1987–88 AHL season
The 1987–88 AHL season was the 52nd season of the American Hockey League. Fourteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league abandoned shootout, but continues to award points for an overtime loss. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season, and won their seventh Calder Cup championship .
Team changes
- The original Maine Mariners become the Utica Devils based in Utica, New York, playing in the South Division.
- A new Maine Mariners join the AHL as an expansion team.
- The Moncton Golden Flames become the Moncton Hawks.
- The New Haven Nighthawks & Springfield Indians switch divisions from South to North.
- The Adirondack Red Wings switch divisions from North to South.
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points;
| North | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Mariners | 80 | 44 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 99 | 308 | 284 |
| Fredericton Express | 80 | 42 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 95 | 370 | 318 |
| Sherbrooke Canadiens | 80 | 42 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 89 | 316 | 243 |
| Nova Scotia Oilers | 80 | 35 | 34 | 9 | 2 | 81 | 323 | 343 |
| New Haven Nighthawks | 80 | 33 | 37 | 7 | 3 | 76 | 288 | 307 |
| Moncton Hawks | 80 | 27 | 43 | 8 | 2 | 64 | 286 | 358 |
| Springfield Indians | 80 | 27 | 44 | 8 | 1 | 63 | 269 | 333 |
| South | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Bears | 80 | 50 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 105 | 343 | 256 |
| Rochester Americans | 80 | 46 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 100 | 328 | 272 |
| Adirondack Red Wings | 80 | 42 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 99 | 306 | 275 |
| Binghamton Whalers | 80 | 38 | 31 | 8 | 3 | 87 | 353 | 300 |
| Utica Devils | 80 | 34 | 33 | 11 | 2 | 81 | 318 | 307 |
| Newmarket Saints | 80 | 33 | 33 | 8 | 6 | 80 | 282 | 328 |
| Baltimore Skipjacks | 80 | 13 | 58 | 9 | 0 | 35 | 268 | 434 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Boudreau | Springfield Indians | 80 | 42 | 74 | 116 | 84 |
| Jean-Marc Lanthier | Fredericton Express | 74 | 35 | 71 | 106 | 37 |
| Jody Gage | Rochester Americans | 76 | 60 | 44 | 104 | 46 |
| Alfie Turcotte | Sherbrooke / Baltimore / Moncton | 66 | 36 | 66 | 102 | 64 |
| Gilles Thibaudeau | Sherbrooke Canadiens | 59 | 39 | 57 | 96 | 45 |
| Mike Richard | Binghamton Whalers | 72 | 46 | 48 | 94 | 23 |
| Murray Eaves | Adirondack Red Wings | 65 | 39 | 54 | 93 | 65 |
| Tim Lenardon | Utica Devils | 79 | 38 | 53 | 91 | 72 |
| Marty Dallman | Newmarket Saints | 76 | 50 | 39 | 89 | 52 |
| Tom Martin | Binghamton Whalers | 71 | 28 | 61 | 89 | 344 |
Calder Cup playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Calder Cup Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Maine | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Nova Scotia | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Maine | 1 | ||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Fredericton | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Fredericton | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Sherbrooke | 2 | ||||||||||||
| N2 | Fredericton | 0 | ||||||||||||
| S1 | Hershey | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Hershey | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Binghamton | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Hershey | 4 | ||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Adirondack | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Rochester | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Adirondack | 4 | ||||||||||||
Trophy and award winners
- Team awards
| Calder Cup Playoff champions: |
Hershey Bears |
| 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: |
Jody Gage - Rochester Americans |
| John B. Sollenberger Trophy Top point scorer: |
Bruce Boudreau - Springfield Indians |
| Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award Rookie of the year: |
Mike Richard - Binghamton Whalers |
| Eddie Shore Award Defenceman of the year: |
David Fenyves - Hershey Bears |
| Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award Best Goaltender: |
Wendell Young - Hershey Bears |
| Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award Lowest goals against average: |
Vincent Riendeau & Jocelyn Perreault - Sherbrooke Canadiens |
| Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Coach of the year: |
John Paddock - Hershey Bears & Mike Milbury - Maine Mariners |
| Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award Sportsmanship / Perseverance: |
Bruce Boudreau - Springfield Indians |
| Jack A. Butterfield Trophy MVP of the playoffs: |
Wendell Young - Hershey Bears |
- Other awards
| James C. Hendy Memorial Award Most outstanding executive: |
Tom Mitchell |
| James H. Ellery Memorial Awards Outstanding media coverage: |
Mike Kane, Adirondack, (newspaper) Jeff Rimer, Baltimore, (radio) Frank Chiano, Rochester, (television) |
| Ken McKenzie Award Outstanding marketing executive: |
Doug Yingst, Hershey Bears |