first round of the playoffs, however, Rochester was upset by the Manitoba Moose in the second round to end their season. Cunneyworth was awarded with the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's Coach of the Year. In the 2005–06, the Americans became the AHL affiliate of both the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers. The team struggled, finishing under .500 for the first time since Cunneyworth became the head coach, as Rochester went 37–39–2–2 for 78 points, fifth in the North Division, missing the playoffs. The Americans rebounded in the 2006–07 season, earning a record of 48–30–1–1, registering 98 points, and second place in the North Division. In the playoffs, Rochester lost to the Hamilton Bulldogs in the first round. In 2007–08, the Americans struggled, going only 24–46–6–4, earning 58 points, which was the worst record in the league. On July 24, 2008, Cunneyworth left his position of head coach of the Americans to take an assistant coaching job with the Atlanta Thrashers. Atlanta Thrashers (2008–2010) Cunneyworth joined new Atlanta Thrashers head coach John Anderson as an assistant coach for the 2008–09 season. In his first season with the Thrashers, the team finished with a 35–41–6 record, getting 76 points, well out of a playoff position. In 2009–10, the Thrashers improved to a 35–34–13 record, earning 83 points, however, the club finished out of the playoffs once again. On April 14, 2010, Atlanta's newly hired General Manager Rick Dudley fired Anderson and all of his assistant coaches, including Randy Cunneyworth. After the firing, Dudley was asked if Cunneyworth could possibly return to the team and responded, "I'm not going to commit to (looking at Cunneyworth). Randy was an assistant coach here and he's a guy I have a great deal of affection for. But, I'm not going to get into who is on the list," Hamilton Bulldogs (2010–2011) On July 20, 2010, Pierre Gauthier, the GM of the Montreal Canadiens hired Cunneyworth to be the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. In his first season with the club in 2010–11, Cunneyworth led the Bulldogs to an impressive 44–27–2–7 record, getting 97 points and first place in the North Division. In the post-season, he led the club to series victories over the Oklahoma City Barons and Manitoba Moose before losing to the Houston Aeros in the Western Conference finals. On July 22, 2011, the Canadiens added Cunneyworth