The 1982–83 OHL season was the third season of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

. The

Niagara Falls Flyers The Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982. ...

move to

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

, becoming the Centennials. The

Guelph Platers The Guelph Platers were a junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Ontario Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, and Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League. They were originally known as the CMC's un ...

are granted an expansion franchise. Fifteen teams each played 70 games. The

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. In November 2016, th ...

won the

J. Ross Robertson Cup The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, and ...

, defeating the

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (often shortened to Soo Greyhounds) are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in th ...

Expansion and Relocation

Guelph Platers

The

were approved to join the

for the 1982-83 season as the league approved an expansion team for the city of

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

. The Platers would play in the Guelph Memorial Gardens and join the Emms Division. The Platers previously played in the

Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league was listed as the 7th best ...

since the 1977-78 season. The club won the

1978 Centennial Cup The 1978 Centennial Cup is the eighth Tier II Junior "A" 1978 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League. The Centennial Cup was competed for by the winners of the Abbott Cup/Western Canadian Champions and the Easter ...

, defeating the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its hom ...

of the

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years o ...

in a four game sweep. In the 1981-82 season, Guelph finished with a 40-4-6 record, earning 86 points and first place in the OPJHL. At the

1982 Centennial Cup The 1982 Centennial Cup is the 12th Junior "A" 1982 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League. The Centennial Cup was competed for by the winners of the Abbott Cup/Western Canadian Champions and the Eastern Canadia ...

, Guelph lost to Prince Albert in four games. The

Belleville Bulls The Belleville Bulls were a junior ice hockey team, founded in 1981 and based in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Eastern Division of the Eastern Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The team moved to Hamilton, Ontario ...

, who played in the OPJHL from 1979-1981, joined the OHL one year earlier, in the 1981-82 season.

Niagara Falls Flyers to North Bay Centennials

The

relocated to the city of North Bay and were renamed the

North Bay Centennials The North Bay Centennials were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, who played from 1982–2002. The team was based in North Bay, Ontario. History The North Bay Centennials or "Cents" as they were popularly known, were named afte ...

. The club's nickname was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the railroad in North Bay. The Centennials remained in the Emms Division, and would play out of the

North Bay Memorial Gardens The North Bay Memorial Gardens is an arena located in North Bay, Ontario. It was built in 1955 and has a capacity of 4,246. The Gardens hosted the North Bay Centennials ice hockey team from 1982 to 2002, before they moved to Saginaw, Michigan. ...

Regular season

Final standings

''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''

Expansion and Relocation

Guelph Platers

Niagara Falls Flyers to North Bay Centennials

Regular season

Final standings

Leyden Division

Emms Division

Scoring leaders

Playoffs

Division quarter-finals

Leyden Division

=(3) Oshawa Generals vs. (6) Belleville Bulls

=(4) Toronto Marlboros vs. (5) Cornwall Royals

Emms Division

=(3) North Bay Centennials vs. (6) Windsor Spitfires

=(4) Brantford Alexanders vs. (5) London Knights

Division semi-finals

Leyden Division

=(1) Ottawa 67's vs. (5) Cornwall Royals

=(2) Peterborough Petes vs. (3) Oshawa Generals

Emms Division

=(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (4) Brantford Alexanders

=(2) Kitchener Rangers vs. (3) North Bay Centennials

Division finals

Leyden Division

=(1) Ottawa 67's vs. (3) Oshawa Generals

Emms Division

=(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (2) Kitchener Rangers

J. Ross Robertson Cup

(E1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (L3) Oshawa Generals

Awards

See also

References