The 1982–83 OHL season was the third season of 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 Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

. The

Niagara Falls Flyers The Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982. B ...

move to

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. It developed as a railroad centre and its airport was an important military locatio ...

, becoming the Centennials. The Guelph Platers are granted an expansion franchise. Fifteen teams each played 70 games. The

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...

won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Expansion and Relocation

Guelph Platers

The Guelph Platers were approved to join the

for the 1982-83 season as the league approved an expansion team for the city of

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

. The Platers would play in the Guelph Memorial Gardens and join the Emms Division. The Platers previously played in the

Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league dates back to 1954 where i ...

since the 1977-78 season. The club won the 1978 Centennial Cup, defeating the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1971 as a member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the Raiders have been members of the Western Hockey League since 198 ...

of the

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years o ...

in a four game sweep. In the 1981-82 season, Guelph finished with a 40-4-6 record, earning 86 points and first place in the OPJHL. At the 1982 Centennial Cup, Guelph lost to Prince Albert in four games. The

Belleville Bulls The Belleville Bulls were a junior ice hockey team, founded in 1981 and based in Belleville, Ontario. The team played in the Eastern Division of the Eastern Conference of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team relocated to Hamilton, Ontario, ...

, who played in the OPJHL from 1979-1981, joined the OHL one year earlier, in the 1981-82 season.

Niagara Falls Flyers to North Bay Centennials

The

relocated to the city of North Bay and were renamed the

North Bay Centennials The North Bay Centennials were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, who played from 1982–2002. The team was based in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. History The North Bay Centennials or "Cents" as they were popularly known, were na ...

. The club's nickname was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the railroad in North Bay. The Centennials remained in the Emms Division, and would play out of the North Bay Memorial Gardens.

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

=(3) Oshawa Generals vs. (6) Belleville Bulls

=(4) Toronto Marlboros vs. (5) Cornwall Royals

Emms Division

=(3) North Bay Centennials vs. (6) Windsor Spitfires

=(4) Brantford Alexanders vs. (5) London Knights

Division semi-finals

Leyden Division

=(1) Ottawa 67's vs. (5) Cornwall Royals

=(2) Peterborough Petes vs. (3) Oshawa Generals

Emms Division

=(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (4) Brantford Alexanders

=(2) Kitchener Rangers vs. (3) North Bay Centennials

Division finals

Leyden Division

=(1) Ottawa 67's vs. (3) Oshawa Generals

Emms Division

=(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (2) Kitchener Rangers

J. Ross Robertson Cup

(E1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (L3) Oshawa Generals

Awards

References

HockeyDB
{{DEFAULTSORT:1982-83 OHL season Ontario Hockey League seasons OHL

Expansion and Relocation

Guelph Platers

Niagara Falls Flyers to North Bay Centennials

Regular season

Final standings

Leyden Division

Emms Division

Scoring leaders

Playoffs

Division quarter-finals

Leyden Division

=(3) Oshawa Generals vs. (6) Belleville Bulls

=(4) Toronto Marlboros vs. (5) Cornwall Royals

Emms Division

=(3) North Bay Centennials vs. (6) Windsor Spitfires

=(4) Brantford Alexanders vs. (5) London Knights

Division semi-finals

Leyden Division

=(1) Ottawa 67's vs. (5) Cornwall Royals

=(2) Peterborough Petes vs. (3) Oshawa Generals

Emms Division

=(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (4) Brantford Alexanders

=(2) Kitchener Rangers vs. (3) North Bay Centennials

Division finals

Leyden Division

=(1) Ottawa 67's vs. (3) Oshawa Generals

Emms Division

=(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (2) Kitchener Rangers

J. Ross Robertson Cup

(E1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (L3) Oshawa Generals

Awards

See also

References