The 1981 Calder Cup Playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 7, 1981. The eight teams that qualified played best-of-7 series for Division Semifinals and Division Finals. The division champions played a best-of-7 series for the Calder Cup. The Calder Cup Final ended on May 20, 1981 with the Adirondack Red Wings defeating the Maine Mariners four games to two to win the Calder Cup for the first time in team history.
Maine set an AHL record for the most goals allowed in one playoff with 81. What makes this more notable is that the AHL playoffs now consist of four rounds of best-of-7 series, whereas Maine set this record in only 20 games—where the playoffs consisted of only three rounds of best-of-7 series.
After the 1980–81 AHL regular season, the top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The Hershey Bears finished the regular season with the best overall record.
In each round, the team that earned more points during the regular season receives home ice advantage, meaning they receive the "extra" game on home-ice if the series reaches the maximum number of games. There is no set series format due to arena scheduling conflicts and travel considerations.
Division Semifinals[]
Note 1: Home team is listed first.
Note 2: The number of overtime periods played (where applicable) is not indicated
Northern Division[]
(1) Maine Mariners vs. (4) Springfield Indians[]
April 8
Maine Mariners
3 - 1
Springfield Indians
April 10
Maine Mariners
7 - 2
Springfield Indians
April 12
Springfield Indians
7 - 4
Maine Mariners
April 15
Springfield Indians
10 - 3
Maine Mariners
April 17
Maine Mariners
6 - 2
Springfield Indians
April 18
Springfield Indians
9 - 2
Maine Mariners
April 22
Maine Mariners
7 - 3
Springfield Indians
Maine won series 4 - 3
(2) New Brunswick Hawks vs. (3) Nova Scotia Voyageurs[]
April 7
New Brunswick Hawks
3 - 2
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 9
New Brunswick Hawks
5 - 3
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 11
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
3 - 6
New Brunswick Hawks
April 12
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
4 - 2
New Brunswick Hawks
April 15
New Brunswick Hawks
0 - 3
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 17
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
1 - 2
New Brunswick Hawks
New Brunswick won series 4 - 2
Southern Division[]
(1) Hershey Bears vs. (4) New Haven Nighthawks[]
April 8
Hershey Bears
6 - 1
New Haven Nighthawks
April 10
New Haven Nighthawks
2 - 6
Hershey Bears
April 11
Hershey Bears
8 - 1
New Haven Nighthawks
April 14
New Haven Nighthawks
2 - 3
OT
Hershey Bears
Hershey won series 4 - 0
(2) Adirondack Red Wings vs. (3) Binghamton Whalers[]
April 7
Adirondack Red Wings
3 - 5
Binghamton Whalers
April 8
Adirondack Red Wings
6 - 3
Binghamton Whalers
April 11
Binghamton Whalers
3 - 2
Adirondack Red Wings
April 14
Binghamton Whalers
4 - 5
Adirondack Red Wings
April 17
Adirondack Red Wings
3 - 1
Binghamton Whalers
April 18
Binghamton Whalers
5 - 6
OT
Adirondack Red Wings
Adirondack won series 4 - 2
Division Finals[]
Northern Division[]
(1) Maine Mariners vs. (2) New Brunswick Hawks[]
April 25
Maine Mariners
4 - 1
New Brunswick Hawks
April 27
Maine Mariners
4 - 5
OT
New Brunswick Hawks
April 29
New Brunswick Hawks
2 - 3
OT
Maine Mariners
May 1
New Brunswick Hawks
6 - 2
Maine Mariners
May 3
Maine Mariners
5 - 4
OT
New Brunswick Hawks
May 6
New Brunswick Hawks
7 - 1
Maine Mariners
May 8
Maine Mariners
4 - 3
OT
New Brunswick Hawks
Maine won series 4 - 3
Southern Division[]
(1) Hershey Bears vs. (2) Adirondack Red Wings[]
April 22
Hershey Bears
9 - 5
Adirondack Red Wings
April 25
Hershey Bears
4 - 5
Adirondack Red Wings
April 28
Adirondack Red Wings
0 - 1
Hershey Bears
April 30
Adirondack Red Wings
7 - 4
Hershey Bears
May 2
Hershey Bears
3 - 6
Adirondack Red Wings
May 3
Adirondack Red Wings
6 - 3
Hershey Bears
Adirondack won series 4 - 2
Calder Cup Final[]
(N1) Maine Mariners vs. (S2) Adirondack Red Wings[]