1980–81 WHL season
Junior ice hockey season
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The 1980–81 WHL season was the 15th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL), featuring thirteen teams and a 72-game regular season. The Victoria Cougars won both the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for topping the regular season standings—setting a league record with 60 wins—and the President's Cup as league champions, defeating the Calgary Wranglers in the playoff finals.[1]
| 1980–81 WHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Teams | 13 |
| Regular season | |
| Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy | Victoria Cougars (2) |
| Season MVP | Steve Tsujiura (Medicine Hat Tigers) |
| Top scorer | Brian Varga (Regina Pats) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Victoria Cougars (1) |
| Runners-up | Calgary Wranglers |
| 1980–81 CHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Teams | 35 |
| OHL | |
| QMJHL | |
| WHL | |
| Memorial Cup | |
| Finals champions | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) |
The season was the first for both the Spokane Flyers, who reactivated the dormant Great Falls Americans franchise, and the expansion Winnipeg Warriors.
Team changes
- The Great Falls Americans are reactivated and relocated to Spokane, Washington, becoming the Spokane Flyers.
- The Winnipeg Warriors join the WHL as an expansion team.
Regular season
Final standings
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Regina Pats | 72 | 49 | 21 | 2 | 100 | 423 | 315 |
| x Calgary Wranglers | 72 | 46 | 24 | 2 | 94 | 368 | 295 |
| x Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 40 | 29 | 3 | 83 | 358 | 302 |
| x Lethbridge Broncos | 72 | 37 | 33 | 2 | 76 | 339 | 332 |
| x Billings Bighorns | 72 | 30 | 40 | 2 | 62 | 336 | 334 |
| x Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 29 | 40 | 3 | 61 | 342 | 352 |
| Winnipeg Warriors | 72 | 28 | 43 | 1 | 57 | 298 | 345 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 22 | 47 | 3 | 47 | 297 | 427 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Victoria Cougars | 72 | 60 | 11 | 1 | 121 | 462 | 217 |
| x Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 56 | 15 | 1 | 113 | 443 | 266 |
| x Seattle Breakers | 72 | 26 | 46 | 0 | 52 | 318 | 393 |
| x Spokane Flyers | 72 | 17 | 54 | 1 | 35 | 288 | 488 |
| New Westminster Bruins | 72 | 17 | 54 | 1 | 35 | 306 | 512 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Varga | Regina Pats | 68 | 64 | 96 | 160 | 187 |
| Jock Callander | Regina Pats | 72 | 67 | 86 | 153 | 37 |
| Barry Pederson | Victoria Cougars | 55 | 65 | 82 | 147 | 65 |
| Steve Tsujiura | Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 55 | 84 | 139 | 60 |
| Jim Benning | Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 28 | 111 | 139 | 61 |
| Gary Yaremchuk | Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 56 | 79 | 135 | 121 |
| Dave Michayluk | Regina Pats | 72 | 62 | 71 | 133 | 39 |
| Dave Chartier | Brandon Wheat Kings | 69 | 64 | 60 | 124 | 295 |
| Mark Sochatsky | Spokane Flyers | 70 | 40 | 79 | 119 | 279 |
| Brian Shaw | Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 53 | 65 | 118 | 176 |
1981 WHL Playoffs
First round
- Regina defeated Brandon 4 games to 1
- Calgary defeated Billings 4 games to 1
- Lethbridge defeated Medicine Hat 4 games to 1
- Spokane defeated New Westminster in 4th place tiebreaker game
Division semi-finals
- Regina earned a bye
- Calgary defeated Lethbridge 3 games to 1
- Victoria defeated Spokane 4 games to 0
- Portland defeated Seattle 4 games to 1
Division finals
- Calgary defeated Regina 4 games to 2
- Victoria defeated Portland 4 games to 0
WHL Championship
- Victoria defeated Calgary 4 games to 3
All-Star game
On January 20, the WHL All-Stars defeated the Victoria Cougars 8–3 at Victoria, British Columbia before a crowd of 3,520.
WHL awards
| Most Valuable Player: Steve Tsujiura, Medicine Hat Tigers |
| Top Scorer - Bob Clarke Trophy: Brian Varga, Regina Pats |
| Most Sportsmanlike Player: Steve Tsujiura, Medicine Hat Tigers |
| Top Defenseman - Bill Hunter Trophy: Jim Benning, Portland Winter Hawks |
| Rookie of the Year - Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy: Dave Michayluk, Regina Pats |
| Top Goaltender - Del Wilson Trophy: Grant Fuhr, Victoria Cougars |
| Coach of the Year - Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy: Ken Hodge, Portland Winter Hawks |
| Regular season Champions - Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy: Victoria Cougars |