1981 Calder Cup playoffs

The 1981 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 7, 1981.[1] The eight teams that qualified played best-of-seven series for Division Semifinals and Division Finals. The division champions played a best-of-seven series for the Calder Cup. The Calder Cup Final ended on May 20, 1981, with the Adirondack Red Wings defeating the Maine Mariners four games to two to win the Calder Cup for the first time in team history.[2]

1981 Calder Cup playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 7–May 20, 1981
Teams8
Final positions
ChampionsAdirondack Red Wings
Runner-upMaine Mariners
← 1980
1982 →

Maine set an AHL record for the most goals allowed in one playoff with 81.[3] What makes this more notable is that the AHL playoffs now consist of four rounds of best-of-7 series, whereas Maine set this record in only 20 games—where the playoffs consisted of only three rounds of best-of-7 series.[1][4]

Playoff seeds

After the 1980–81 AHL regular season, the top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The Hershey Bears finished the regular season with the best overall record.[5]

Northern Division
  1. Maine Mariners - 97 points
  2. New Brunswick Hawks - 84 points
  3. Nova Scotia Voyageurs - 81 points
  4. Springfield Indians - 73 points

Southern Division
  1. Hershey Bears - 103 points
  2. Adirondack Red Wings - 75 points
  3. Binghamton Whalers - 70 points
  4. New Haven Nighthawks - 69 points

Bracket
Division Semifinals Division Finals Calder Cup Final
         
1 Maine 4
4 Springfield 3
1 Maine 4
Northern 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
Southern Division
2 Adirondack 4
2 Adirondack 4
3 Binghamton 2

In each round, the team that earned more points during the regular season receives home ice advantage, meaning they receive the "extra" game on home-ice if the series reaches the maximum number of games. There is no set series format due to arena scheduling conflicts and travel considerations.[6]

Division Semifinals
Note 1: Home team is listed first.
Note 2: The number of overtime periods played (where applicable) is not indicated

(1) Maine Mariners vs. (4) Springfield Indians
April 8 Maine Mariners 3 - 1 Springfield Indians
April 10 Maine Mariners 7 - 2 Springfield Indians
April 12 Springfield Indians 7 - 4 Maine Mariners
April 15 Springfield Indians 10 - 3 Maine Mariners
April 17 Maine Mariners 6 - 2 Springfield Indians
April 18 Springfield Indians 9 - 2 Maine Mariners
April 22 Maine Mariners 7 - 3 Springfield Indians
Maine won series 4 - 3

(2) New Brunswick Hawks vs. (3) Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 7 New Brunswick Hawks 3 - 2 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 9 New Brunswick Hawks 5 - 3 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 11 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 3 - 6 New Brunswick Hawks
April 12 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 4 - 2 New Brunswick Hawks
April 15 New Brunswick Hawks 0 - 3 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 17 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 1 - 2 New Brunswick Hawks
New Brunswick won series 4 - 2

(1) Hershey Bears vs. (4) New Haven Nighthawks
April 8 Hershey Bears 6 - 1 New Haven Nighthawks
April 10 New Haven Nighthawks 2 - 6 Hershey Bears
April 11 Hershey Bears 8 - 1 New Haven Nighthawks
April 14 New Haven Nighthawks 2 - 3 OT Hershey Bears
Hershey won series 4 - 0

(2) Adirondack Red Wings vs. (3) Binghamton Whalers
April 7 Adirondack Red Wings 3 - 5 Binghamton Whalers
April 8 Adirondack Red Wings 6 - 3 Binghamton Whalers
April 11 Binghamton Whalers 3 - 2 Adirondack Red Wings
April 14 Binghamton Whalers 4 - 5 Adirondack Red Wings
April 17 Adirondack Red Wings 3 - 1 Binghamton Whalers
April 18 Binghamton Whalers 5 - 6 OT Adirondack Red Wings
Adirondack won series 4 - 2

Division Finals

(1) Maine Mariners vs. (2) New Brunswick Hawks
April 25 Maine Mariners 4 - 1 New Brunswick Hawks
April 27 Maine Mariners 4 - 5 OT New Brunswick Hawks
April 29 New Brunswick Hawks 2 - 3 OT Maine Mariners
May 1 New Brunswick Hawks 6 - 2 Maine Mariners
May 3 Maine Mariners 5 - 4 OT New Brunswick Hawks
May 6 New Brunswick Hawks 7 - 1 Maine Mariners
May 8 Maine Mariners 4 - 3 OT New Brunswick Hawks
Maine won series 4 - 3

(1) Hershey Bears vs. (2) Adirondack Red Wings
April 22 Hershey Bears 9 - 5 Adirondack Red Wings
April 25 Hershey Bears 4 - 5 Adirondack Red Wings
April 28 Adirondack Red Wings 0 - 1 Hershey Bears
April 30 Adirondack Red Wings 7 - 4 Hershey Bears
May 2 Hershey Bears 3 - 6 Adirondack Red Wings
May 3 Adirondack Red Wings 6 - 3 Hershey Bears
Adirondack won series 4 - 2

Calder Cup Final

(N1) Maine Mariners vs. (S2) Adirondack Red Wings
May 11 Maine Mariners 3 - 2 Adirondack Red Wings
May 13 Maine Mariners 3 - 4 Adirondack Red Wings
May 14 Adirondack Red Wings 1 - 0 Maine Mariners
May 16 Adirondack Red Wings 1 - 10 Maine Mariners
May 18 Maine Mariners 4 - 6 Adirondack Red Wings
May 20 Adirondack Red Wings 5 - 2 Maine Mariners
Adirondack won series 4 - 2

See also

References
  1. 1981 AHL playoff results The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved on May 10, 2008.
  2. Calder Cup champions Archived 2008-05-26 at the Wayback Machine caldercup.com. Retrieved on May 10, 2008.
  3. Calder Cup record book: Teams caldercup.com. Retrieved on May 10, 2008.
  4. 2007 Calder Cup playoffs caldercup.com. Retrieved on May 10, 2008.
  5. 1980-81 AHL standings The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved on May 10, 2008.
  6. Frequently asked questions Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine theahl.com. Retrieved on May 12, 2008.
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