The
1981–82 Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
season was the team's
73rd season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
. The club finished with over 100 points in the regular season, and were third overall in the NHL standings. The season involved being eliminated in the
Adams Division
The NHL's Adams Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Adams, the founder of the Boston Bruins. It is the forerunner of the ...
semi-final versus the
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...
3 games to 2.
Offseason
Montreal along with Hartford were moved to the
Adams Division
The NHL's Adams Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Adams, the founder of the Boston Bruins. It is the forerunner of the ...
which was a more geographical grouping of teams, including Boston, Buffalo and Quebec. Before the
1981 NHL Entry Draft
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Fr ...
, general manager
Irving Grundman
Irving Grundman (July 23, 1928February 26, 2021) was a Canadian ice hockey executive and municipal politician. He served as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens from 1978 to 1983. He also served on the Montreal City Council. Prior to his c ...
announced that Bob Berry would be the new head coach of the Canadiens.
Bob Gainey
Robert Michael Gainey (born December 13, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 until 1989. After retiring from active play, he became a hockey coach and later an executive with ...
is named captain, following
Serge Savard
Serge Aubrey Savard, OC, CQ (born January 22, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, most famously with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the Senior Vice President, Hockey Operations with t ...
's signing with the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...
.
Regular season
Final standings
Record vs. opponents
Schedule and results
Playoffs
The Canadiens were seeded 3rd overall in the playoffs, while their opponents, the Quebec Nordiques were seeded 10th overall. The clubs were 27 points apart in the league standings. The fifth and final game of the series went into overtime. Twenty-two seconds into overtime, Nordiques'
Dale Hunter
Dale Robert Hunter (born July 31, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and the former head coach of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and current co-owner, president, and head coach of the London Knights o ...
scored against Canadiens goalie
Rick Wamsley
Richard James Wamsley (born May 25, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was the goaltending ...
to clinch the series.
Player statistics
Regular season
;Scoring
;Goaltending
Playoffs
;Scoring
;Goaltending
Awards and records
Transactions
Draft picks
Farm teams
See also
*
1981–82 NHL season
The 1981–82 NHL season was the 65th season of the National Hockey League. The William M. Jennings Trophy made its debut this year as the trophy for the goaltenders from the team with the fewest goals against, thus replacing the Vezina Trophy in ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1981-82 Montreal Canadiens Season
Montreal Canadiens seasons
Montreal Canadiens season, 1981-82
Adams Division champion seasons
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...