1981–82 WHL season
The 1981–82 WHL season was the 16th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL), featuring twelve teams completing a 72-game regular season. The Lethbridge Broncos won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for posting the best record during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Portland Winter Hawks became the first American-based club to win the President's Cup championship when they defeated the Regina Pats in the championship series. This also made the Winter Hawks the first American team to compete for the Memorial Cup at the 1982 tournament.[1]
| 1981–82 WHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy | Lethbridge Broncos (1) |
| Season MVP | Mike Vernon (Calgary Wranglers) |
| Top scorer | Jock Callander (Regina Pats) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Portland Winter Hawks (1) |
| Runners-up | Regina Pats |
| 1981–82 CHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 35 |
| OHL | |
| QMJHL | |
| WHL | |
| Memorial Cup | |
| Finals champions | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) |
The season was the first for the Kamloops Junior Oilers, after the New Westminster Bruins relocated to Kamloops prior to the season. The season also marked the end of the Spokane Flyers organization, as it ceased operations on December 2, 1981, after playing only 26 games. As such, although the season began with thirteen teams, only twelve completed the season.
Regular season
Final standings
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Lethbridge Broncos | 72 | 50 | 22 | 0 | 100 | 421 | 280 |
| x Regina Pats | 72 | 48 | 24 | 0 | 96 | 465 | 368 |
| x Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 44 | 26 | 2 | 90 | 450 | 343 |
| x Calgary Wranglers | 72 | 41 | 29 | 2 | 84 | 334 | 266 |
| x Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 34 | 38 | 0 | 68 | 372 | 413 |
| x Billings Bighorns | 72 | 27 | 44 | 1 | 55 | 369 | 432 |
| Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 25 | 46 | 1 | 51 | 308 | 446 |
| Winnipeg Warriors | 72 | 23 | 48 | 1 | 47 | 285 | 388 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 46 | 24 | 2 | 94 | 380 | 323 |
| x Victoria Cougars | 72 | 43 | 28 | 1 | 87 | 398 | 314 |
| x Seattle Breakers | 72 | 36 | 34 | 2 | 74 | 339 | 310 |
| x Kamloops Junior Oilers | 72 | 18 | 53 | 1 | 37 | 320 | 464 |
| Spokane Flyers1 | 26 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 102 | 196 |
1Folded mid-season
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jock Callander | Regina Pats | 71 | 79 | 111 | 190 | 59 |
| Dave Michayluk | Regina Pats | 72 | 62 | 111 | 173 | 128 |
| Bruce Eakin | Saskatoon Blades | 66 | 42 | 125 | 167 | 120 |
| Jim McGeough | Billings Bighorns | 71 | 93 | 66 | 159 | 142 |
| Ken Yaremchuk | Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 58 | 99 | 157 | 181 |
| Marc Habscheid | Saskatoon Blades | 55 | 64 | 87 | 151 | 74 |
| Dale Derkatch | Regina Pats | 71 | 62 | 80 | 142 | 92 |
| Kelly Glowa | Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 59 | 78 | 137 | 87 |
| Brian Shaw | Portland Winter Hawks | 69 | 56 | 76 | 132 | 193 |
| Wally Schreiber | Regina Pats | 68 | 56 | 68 | 124 | 68 |
| Mike Moller | Lethbridge Broncos | 49 | 41 | 81 | 122 | 38 |
1982 WHL Playoffs
First round
- Lethbridge defeated Billings 4 games to 1
- Regina defeated Brandon 4 games to 0
- Calgary defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 1
Division semi-finals
- Lethbridge earned a bye
- Regina defeated Calgary 3 games to 1
- Portland defeated Kamloops 4 games to 0
- Seattle defeated Victoria 4 games to 0
Division finals
- Regina defeated Lethbridge 4 games to 3
- Portland defeated Seattle 4 games to 2
WHL Championship
- Portland defeated Regina 4 games to 1
All-Star game
On January 19, the West All-Stars defeated the East All-Stars 4–2 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, before a crowd of 3,500.
WHL awards
| Most Valuable Player: Mike Vernon, Calgary Wranglers |
| Top Scorer - Bob Clarke Trophy: Jock Callander, Regina Pats |
| Most Sportsmanlike Player: Mike Moller, Lethbridge Broncos |
| Top Defenseman - Bill Hunter Trophy: Gary Nylund, Portland Winter Hawks |
| Rookie of the Year - Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy: Dale Derkatch, Regina Pats |
| Top Goaltender - Del Wilson Trophy: Mike Vernon, Calgary Wranglers |
| Coach of the Year - Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy: Jack Sangster, Seattle Breakers |
| Regular season champions - Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy: Lethbridge Broncos |
All-Star Teams
| First Team | Second Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Mike Vernon | Calgary Wranglers | Dave Ross | Seattle Breakers |
| Defense | Gary Nylund | Portland Winter Hawks | Gord Kluzak | Billings Bighorns |
| Garth Butcher | Regina Pats | Randy Moller | Lethbridge Broncos | |
| Center | Bruce Eakin (tied) | Saskatoon Blades | Marc Habscheid | Saskatoon Blades |
| Ken Yaremchuk (tied) | Portland Winter Hawks | - | - | |
| Left Wing | Todd Strueby | Saskatoon Blades | Paul Cyr | Victoria Cougars |
| Right Wing | Mike Moller | Lethbridge Broncos | Dave Michayluk | Regina Pats |
References
- Lapp, Richard; Macaulay, Alec (1997). The Memorial Cup: Canada's National Junior Hockey Championship. Madeira Park, British Columbia: Harbour Publishing. p. 204. ISBN 1-55017-170-4.
- 2005–06 WHL Guide