| 1981–82 WHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy | Lethbridge Broncos (1) |
| SeasonMVP | Mike Vernon (Calgary Wranglers) |
| Top scorer | Jock Callander (Regina Pats) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Portland Winter Hawks (1) |
| Runners-up | Regina Pats |
| WHL seasons | |
| 1981–82 CHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Teams | 35 |
| OHL | |
| QMJHL | |
| WHL | |
| Memorial Cup | |
| Finals champions | Kitchener Rangers (OHL)(1st title) |
| Runners-up | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) |
The1981–82 WHL season was the 16th season of theWestern Hockey League (WHL), featuring twelve teams completing a 72-game regular season. TheLethbridge Broncos won theScotty Munro Memorial Trophy for posting the best record during the regular season. In the playoffs, thePortland Winter Hawks became the first American-based club to win thePresident's Cup championship when they defeated theRegina Pats in the championship series. This also made the Winter Hawks the first American team to compete for theMemorial Cup at the1982 tournament.[1]
The season was the first for theKamloops Junior Oilers, after theNew Westminster Bruins relocated toKamloops prior to the season. The season also marked the end of theSpokane 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.
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xLethbridge Broncos | 72 | 50 | 22 | 0 | 100 | 421 | 280 |
| xRegina Pats | 72 | 48 | 24 | 0 | 96 | 465 | 368 |
| xSaskatoon Blades | 72 | 44 | 26 | 2 | 90 | 450 | 343 |
| xCalgary Wranglers | 72 | 41 | 29 | 2 | 84 | 334 | 266 |
| xBrandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 34 | 38 | 0 | 68 | 372 | 413 |
| xBillings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xPortland Winter Hawks | 72 | 46 | 24 | 2 | 94 | 380 | 323 |
| xVictoria Cougars | 72 | 43 | 28 | 1 | 87 | 398 | 314 |
| xSeattle Breakers | 72 | 36 | 34 | 2 | 74 | 339 | 310 |
| xKamloops Junior Oilers | 72 | 18 | 53 | 1 | 37 | 320 | 464 |
| Spokane Flyers1 | 26 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 102 | 196 |
1Folded mid-season
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 |
On January 19, the West All-Stars defeated the East All-Stars 4–2 atWinnipeg, Manitoba, before a crowd of 3,500.
| 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 |
| Preceded by | WHL seasons | Succeeded by |