The 1981–82 WHL season was the 16th season of the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
(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
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...
at the
1982 tournament.
The season was the first for the
Kamloops Junior Oilers, after the
New Westminster Bruins relocated to
Kamloops
Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...
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.
Team changes
*The
New Westminster Bruins are relocated to
Kamloops, British Columbia, becoming the
Kamloops Junior Oilers.
Regular season
Final standings
1Folded mid-season
Scoring leaders
''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes''
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
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, before a crowd of 3,500.
WHL awards
All-Star Teams
See also
*
1982 NHL Entry Draft
*
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, ...
*
1982 in sports
1982 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
* 1981–82 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Alpine Skiing World Cup:
** Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, United States
** Women's overall season champion: Erika Hess, S ...
References
* 2005–06 WHL Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:1981-82 Whl Season
Western Hockey League seasons
WHL
WHL