1980–81 AHL season
The 1980–81 AHL season was the 45th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season. The Adirondack Red Wings won their first Calder Cup championship.
Team changes
- The Syracuse Firebirds cease operations.
- The Binghamton Dusters become the Binghamton Whalers.
- The Adirondack Red Wings switch divisions from North to South.
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points;
| North | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Mariners | 80 | 45 | 28 | 7 | 97 | 319 | 292 |
| New Brunswick Hawks | 80 | 37 | 33 | 10 | 84 | 317 | 298 |
| Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 80 | 38 | 37 | 5 | 81 | 335 | 298 |
| Springfield Indians | 80 | 34 | 41 | 5 | 73 | 312 | 343 |
| South | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Bears | 80 | 47 | 24 | 9 | 103 | 357 | 299 |
| Adirondack Red Wings | 80 | 35 | 40 | 5 | 75 | 305 | 328 |
| Binghamton Whalers | 80 | 32 | 42 | 6 | 70 | 296 | 336 |
| New Haven Nighthawks | 80 | 29 | 40 | 11 | 69 | 295 | 321 |
| Rochester Americans | 80 | 30 | 42 | 8 | 68 | 295 | 316 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Lofthouse | Hershey Bears | 74 | 48 | 55 | 103 | 131 |
| Dan Daoust | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 80 | 38 | 60 | 98 | 106 |
| Tony Cassolato | Hershey Bears | 74 | 48 | 46 | 94 | 23 |
| Dave Gorman | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 78 | 43 | 47 | 90 | 82 |
| Normand Aubin | New Brunswick Hawks | 79 | 43 | 46 | 89 | 99 |
| Guy Carbonneau | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 78 | 35 | 53 | 88 | 87 |
| Jean-Francois Sauve | Rochester Americans | 56 | 29 | 54 | 83 | 21 |
| Craig Levie | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 80 | 20 | 62 | 82 | 162 |
| Paul Evans | Maine Mariners | 78 | 28 | 52 | 80 | 49 |
| Reg Thomas | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 74 | 36 | 43 | 79 | 90 |
Calder Cup playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Calder Cup Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Maine | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Springfield | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Maine | 4 | ||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | New Brunswick | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New Brunswick | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Nova Scotia | 2 | ||||||||||||
| N1 | Maine | 2 | ||||||||||||
| S2 | Adirondack | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Hershey | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | New Haven | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Hershey | 2 | ||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Adirondack | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Adirondack | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Binghamton | 2 | ||||||||||||
Trophy and award winners
- Team awards
| Calder Cup Playoff champions: |
Adirondack Red Wings |
| F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy Regular Season champions, North Division: |
Maine Mariners |
| John D. Chick Trophy Regular Season champions, South Division: |
Hershey Bears |
- Individual awards
| Les Cunningham Award Most valuable player: |
Pelle Lindbergh - Maine Mariners |
| John B. Sollenberger Trophy Top point scorer: |
Mike Lofthouse - Hershey Bears |
| Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award Rookie of the year: |
Pelle Lindbergh - Maine Mariners |
| Eddie Shore Award Defenceman of the year: |
Craig Levie - Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award Lowest goals against average: |
Pelle Lindbergh & Robbie Moore - Maine Mariners |
| Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Coach of the year: |
Bob McCammon - Maine Mariners |
| Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award Sportsmanship / Perseverance: |
Tony Cassolato - Hershey Bears |
- Other awards
| James C. Hendy Memorial Award Most outstanding executive: |
Ed Anderson |
| James H. Ellery Memorial Awards Outstanding media coverage: |
Rick Wheeler, Rochester, (newspaper) Russ Small, Hershey, (radio) Simeon Smith, Rochester, (television) |
| Ken McKenzie Award Outstanding marketing executive: |
Brent Hancock, Hershey Bears |