The Hamilton Spectator (Garry McKay):
(Apr 15, 2008)
Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer didn’t become a wealthy businessman by settling for the status quo.
Andlauer, a Montreal Canadiens fan who bleeds red, white and blue, is extremely proud of the fact that so many former Hamilton players are playing key rolls in the Habs success this year.
As a businessman, however, he knows he can’t be happy with the fact the Dogs have missed the playoffs two of the last three years with a Calder Cup Championship sandwiched in between. Boom-bust cycles are not a good way to do business.
He’s also smart enough to know that the Montreal Canadiens’ best interests and the Bulldogs’ best interests are not always the same. The Canadiens want the Dogs to be successful but not at the cost of their success.
That’s why Andlauer is eyeing ways of making the Bulldogs more consistently successful on the ice, so his team is less dependant on decisions the Habs brass makes for the Canadiens’ benefit.
“I’m trying to find a better way than the approach that other teams have, in order to be masters of our own destiny,” said Andlauer.
The initiative Andlauer is looking at is called The Chicago Model and it’s loosely patterned after the Chicago Wolves who have been, year-in and year-out, one of the top teams in the American Hockey League since they joined in 2001 when the International Hockey League went under.
Chicago has an affiliation agreement with the Atlanta Thrashers who provide them with young prospects. But the Wolves, who have their own coach and general manager, also go out and get their own veteran players. They don’t rely solely on their NHL parent club to do it for them. Consequently, they often get more free-agent veteran players and more high quality veterans than almost any team in the AHL.
And while the AHL remains a developmental league for NHL prospects, the teams that win most consistently are the teams with enough good veterans to show the younger players how it’s done and to add stability as the prospects move up and down.
That was obvious during the Bulldogs championship run last year when veterans Ajay Baines, Dan Jancevski and Eric Manlow, all of whom Andlauer had agreed to pay for, played key roles.
The Bulldogs missed the playoffs this year, however, and have 12 unrestricted and three restricted free agents on their roster. That all adds up to a potentially huge turnover. And it comes in a season when Montreal doesn’t have a large amount of prospects coming out of the junior, college and European ranks.
“It would be a good time to take a page out of their (Chicago’s) book with what Montreal has in the pipeline,” said Andlauer. He believes strongly that the Canadiens believe in the importance of having a winning team in Hamilton.
“We have to do this sooner than later. We have to start working now at it.”
In other words, whether it’s Montreal or Andlauer himself paying the freight, the Bulldogs will be active in the free agent market.
“We’ve made out our list already. The list comes from (coaches) Don Lever and Ron Wilson and getting the players on that list … will give the coaches a comfort zone to create a winning environment.”
Habster:
Mr. Andlauer is thinking outside the box and being very pro-active to improve his team. The Canadiens will definitely supply the Bulldogs with some decent prospects next season, players like Valentenko, Carle, Trotter, D’Agostini, Locke (RFA), Wyman, White and Maxwell.
There could also be the potential of other players being signed and sent to Hamilton. David Fischer (entering his junior year at Minnesota) and Philippe Paquet (entering his senior year at Clarkson) could decide to start their pro careers and sign pro contracts.
It’s a great idea to sign more quality AHL veterans who would stabilize the Bulldogs roster when the Canadiens recall their players to the NHL. The only drawback would be the limited roster spots available for the Canadiens to develop their prospects……..then again, Bryan Smolinski and Michael Ryder most likely won’t be back with the Habs so there will be two available forward positions up for grabs next year unless Gainey can sign a top scoring UFA(s) in the off-season.
