The 1981–82 AHL season was the 46th season of the American Hockey League. Eleven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The New Brunswick Hawks finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship.
Team Changes[]
- The Fredericton Express join the AHL as an expansion team, based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, playing in the North Division.
- The Erie Blades, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, transfer to the AHL as an expansion team, from the defunct Eastern Hockey League, and play in the South Division.
Final Standings[]
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points;
| North | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Brunswick Hawks | 80 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 107 | 338 | 227 |
| Maine Mariners | 80 | 47 | 26 | 7 | 101 | 325 | 272 |
| Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 80 | 35 | 35 | 10 | 80 | 330 | 313 |
| Springfield Indians | 80 | 32 | 43 | 5 | 69 | 278 | 319 |
| Fredericton Express | 80 | 20 | 55 | 5 | 45 | 275 | 408 |
| South | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binghamton Whalers | 80 | 46 | 28 | 6 | 98 | 329 | 266 |
| Rochester Americans | 80 | 40 | 31 | 9 | 89 | 325 | 286 |
| New Haven Nighthawks | 80 | 39 | 33 | 8 | 86 | 292 | 276 |
| Hershey Bears | 80 | 36 | 38 | 6 | 78 | 316 | 347 |
| Adirondack Red Wings | 80 | 34 | 37 | 9 | 77 | 299 | 285 |
| Erie Blades | 80 | 22 | 52 | 6 | 50 | 317 | 425 |
Scoring Leaders[]
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Kaszycki | New Brunswick Hawks | 80 | 36 | 82 | 118 | 67 |
| Gordie Clark | Maine Mariners | 80 | 50 | 51 | 101 | 34 |
| Wayne Schaab | Maine Mariners | 80 | 27 | 69 | 96 | 22 |
| Guy Carbonneau | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 77 | 27 | 67 | 94 | 124 |
| Wes Jarvis | Hershey Bears | 56 | 31 | 61 | 92 | 44 |
| Bob Sullivan | Binghamton Whalers | 74 | 47 | 43 | 90 | 44 |
| Paul Evans | Maine Mariners | 79 | 33 | 57 | 90 | 42 |
| Richard David | Fredericton Express | 74 | 51 | 32 | 83 | 18 |
| Mike Krushelnyski | Erie Blades | 62 | 31 | 52 | 83 | 44 |
| Steve Larmer | New Brunswick Hawks | 74 | 38 | 44 | 82 | 46 |
Calder Cup Playoffs[]
- Main article: 1982 Calder Cup Playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Calder Cup Final | |||||||||||
| N1 | New Brunswick | 3 | |||||||||||
| S5 | Adirondack | 2 | |||||||||||
| N1 | New Brunswick | 4 | |||||||||||
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| N3 | Nova Scotia | 1 | |||||||||||
| N2 | Maine | 1 | |||||||||||
| N3 | Nova Scotia | 3 | |||||||||||
| N1 | New Brunswick | 4 | |||||||||||
| S1 | Binghamton | 1 | |||||||||||
| S1 | Binghamton | 3 | |||||||||||
| S4 | Hershey | 2 | |||||||||||
| S1 | Binghamton | 4 | |||||||||||
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| S2 | Rochester | 1 | |||||||||||
| S2 | Rochester | 3 | |||||||||||
| S3 | New Haven | 1 | |||||||||||
Trophy and Award Winners[]
- Team awards
| Calder Cup Playoff champions: |
New Brunswick Hawks |
| F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy Regular Season champions, North Division: |
New Brunswick Hawks |
| John D. Chick Trophy Regular Season champions, South Division: |
Binghamton Whalers |
- Individual Awards
| Les Cunningham Award Most valuable player: |
Mike Kaszycki - New Brunswick Hawks |
| John B. Sollenberger Trophy Top point scorer: |
Mike Kaszycki - New Brunswick Hawks |
| Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award Rookie of the year: |
Bob Sullivan - Binghamton Whalers |
| Eddie Shore Award Defenceman of the year: |
Dave Farrish - New Brunswick Hawks |
| Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award Lowest goals against average: |
Bob Janecyk & Warren Skorodenski - New Brunswick Hawks |
| Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Coach of the year: |
Larry Kish - Binghamton Whalers |
| Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award Sportsmanship / Perseverance: |
Mike Kaszycki - New Brunswick Hawks |
- Other Awards
| James C. Hendy Memorial Award Most outstanding executive: |
Roy Mlakar |
| James H. Ellery Memorial Awards Outstanding media coverage: |
Barry Meisel, Binghamton, (newspaper) Dave Morrell, Fredericton, (radio) John Logan, Moncton, (television) |
| Ken McKenzie Award Outstanding marketing executive: |
Rick Peckham, Rochester Americans |