1980–81 KIJHL season
| 1980–81 KIJHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | KIJHL |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | September–February |
| Games | 40 |
| Teams | 11 |
| League champions | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| Runners-up | Cranbrook Colts |
The 1980-81 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) season was the fourteenth in league history. The Fernie Raiders relocated to Sparwood, BC where the would begin play as the Elk Valley Raiders.
Season
Regular Season
| Team | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Division | ||||||
| Trail Smoke Eaters | 31 | 9 | 0 | 62 | 323 | 186 |
| Castlegar Rebels | 25 | 15 | 0 | 50 | 245 | 201 |
| Nelson Maple Leafs | 17 | 23 | 0 | 34 | 197 | 209 |
| Rossland Warriors | 13 | 27 | 0 | 26 | 178 | 327 |
| Grand Forks Border Bruins | 9 | 30 | 1 | 19 | 216 | 340 |
| Eastern Division | ||||||
| Cranbrook Colts | 36 | 3 | 1 | 73 | 293 | 141 |
| Kimberley Knights | 28 | 11 | 1 | 57 | 234 | 166 |
| Creston Clippers | 19 | 20 | 1 | 39 | 205 | 191 |
| Columbia Valley Rockies | 19 | 21 | 0 | 38 | 228 | 236 |
| Spokane Flames | 12 | 28 | 0 | 24 | 208 | 257 |
| Elk Valley Raiders | 9 | 31 | 0 | 18 | 178 | 327 |
Playoffs
The 1981 playoffs saw the continuation of the previous format with the top four teams in each division making the playoffs
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||
| W1 | Trail | 4? | ||||||
| W4 | Rossland | ? | ||||||
| Trail | 4? | |||||||
| Western Division Semi-Finals | ||||||||
| Unknown | ? | |||||||
| W2 | Castlegar | ? | ||||||
| W3 | Nelson | ? | ||||||
| Trail | 4? | |||||||
| Cranbrook | ? | |||||||
| E1 | Cranbrook | 4? | ||||||
| E4 | Columbia Valley | ? | ||||||
| Cranbrook | 4? | |||||||
| Eastern Division Semi-Finals | ||||||||
| Unknown | ? | |||||||
| E2 | Kimberley | ? | ||||||
| E3 | Creston | ? | ||||||
The 1981 Trail Smoke Eaters would emerge yet again as champions, for the second time in three years and their sixth title overall.