The 1981–82 OHL season was the second season of the Ontario Hockey League. The league grows by two teams when, the Cornwall Royals are transferred from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Belleville Bulls are awarded a franchise. Fourteen teams each played 68 games. The Kitchener Rangers won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Ottawa 67's.
The league expanded by two teams, as the Belleville Bulls and the Cornwall Royals joined the Ontario Hockey League. Both teams joined the Leyden Division, as the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds moved to the Emms Division.
On February 2, 1981, the OHL granted a franchise to the city of Belleville and the ownership group of Dr. Robert L. Vaughan and Bob Dolan. The Bulls would play their home games at the Yardmen Arena. The Bulls would join the Leyden Division.
Prior to joining the OHL, the Bulls played in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, beginning in the 1979–80 season. In their final season in the league, Belleville defeated the Guelph Platers to win the OPJHL championship. The club would reach the 1981 Centennial Cup finals, where they lost to the Prince Albert Raiders of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League 6–2 in the championship game.
The Cornwall Royals were transferred to the Ontario Hockey League from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the 1981–82 season. Originally an expansion team in 1969, the Royals were a very successful club in the QMJHL, winning the Memorial Cup three times, in 1971, 1980, and 1981. Cornwall would play their home games at the Cornwall Civic Complex. The Royals would join the Leyden Division.
The Royals were able to keep their players from the previous season, including players such as Scott Arniel and Doug Gilmour, who helped lead the team to the 1981 Memorial Cup championship.
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched first round bye; z = clinched division title & first round bye
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | z-Ottawa 67's | 68 | 47 | 19 | 2 | 96 | 353 | 248 |
| 2 | y-Oshawa Generals | 68 | 40 | 26 | 2 | 82 | 335 | 296 |
| 3 | x-Peterborough Petes | 68 | 36 | 29 | 3 | 75 | 291 | 266 |
| 4 | x-Toronto Marlboros | 68 | 37 | 31 | 0 | 74 | 316 | 290 |
| 5 | x-Kingston Canadians | 68 | 29 | 34 | 5 | 63 | 302 | 316 |
| 6 | x-Cornwall Royals | 68 | 28 | 35 | 5 | 61 | 303 | 327 |
| 7 | Belleville Bulls | 68 | 24 | 42 | 2 | 50 | 280 | 326 |
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | z-Kitchener Rangers | 68 | 44 | 21 | 3 | 91 | 322 | 247 |
| 2 | y-Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 68 | 40 | 25 | 3 | 83 | 274 | 243 |
| 3 | x-London Knights | 68 | 35 | 30 | 3 | 73 | 359 | 328 |
| 4 | x-Niagara Falls Flyers | 68 | 31 | 34 | 3 | 65 | 311 | 338 |
| 5 | x-Brantford Alexanders | 68 | 25 | 41 | 2 | 52 | 293 | 313 |
| 6 | x-Windsor Spitfires | 68 | 22 | 42 | 4 | 48 | 269 | 343 |
| 7 | Sudbury Wolves | 68 | 19 | 48 | 1 | 39 | 275 | 401 |
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Simpson | London Knights | 68 | 67 | 88 | 155 | 18 |
| Jeff Vaive | Ottawa 67's | 68 | 56 | 95 | 151 | 90 |
| Moe Lemay | Ottawa 67's | 62 | 68 | 70 | 138 | 48 |
| Tony Tanti | Oshawa Generals | 57 | 62 | 64 | 126 | 138 |
| Mitch Lamoureux | Oshawa Generals | 66 | 43 | 78 | 121 | 275 |
| Doug Gilmour | Cornwall Royals | 67 | 46 | 73 | 119 | 42 |
| Mario Simioni | Toronto Marlboros | 68 | 58 | 60 | 118 | 88 |
| Chris McCauley | London Knights | 66 | 47 | 67 | 114 | 117 |
| Fred Perlini | Toronto Marlboros | 68 | 47 | 64 | 111 | 75 |
| Claude Loiselle | Windsor Spitfires | 68 | 36 | 73 | 109 | 192 |
| Division quarter-finals | Division semi-finals | Division finals | J. Ross Robertson Cup | ||||||||||||||||
| L4 | Toronto | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| L6 | Cornwall | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| L1 | Ottawa | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| L4 | Toronto | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| L1 | Ottawa | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| L2 | Oshawa | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| L3 | Peterborough | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| L5 | Kingston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| L2 | Oshawa | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| L3 | Peterborough | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| L1 | Ottawa | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Kitchener | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Niagara Falls | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Windsor | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Kitchener | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Windsor | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Kitchener | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Sault Ste. Marie | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | London | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Brantford | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Sault Ste. Marie | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Brantford | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| March 14 | Kingston Canadians | 2 – 5 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| March 16 | Peterborough Petes | 3 – 3 | Kingston Canadians | Kingston Memorial Centre | ||||
| March 18 | Kingston Canadians | 7 – 8 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| March 19 | Peterborough Petes | 4 – 4 | Kingston Canadians | Kingston Memorial Centre | ||||
| Peterborough wins series 6 – 2 | |
| March 14 | Cornwall Royals | 5 – 9 | Toronto Marlboros | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| March 16 | Toronto Marlboros | 3 – 6 | Cornwall Royals | Cornwall Civic Complex | ||||
| March 18 | Cornwall Royals | 4 – 7 | Toronto Marlboros | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| March 20 | Toronto Marlboros | 5 – 5 | Cornwall Royals | Cornwall Civic Complex | ||||
| March 21 | Cornwall Royals | 5 – 5 | Toronto Marlboros | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| Toronto wins series 6 – 4 | |
| March 14 | Brantford Alexanders | 4 – 3 | London Knights | London Gardens | ||||
| March 16 | London Knights | 2 – 4 | Brantford Alexanders | Brantford Civic Centre | ||||
| March 18 | Brantford Alexanders | 2 – 4 | London Knights | London Gardens | ||||
| March 19 | London Knights | 5 – 9 | Brantford Alexanders | Brantford Civic Centre | ||||
| Brantford wins series 6 – 2 | |
| March 14 | Windsor Spitfires | 4 – 9 | Niagara Falls Flyers | Niagara Falls Memorial Arena | ||||
| March 15 | Niagara Falls Flyers | 2 – 3 | Windsor Spitfires | Windsor Arena | ||||
| March 17 | Windsor Spitfires | 5 – 5 | Niagara Falls Flyers | Niagara Falls Memorial Arena | ||||
| March 18 | Niagara Falls Flyers | 3 – 3 | Windsor Spitfires | Windsor Arena | ||||
| March 19 | Windsor Spitfires | 5 – 3 | Niagara Falls Flyers | Niagara Falls Memorial Arena | ||||
| Windsor wins series 6 – 4 | |
| March 23 | Toronto Marlboros | 4 – 6 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| March 26 | Toronto Marlboros | 3 – 4 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| March 27 | Ottawa 67's | 3 – 4 | Toronto Marlboros | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| March 30 | Ottawa 67's | 6 – 3 | Toronto Marlboros | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| April 2 | Toronto Marlboros | 2 – 6 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| Ottawa wins series 8 – 2 | |
| March 23 | Peterborough Petes | 7 – 6 | Oshawa Generals | Oshawa Civic Auditorium | ||||
| March 25 | Oshawa Generals | 8 – 2 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| March 28 | Peterborough Petes | 4 – 5 | Oshawa Generals | Oshawa Civic Auditorium | ||||
| March 30 | Oshawa Generals | 5 – 4 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| April 1 | Peterborough Petes | 2 – 5 | Oshawa Generals | Oshawa Civic Auditorium | ||||
| Oshawa wins series 8 – 2 | |
| March 23 | Windsor Spitfires | 1 – 4 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| March 25 | Kitchener Rangers | 2 – 0 | Windsor Spitfires | Windsor Arena | ||||
| March 26 | Windsor Spitfires | 3 – 7 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| March 28 | Kitchener Rangers | 9 – 4 | Windsor Spitfires | Windsor Arena | ||||
| Kitchener wins series 8 – 0 | |
| March 21 | Brantford Alexanders | 5 – 5 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 22 | Brantford Alexanders | 2 – 4 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 25 | Brantford Alexanders | 7 – 1 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 27 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 1 – 2 | Brantford Alexanders | Brantford Civic Centre | ||||
| March 28 | Brantford Alexanders | 3 – 3 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 30 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 5 – 9 | Brantford Alexanders | Brantford Civic Centre | ||||
| April 2 | Brantford Alexanders | 2 – 3 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| Sault Ste. Marie wins series 8 – 6 | |
| April 9 | Oshawa Generals | 5 – 6 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| April 11 | Ottawa 67's | 3 – 5 | Oshawa Generals | Oshawa Civic Auditorium | ||||
| April 13 | Oshawa Generals | 1 – 6 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| April 15 | Ottawa 67's | 4 – 6 | Oshawa Generals | Oshawa Civic Auditorium | ||||
| April 16 | Oshawa Generals | 4 – 9 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| April 18 | Ottawa 67's | 2 – 6 | Oshawa Generals | Oshawa Civic Auditorium | ||||
| April 20 | Oshawa Generals | 4 – 5 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| Ottawa wins series 8 – 6 | |
| April 4 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 2 – 6 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| April 6 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 1 – 6 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| April 9 | Kitchener Rangers | 4 – 4 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| April 11 | Kitchener Rangers | 3 – 5 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| April 13 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 1 – 5 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| April 16 | Kitchener Rangers | 4 – 3 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| Kitchener wins series 9 – 3 | |
| April 23 | Kitchener Rangers | 4 – 4 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| April 25 | Ottawa 67's | 1 – 4 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| April 28 | Kitchener Rangers | 4 – 3 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| April 30 | Ottawa 67's | 3 – 5 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| May 2 | Kitchener Rangers | 4 – 1 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| Kitchener wins series 9 – 1 | |