1984–85 OHL season
The 1984–85 OHL season was the fifth season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds were undefeated in all 33 home games during the regular season. The Brantford Alexanders move back to Hamilton becoming the Hamilton Steelhawks. Fifteen teams each played 66 games. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Peterborough Petes.
Relocation/Team Name Change
Brantford Alexanders to Hamilton Steelhawks
The Brantford Alexanders relocated and moved back to the city of Hamilton for the 1984-85 season. The franchise had previously played in Hamilton from 1953-1976 as the Hamilton Tiger Cubs from 1953-1960, and the Hamilton Fincups from 1960-1976. In 1976, the franchise relocated to St. Catharines and played as the St. Catharines Fincups for the 1976-77 season, however, the club returned to Hamilton for the 1977-78 season. The club then relocated to Brantford and was renamed as the Brantford Alexanders for the 1978-79 season.
The Steelhawks would play the 1984-85 season out of Mountain Arena while their new arena, Copps Coliseum, was being constructed and would not open until the 1985-86 season. The team remained in the Emms Division.
Windsor Spitfires to Windsor Compuware Spitfires
The Windsor Spitfires were bought by Peter Karmanos, the founder and CEO of Compuware in 1984 and were renamed as the Windsor Compuware Spitfires beginning in the 1984-85 season.
Tragedy
On January 4, 1985, Bruce Melanson of the Oshawa Generals collapsed at practice and died from a heart ailment known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome which resulted in him having a rapid heartbeat because of electrical impulses in the heart taking extra pathways. He was 18 years old at the time of the incident.[1] Melanson was a second round draft pick of the New York Islanders at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.
The Generals wore black arm bands for the remainder of the season in memoriam of their teammate. In his memory, the club no longer issues the uniform number "9". A memorial scholarship was also set up at his former high school in New Brunswick.
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 division title
Leyden Division
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y-Peterborough Petes | 66 | 42 | 20 | 4 | 88 | 354 | 233 |
| 2 | x-Belleville Bulls | 66 | 42 | 24 | 0 | 84 | 390 | 278 |
| 3 | x-Toronto Marlboros | 66 | 35 | 28 | 3 | 73 | 315 | 302 |
| 4 | x-Cornwall Royals | 66 | 34 | 30 | 2 | 70 | 355 | 344 |
| 5 | x-Oshawa Generals | 66 | 32 | 32 | 2 | 66 | 271 | 259 |
| 6 | x-Ottawa 67's | 66 | 20 | 43 | 3 | 43 | 263 | 376 |
| 7 | Kingston Canadians | 66 | 18 | 47 | 1 | 37 | 239 | 380 |
Emms Division
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y-Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 66 | 54 | 11 | 1 | 109 | 381 | 215 |
| 2 | x-London Knights | 66 | 43 | 22 | 1 | 87 | 340 | 276 |
| 3 | x-North Bay Centennials | 66 | 34 | 28 | 4 | 72 | 289 | 254 |
| 4 | x-Hamilton Steelhawks | 66 | 29 | 35 | 2 | 60 | 313 | 296 |
| 5 | x-Windsor Compuware Spitfires | 66 | 28 | 35 | 3 | 59 | 267 | 301 |
| 6 | x-Kitchener Rangers | 66 | 27 | 35 | 4 | 58 | 282 | 319 |
| 7 | Guelph Platers | 66 | 21 | 40 | 5 | 47 | 230 | 332 |
| 8 | Sudbury Wolves | 66 | 17 | 46 | 3 | 37 | 224 | 348 |
Scoring leaders
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave MacLean | Belleville Bulls | 63 | 64 | 90 | 154 | 41 |
| Wayne Groulx | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 64 | 59 | 85 | 144 | 102 |
| Steve Linseman | Hamilton Steelhawks/Belleville Bulls | 61 | 57 | 83 | 140 | 28 |
| Graeme Bonar | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 66 | 66 | 71 | 137 | 93 |
| Mark Teevens | Peterborough Petes | 65 | 43 | 90 | 133 | 70 |
| Mike Millar | Hamilton Steelhawks | 63 | 66 | 60 | 126 | 54 |
| Scott Tottle | Peterborough Petes | 64 | 55 | 71 | 126 | 19 |
| Dave Lowry | London Knights | 61 | 60 | 60 | 120 | 94 |
| Don Biggs | Oshawa Generals | 60 | 48 | 69 | 117 | 105 |
| Mike Bukowski | Cornwall Royals | 62 | 53 | 54 | 107 | 72 |
Playoffs
| Division quarter-finals | Division semi-finals | Division finals | J. Ross Robertson Cup | |||||||||||||||
| L1 | Peterborough | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| L6 | Ottawa | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| L1 | Peterborough | bye | ||||||||||||||||
| L1 | Peterborough | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| L2 | Belleville | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| L2 | Belleville | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| L5 | Oshawa | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| L2 | Belleville | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| L4 | Cornwall | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| L3 | Toronto | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| L4 | Cornwall | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| L1 | Peterborough | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Sault Ste. Marie | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Sault Ste. Marie | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Kitchener | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Sault Ste. Marie | bye | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Sault Ste. Marie | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Hamilton | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | London | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Windsor | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | London | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Hamilton | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| E3 | North Bay | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Hamilton | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
(1) Peterborough Petes vs. (6) Ottawa 67's
| March 19 | Ottawa 67's | 2 – 7 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| March 21 | Ottawa 67's | 2 – 5 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| March 22 | Peterborough Petes | 4 – 4 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| March 24 | Peterborough Petes | 4 – 3 | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa Civic Centre | ||||
| March 25 | Ottawa 67's | 4 – 6 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| Peterborough wins series 9 – 1 | |
(2) Belleville Bulls vs. (5) Oshawa Generals
| March 20 | Oshawa Generals | 6 – 4 | Belleville Bulls | Yardmen Arena | ||||
| March 21 | Belleville Bulls | 2 – 0 | Oshawa Generals | Oshawa Civic Auditorium | ||||
| March 23 | Oshawa Generals | 1 – 6 | Belleville Bulls | Yardmen Arena | ||||
| March 24 | Belleville Bulls | 5 – 4 | Oshawa Generals | Oshawa Civic Auditorium | ||||
| March 27 | Oshawa Generals | 4 – 6 | Belleville Bulls | Yardmen Arena | ||||
| Belleville wins series 8 – 2 | |
(3) Toronto Marlboros vs. (4) Cornwall Royals
| March 19 | Cornwall Royals | 4 – 3 | Toronto Marlboros | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| March 21 | Toronto Marlboros | 5 – 2 | Cornwall Royals | Cornwall Civic Complex | ||||
| March 24 | Cornwall Royals | 6 – 5 | Toronto Marlboros | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| March 26 | Toronto Marlboros | 5 – 9 | Cornwall Royals | Cornwall Civic Complex | ||||
| March 28 | Cornwall Royals | 8 – 5 | Toronto Marlboros | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| Cornwall wins series 8 – 2 | |
(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (6) Kitchener Rangers
| March 20 | Kitchener Rangers | 1 – 6 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 22 | Kitchener Rangers | 2 – 10 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 24 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 11 – 7 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| March 26 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 5 – 4 | Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| Sault Ste. Marie wins series 8 – 0 | |
(2) London Knights vs. (5) Windsor Compuware Spitfires
| March 19 | Windsor Compuware Spitfires | 1 – 6 | London Knights | London Gardens | ||||
| March 21 | London Knights | 3 – 2 | Windsor Compuware Spitfires | Windsor Arena | ||||
| March 22 | Windsor Compuware Spitfires | 0 – 8 | London Knights | London Gardens | ||||
| March 25 | London Knights | 6 – 1 | Windsor Compuware Spitfires | Windsor Arena | ||||
| London wins series 8 – 0 | |
(3) North Bay Centennials vs. (4) Hamilton Steelhawks
| March 19 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 6 – 2 | North Bay Centennials | North Bay Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 21 | North Bay Centennials | 4 – 5 | Hamilton Steelhawks | Mountain Arena | ||||
| March 24 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 8 – 8 | North Bay Centennials | North Bay Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 26 | North Bay Centennials | 4 – 5 | Hamilton Steelhawks | Mountain Arena | ||||
| March 28 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 5 – 8 | North Bay Centennials | North Bay Memorial Gardens | ||||
| March 29 | North Bay Centennials | 6 – 1 | Hamilton Steelhawks | Mountain Arena | ||||
| March 31 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 1 – 6 | North Bay Centennials | North Bay Memorial Gardens | ||||
| April 1 | North Bay Centennials | 3 – 4 | OT | Hamilton Steelhawks | Mountain Arena | |||
| Hamilton wins series 9 – 7 | |
(2) Belleville Bulls vs. (4) Cornwall Royals
| April 3 | Cornwall Royals | 3 – 2 | Belleville Bulls | Yardmen Arena | ||||
| April 4 | Belleville Bulls | 9 – 5 | Cornwall Royals | Cornwall Civic Complex | ||||
| April 6 | Cornwall Royals | 1 – 5 | Belleville Bulls | Yardmen Arena | ||||
| April 8 | Belleville Bulls | 7 – 4 | Cornwall Royals | Cornwall Civic Complex | ||||
| Belleville wins series 6 – 2 | |
(2) London Knights vs. (4) Hamilton Steelhawks
| April 2 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 5 – 3 | London Knights | London Gardens | ||||
| April 4 | London Knights | 5 – 8 | Hamilton Steelhawks | Mountain Arena | ||||
| April 5 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 3 – 7 | London Knights | London Gardens | ||||
| April 9 | London Knights | 3 – 6 | Hamilton Steelhawks | Mountain Arena | ||||
| Hamilton wins series 6 – 2 | |
(1) Peterborough Petes vs. (2) Belleville Bulls
| April 11 | Belleville Bulls | 2 – 6 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| April 13 | Peterborough Petes | 4 – 3 | Belleville Bulls | Yardmen Arena | ||||
| April 14 | Belleville Bulls | 1 – 4 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| April 17 | Peterborough Petes | 4 – 4 | Belleville Bulls | Yardmen Arena | ||||
| April 18 | Belleville Bulls | 3 – 6 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| Peterborough wins series 9 – 1 | |
(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (4) Hamilton Steelhawks
| April 12 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 4 – 6 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| April 14 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 6 – 4 | Hamilton Steelhawks | Mountain Arena | ||||
| April 16 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 2 – 8 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| April 18 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 4 – 4 | Hamilton Steelhawks | Mountain Arena | ||||
| April 20 | Hamilton Steelhawks | 0 – 7 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| Sault Ste. Marie wins series 9 – 1 | |
(E1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (L1) Peterborough Petes
| April 25 | Peterborough Petes | 3 – 3 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| April 26 | Peterborough Petes | 5 – 3 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| April 28 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 6 – 5 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| April 29 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 5 – 2 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| May 2 | Peterborough Petes | 7 – 5 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| May 4 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 4 – 3 | Peterborough Petes | Peterborough Memorial Centre | ||||
| May 6 | Peterborough Petes | 2 – 5 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Memorial Gardens | ||||
| Sault Ste. Marie wins series 9 – 5 | |