The 1980–81 OHL season was the first season of the newly established
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...
, renaming itself from the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League. The OMJHL formally severed ties with the
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...
over the summer, and affiliated with the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; ) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included senior ice hockey leagues and the Allan Cup, ...
. The OHL inaugurated the
Jack Ferguson Award
The Jack Ferguson Award is awarded each year to the top draft pick in the Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the W ...
for the first overall draft pick in the OHL entry draft. Twelve teams each played 68 games. The
Kitchener Rangers
The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The Rangers have won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL ...
won the
J. Ross Robertson Cup
The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, an ...
, defeating the
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Regular season
Final standings
''Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched first round bye; z = clinched division title & first round bye''
Leyden Division
Emms Division
Scoring leaders
Playoffs
Division quarter-finals
Leyden Division
=(4) Oshawa Generals vs. (5) Peterborough Petes
=
Emms Division
=(4) Niagara Falls Flyers vs. (5) Toronto Marlboros
=
Division semi-finals
Leyden Division
=(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (4) Oshawa Generals
=
=(2) Ottawa 67's vs. (3) Kingston Canadians
=
Emms Division
=(1) Kitchener Rangers vs. (4) Niagara Falls Flyers
=
=(2) Brantford Alexanders vs. (3) Windsor Spitfires
=
Division finals
Leyden Division
=(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (3) Kingston Canadians
=
Emms Division
=(1) Kitchener Rangers vs. (3) Windsor Spitfires
=
J. Ross Robertson Cup
(L1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (E1) Kitchener Rangers
Awards
See also
*
List of OHA Junior A standings
This is a list of OHA standings and season-by-season summaries of the Ontario Hockey League, Ontario Hockey Association's Junior A division from 1933 to 1972, and its Tier I division from 1972 to 1974.
;Legend
* GP = games played
* W = wins
* ...
*
List of OHL seasons
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
1981 Memorial Cup
The 1981 Memorial Cup occurred May 3–15 at the Windsor Arena in Windsor, Ontario. It was the 63rd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Participating team ...
*
1981 NHL Entry Draft
*
1980 in sports
1980 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
* 1979–80 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Alpine Skiing World Cup:
** Men's overall season champion: Andreas Wenzel, Liechtenstein
** Women's overall season champion: Hanni Wen ...
*
1981 in sports
1981 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
* 1980–81 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Alpine Skiing World Cup –
** Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, USA
** Women's overall season champion: Marie-Theres Nadig, ...
References
HockeyDB
{{DEFAULTSORT:1980-81 OHL season
Ontario Hockey League seasons
OHL