1981–82 Colorado Rockies season

The 1981–82 Colorado Rockies season was the sixth and final season for the Rockies in Colorado. The franchise would relocate to New Jersey for the 1982–83 season and be re-named the New Jersey Devils. In 1995 the Devils would win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. The same year, NHL hockey would return to Colorado with the Quebec Nordiques relocating there to become the Avalanche, for the 1995 season. They went on to become Stanley Cup champions in their first season in Denver.

1981–82 Colorado Rockies
Division	5th Smythe
1981–82 record	18-49-13
Team information
General manager	Bill MacMillan
Coach	Bill MacMillan
Captain	Lanny McDonald Rob Ramage
Alternate captains	None
Minor league affiliate(s)	Fort Worth Texans (CHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Steve Tambellini (29)
Assists	Brent Ashton (36)
Points	Brent Ashton (60)
Penalty minutes	Rob Ramage (201)
Wins	Glenn Resch (16)
Goals against average	Glenn Resch (4.03)

Offseason

NHL Draft

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/junior/club team
1	5	Joe Cirella	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OMJHL)
2	26	Rich Chernomaz	Canada	Victoria Cougars (WHL)
3	48	Uli Hiemer	West Germany	EV Fussen (West Germany)
4	66	Gus Greco	Canada	Windsor Spitfires (OMJHL)
5	87	Doug Speck	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
6	108	Bruce Driver	Canada	University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
7	129	Jeff Larmer	Canada	Kitchener Rangers (OMJHL)
8	150	Tony Arima	Finland	Jokerit (Finland)
9	171	Tim Army	United States	East Providence High School (USHS-RI)
10	192	John Johannson	United States	University of Wisconsin (WCHA)

Regular season

Final standings

Smythe Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
Edmonton Oilers	80	48	17	15	417	295	111
Vancouver Canucks	80	30	33	17	290	286	77
Calgary Flames	80	29	34	17	334	345	75
Los Angeles Kings	80	24	41	15	314	369	63
Colorado Rockies	80	18	49	13	241	362	49

[1]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 6, 1981	2–4	@ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	0–1–0
2	L	October 7, 1981	4–7	@ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	0–2–0
3	T	October 10, 1981	2–2	New York Islanders (1981–82)	0–2–1
4	L	October 15, 1981	2–10	@ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	0–3–1
5	L	October 16, 1981	1–6	Boston Bruins (1981–82)	0–4–1
6	W	October 18, 1981	4–3	@ Winnipeg Jets (1981–82)	1–4–1
7	L	October 20, 1981	3–5	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)	1–5–1
8	T	October 21, 1981	4–4	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)	1–5–2
9	L	October 24, 1981	1–3	Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	1–6–2
10	L	October 28, 1981	1–3	Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	1–7–2
11	W	October 31, 1981	6–4	Washington Capitals (1981–82)	2–7–2
12	L	November 3, 1981	3–5	Winnipeg Jets (1981–82)	2–8–2
13	T	November 6, 1981	4–4	Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)	2–8–3
14	W	November 7, 1981	5–4	@ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	3–8–3
15	L	November 11, 1981	0–9	Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	3–9–3
16	L	November 14, 1981	2–4	St. Louis Blues (1981–82)	3–10–3
17	L	November 15, 1981	0–10	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)	3–11–3
18	L	November 18, 1981	1–7	@ Washington Capitals (1981–82)	3–12–3
19	L	November 20, 1981	3–4	Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	3–13–3
20	T	November 22, 1981	5–5	@ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	3–13–4
21	L	November 24, 1981	2–9	@ Calgary Flames (1981–82)	3–14–4
22	L	November 25, 1981	2–7	@ Winnipeg Jets (1981–82)	3–15–4
23	L	November 27, 1981	3–6	Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	3–16–4
24	L	November 28, 1981	2–4	@ St. Louis Blues (1981–82)	3–17–4
25	T	November 30, 1981	2–2	@ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)	3–17–5
26	W	December 2, 1981	3–2	Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)	4–17–5
27	L	December 5, 1981	1–2	New York Rangers (1981–82)	4–18–5
28	L	December 9, 1981	1–7	@ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	4–19–5
29	W	December 12, 1981	4–2	@ Hartford Whalers (1981–82)	5–19–5
30	L	December 13, 1981	1–5	@ Boston Bruins (1981–82)	5–20–5
31	L	December 16, 1981	4–7	Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	5–21–5
32	W	December 18, 1981	3–1	Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	6–21–5
33	L	December 19, 1981	2–5	@ Calgary Flames (1981–82)	6–22–5
34	W	December 22, 1981	4–2	Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	7–22–5
35	L	December 23, 1981	4–8	@ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	7–23–5
36	W	December 26, 1981	6–3	Calgary Flames (1981–82)	8–23–5
37	T	December 28, 1981	4–4	@ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)	8–23–6
38	W	December 30, 1981	3–2	Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	9–23–6
39	L	January 2, 1982	1–3	Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)	9–24–6
40	L	January 5, 1982	4–5	@ Calgary Flames (1981–82)	9–25–6
41	L	January 6, 1982	3–5	@ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	9–26–6
42	W	January 8, 1982	7–1	St. Louis Blues (1981–82)	10–26–6
43	L	January 10, 1982	4–5	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)	10–27–6
44	L	January 13, 1982	1–2	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)	10–28–6
45	L	January 14, 1982	1–3	@ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)	10–29–6
46	L	January 17, 1982	3–5	Calgary Flames (1981–82)	10–30–6
47	T	January 19, 1982	4–4	@ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	10–30–7
48	L	January 20, 1982	1–3	Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)	10–31–7
49	T	January 23, 1982	3–3	Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	10–31–8
50	L	January 24, 1982	4–7	@ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	10–32–8
51	W	January 26, 1982	7–4	Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)	11–32–8
52	L	January 29, 1982	2–5	New York Rangers (1981–82)	11–33–8
53	L	January 31, 1982	2–4	@ Boston Bruins (1981–82)	11–34–8
54	L	February 2, 1982	7–8	@ Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	11–35–8
55	T	February 5, 1982	4–4	Hartford Whalers (1981–82)	11–35–9
56	L	February 6, 1982	3–5	Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	11–36–9
57	W	February 12, 1982	9–2	Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	12–36–9
58	W	February 14, 1982	5–3	Washington Capitals (1981–82)	13–36–9
59	T	February 16, 1982	3–3	@ Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	13–36–10
60	T	February 18, 1982	4–4	@ New York Rangers (1981–82)	13–36–11
61	L	February 20, 1982	2–3	@ New York Islanders (1981–82)	13–37–11
62	L	February 21, 1982	2–6	@ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	13–38–11
63	L	February 23, 1982	3–6	Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)	13–39–11
64	L	February 26, 1982	3–4	Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	13–40–11
65	W	February 28, 1982	5–3	Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)	14–40–11
66	W	March 3, 1982	3–2	Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	15–40–11
67	W	March 6, 1982	5–2	Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	16–40–11
68	L	March 9, 1982	0–2	Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	16–41–11
69	L	March 11, 1982	1–5	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)	16–42–11
70	L	March 13, 1982	2–6	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)	16–43–11
71	W	March 14, 1982	4–3	@ Hartford Whalers (1981–82)	17–43–11
72	L	March 17, 1982	2–5	New York Islanders (1981–82)	17–44–11
73	L	March 20, 1982	2–4	Calgary Flames (1981–82)	17–45–11
74	L	March 21, 1982	0–6	Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)	17–46–11
75	L	March 24, 1982	4–5	@ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	17–47–11
76	T	March 26, 1982	6–6	Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	17–47–12
77	L	March 27, 1982	4–9	@ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	17–48–12
78	T	March 31, 1982	4–4	@ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	17–48–13
79	L	April 1, 1982	0–11	@ Calgary Flames (1981–82)	17–49–13
80	W	April 3, 1982	3–1	Calgary Flames (1981–82)	18–49–13

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Brent Ashton	LW	80	24	36	60	26	-31	3	0	4
Steve Tambellini	C	79	29	30	59	14	-33	9	0	0
Don Lever	LW	59	22	28	50	20	-10	3	0	1
Bob MacMillan	RW	57	18	32	50	27	-9	3	0	1
Rob Ramage	D	80	13	29	42	201	-47	6	0	0
Merlin Malinowski	C	69	13	28	41	32	-22	0	1	0
Aaron Broten	LW/C	58	15	24	39	6	-11	5	1	5
Dwight Foster	RW	70	12	19	31	41	-53	1	1	0
Bob Miller	C	56	11	20	31	27	-24	1	0	2
Dave Cameron	C	66	11	12	23	103	-14	0	1	0
Paul Gagne	LW	59	10	12	22	17	-27	2	0	0
Tapio Levo	D	34	9	13	22	14	-13	3	0	0
Bob Lorimer	D	79	5	15	20	68	-19	1	0	0
Joe Cirella	D	65	7	12	19	52	-36	2	0	1
Lanny McDonald	RW	16	6	9	15	20	-3	0	0	1
Joel Quenneville	D	64	5	10	15	55	-29	0	0	0
Veli-Pekka Ketola	C	44	9	5	14	4	-17	4	0	1
Kevin Maxwell	C	34	5	5	10	44	-16	0	0	1
Graeme Nicolson	D	41	2	7	9	51	-16	0	0	0
Mike Kitchen	D	63	1	8	9	60	-18	0	0	0
John Wensink	LW	57	5	3	8	152	-13	1	0	0
Joe Micheletti	D	21	2	6	8	4	-4	0	0	0
Jukka Porvari	RW	31	2	6	8	0	-22	0	0	0
Stan Weir	C	10	2	3	5	10	-7	0	0	1
Yvon Vautour	RW	14	1	2	3	18	-6	1	0	0
Bill Baker	D	14	0	3	3	17	-13	0	0	0
Paul Miller	C	3	0	3	3	0	2	0	0	0
Jeff Larmer	LW	8	1	1	2	8	-3	0	0	0
Phil Myre	G	24	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0
Glenn Resch	G	61	0	2	2	8	0	0	0	0
Ed Cooper	LW	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Rich Chernomaz	RW	2	0	0	0	0	-2	0	0	0
Jim Dobson	RW	3	0	0	0	2	-1	0	0	0
Peter Gustavsson	LW	2	0	0	0	0	-1	0	0	0
Jack Hughes	D	8	0	0	0	13	-7	0	0	0
Steve Janaszak	G	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Christer Kellgren	RW	5	0	0	0	0	-4	0	0	0
Rick LaFerriere	G	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Randy Pierce	RW	5	0	0	0	4	-1	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SO
Glenn Resch	3424	61	16	31	11	230	4.03	0
Phil Myre	1256	24	2	17	2	112	5.35	0
Steve Janaszak	100	2	0	1	0	13	7.80	0
Rick LaFerriere	20	1	0	0	0	1	3.00	0
Team:	4800	80	18	49	13	356	4.45	0

[2]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals
      MIN=Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SO = Shutouts;

Roster

Colorado Rockies
Goaltenders		Defensemen		Wingers		Centers GM: Coach: Don Cherry

References

• "1981–82 Colorado Rockies Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
• Rockies on Hockey Database

1. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
2. "1981-82 Colorado Rockies Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-28.