1961–62 AHL season
The 1961–62 AHL season was the 26th season of the American Hockey League. The league initiates the James C. Hendy Memorial Award for outstanding team or league executives. The league resumes East and West Divisions. The John D. Chick Trophy is first awarded for the West Division champions of the regular season. The F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy is awarded to East Division champions of the regular season. Eight teams played 70 games each in the schedule. The Springfield Indians finished first overall again in the regular season, and won their third consecutive Calder Cup championship.
Team changes
change- The second incarnation of the Pittsburgh Hornets are added as an expansion team in the West Division.
Final standings
changeNote: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points;
| East | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield Indians | 70 | 45 | 22 | 3 | 93 | 292 | 194 |
| Hershey Bears | 70 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 79 | 236 | 213 |
| Providence Reds | 70 | 36 | 32 | 2 | 74 | 261 | 267 |
| Quebec Aces | 70 | 30 | 36 | 4 | 64 | 208 | 207 |
| West | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Barons | 70 | 39 | 28 | 3 | 81 | 255 | 203 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 70 | 36 | 31 | 3 | 75 | 247 | 219 |
| Rochester Americans | 70 | 33 | 31 | 6 | 72 | 234 | 240 |
| Pittsburgh Hornets | 70 | 10 | 58 | 2 | 22 | 177 | 367 |
Scoring leaders
changeNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Sweeney | Springfield Indians | 70 | 40 | 61 | 101 | 14 |
| Willie Marshall | Hershey Bears | 70 | 30 | 65 | 95 | 24 |
| Barry Cullen | Buffalo Bisons | 69 | 41 | 53 | 94 | 61 |
| Brian Kilrea | Springfield Indians | 70 | 20 | 73 | 93 | 28 |
| Fred Glover | Cleveland Barons | 70 | 40 | 45 | 85 | 148 |
| Ron Attwell | Cleveland Barons | 70 | 28 | 55 | 83 | 43 |
| Stan Baluik | Providence Reds | 69 | 25 | 56 | 81 | 55 |
| Brian Cullen | Buffalo Bisons | 67 | 22 | 59 | 81 | 18 |
| Jim Mikol | Cleveland Barons | 70 | 32 | 48 | 80 | 89 |
| Jim Anderson | Springfield Indians | 70 | 38 | 41 | 79 | 24 |
Calder Cup playoffs
change- First round
- Springfield Indians defeated Cleveland Barons 4 games to 2.
- Hershey Bears defeated Providence Reds 2 games to 1.
- Buffalo Bisons defeated Rochester Americans 2 games to 0.
- Second round
- Springfield Indians earned second round bye.
- Buffalo Bisons defeated Hershey Bears 3 games to 1.
- Finals
- Springfield Indians defeated Buffalo Bisons 4 games to 1, to win the Calder Cup.
Trophy and award winners
change- Team awards
| Calder Cup Playoff champions: |
Springfield Indians |
| F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy Regular Season champions, East Division: |
Springfield Indians |
| John D. Chick Trophy Regular Season champions, West Division: |
Cleveland Barons |
- Individual awards
| Les Cunningham Award Most valuable player: |
Fred Glover - Cleveland Barons |
| John B. Sollenberger Trophy Top point scorer: |
Bill Sweeney - Springfield Indians |
| Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award Rookie of the year: |
Les Binkley - Cleveland Barons |
| Eddie Shore Award Defenceman of the year: |
Kent Douglas - Springfield Indians |
| Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award Lowest goals against average: |
Marcel Paille - Springfield Indians |
- Other awards
| James C. Hendy Memorial Award Most outstanding executive: |
James G. Balmer |