assists) along with 53 penalty minutes. Komisarek was drafted in the 1st round, 7th overall by Montreal in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Price, 21, will start in goal for the Eastern Conference All-Stars in Sunday's game and will also serve as the goaltender for the sophomores in the YoungStars game on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound goaltender won the Calder Cup with the Bulldogs in 2007 after going 15-6 in 22 post-season games while holding a 2.06 goals against average and a .936 save percentage. Montreal's 1st round, 5th overall selection in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft was also awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the playoffs. This season the native of Vancouver, British Columbia has played in 27 games with the Canadiens compiling a record of 16-5-5 with a 2.35 goals against average and 0.919 save percentage.

Thomas, 34, was named to the Eastern Conference for the second straight year. This season, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound netminder holds a record of 20-5-4 while leading all NHL goaltenders with a .934 save percentage and ranking fourth among NHL netminders with a 2.09 goals against average. The native of Flint, Michigan played 15 games for the Bulldogs during the 1998-1999 season earning a record of 6-8-0 with a 3.23 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. Thomas was originally drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 9th round, 217th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft April 21st turned out to be quite the night for 'Dogs grads who found the scoresheet on all five Habs goals.

Julien coached the Bulldogs from 2000-2003 leading the club to the Conference Final in 2002. He amassed a record of 98-77-19-11 (W-L-T-OTL) in 205 games with Hamilton while earning a 24-14 post-season record. The former ‘Dogs bench boss has led the Bruins to a 34-8-5 this season. Langlois served as Hamilton's equipment manager from 2002 to 2006.

Weber, 20, is in his rookie season with the Bulldogs and leads all ‘Dogs defencemen in points with 23 (nine goals, 14 assists) along with 20 penalty minutes. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound blueliner leads all AHL rookie defencemen in shots with 105 and is second among AHL defencemen in power-play goals with six. The native of Morges, Switzerland was the 3rd round, 73rd overall selection of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

For highlight purposes only, here is the satellite information for this weekend's 2009 AHL All-Star Classic.

The event will also be broadcast live on TSN in Canada and on several regional sports networks in the United States: http://www.theahl.com/pagebank/index.html?id=9391



American Hockey League Stories from January 23, 2009


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