The Hamilton Spectator

It’s ALL about making playoffs

- SCOTT RADLEY

Inside the Hamilton Bulldogs’ newly repainted and recarpeted black and gold dressing room, a series of inspiratio­nal words have been painted in giant block letters above the players’ stalls.

And while “Accountabi­lity,” “Trust” and “Discipline” may not inspire the same goose-bumpy response as “From failing hands we pass the torch …” they’ll do.

What should have been written on the walls in capital letters as the team’s uncluttere­d mission statement and singular purpose, however, is a lot more direct: MAKE THE DARN PLAYOFFS.

Over the past five years, Hamilton has become the Land That Playoffs Forgot. Half a decade has brought not a single post-season contest to the FirstOntar­io Centre. Not one. Not with the American Hockey League. Not with the Ontario Hockey League.

Brutal as that is, there may be cause to believe those days are ending. A pair of big wins on opening weekend — 7-0 over Mississaug­a and 7-2 over Kingston — were impressive and optimism-infusing to be sure.

Even if they came against teams missing key players who are still at NHL training camps.

It would be terrific if these truly are signs a corner is being turned. Because while this season is about colour changes and new logos and marketing bells and whistles, none of it means a whit if this team again fails to qualify for the end-of-theseason tournament.

“I’m not going to lie,” head coach John Gruden said on the first day of training camp a few weeks ago. “I expect this team to make the playoffs.”

Then he paused for a second before finishing his thought. “We’d better.” Some will quibble. Some will say this level of hockey is really about developmen­t. Churning out players ready to make the next step is what the OHL is all about. So that’s the true target.

The thing is, these two goals are not mutually exclusive.

If players are developing, they’ll be better. If they’re better, their team will qualify for the post-season.

Besides, making it to the post-season in this league isn’t exactly the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest in ill-fitting Crocs. In the 20-team OHL, 16 make the playoffs. You have an 80 per cent chance of getting in. Statistica­lly, it’s harder not to make it.

And consider the battlegrou­nd. In the Eastern Conference, the Sudbury Wolves finished 20 points behind Hamilton last season. Barrie has shed most of its best players through graduation. Niagara went for it all last year and it cost the IceDogs much of its immediate future. Right there you have three of the squads that should be easily surpassabl­e. Into that mix, throw Kingston, which lost a bunch of talent, and Peterborou­gh as well.

In other words, to achieve the bareminimu­m acceptable outcome, all the Bulldogs have to do is be better than two of those teams. They should be able to do that and quite a bit more.

In fact, anything short of hosting a first-round playoff series would be disappoint­ing.

Many so-called experts around the league have them finishing as high as second, though third or fourth might be a fairer target.

The eye-popping opening games notwithsta­nding, nobody expects a championsh­ip this year. A year from now the Bulldogs can hopefully jump into that conversati­on. But for now, getting to the post-season, getting some experience in those meaningful games and, frankly, giving the locals some springtime hockey that matters is the barest of bare essentials.

To that end, the first weekend was great. Two games, two wins and loads of scoring. There were some great individual performanc­es and the fans were entertaine­d. Can’t do more than that.

“I’m very happy with the way they’re coming together,” Gruden said Saturday. “You can see it out there. It’s very exciting.”

It is. More than anything, these two games showed glimpses of the talent that’s here and made a rather loud statement that this year, at long last, the postseason should once again include a team from Hamilton.

As Gruden says, it’d better.

905-526-2440 @radleyatth­espec Spectator columnist Scott Radley hosts The Scott Radley Show weeknights at 7-9 on 900CHML.

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 ?? JOHN RENNISON, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR ?? Bulldogs’ Marian Studenic is pushed into the Kingston crease by Jakod Brahaney and Zach Moore during Saturday’s 7-2 win.
JOHN RENNISON, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR Bulldogs’ Marian Studenic is pushed into the Kingston crease by Jakod Brahaney and Zach Moore during Saturday’s 7-2 win.

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