The 1936–37 AHL season was the first season of the International-American Hockey League, known in the present day as the American Hockey League. The IAHL was formed when the International Hockey League and the Canadian-American Hockey League agreed to play an interlocking schedule after being cut down to only four teams each.
The IAHL was structured as a "circuit of mutual convenience" with eight teams in two divisions, scheduled to play a 48 game season. The IHL formed the West Division, and the CAHL served as the East Division. The Buffalo Bisons, whose home arena collapsed with nine days left in the 1935—36 season, were forced to suspend operations on December 6, 1936, due to financial woes.
The F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy was carried over by the West Division from the International Hockey League, and was awarded to the Syracuse Stars as West Division champions. The Syracuse Stars also won the inaugural Calder Cup by defeating the Philadelphia Ramblers for the championship.
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points;
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Ramblers (NYR) | 48 | 26 | 14 | 8 | 60 | 149 | 106 |
| Springfield Indians (independent) | 48 | 22 | 17 | 9 | 53 | 117 | 125 |
| Providence Reds (BOS) | 48 | 21 | 20 | 7 | 49 | 122 | 125 |
| New Haven Eagles (MTL/NYA) | 48 | 14 | 28 | 6 | 34 | 107 | 142 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Stars (TOR) | 48 | 27 | 16 | 5 | 59 | 173 | 129 |
| Pittsburgh Hornets (DET) | 48 | 22 | 23 | 3 | 47 | 122 | 124 |
| Cleveland Falcons (independent) | 48 | 13 | 27 | 8 | 34 | 113 | 152 |
| Buffalo Bisons† (independent) | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 30 |
†Suspended operations.
Scoring Leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Markle | Syracuse Stars | 48 | 21 | 39 | 60 | 2 |
| Clint Smith | Philadelphia Ramblers | 47 | 25 | 29 | 54 | 15 |
| Bryan Hextall | Philadelphia Ramblers | 48 | 29 | 23 | 52 | 34 |
| Eddie Convey | Syracuse Stars | 48 | 12 | 37 | 49 | 82 |
| Jackie Keating | Providence Reds | 48 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 22 |
| Lorne Duguid | Providence Reds | 47 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 16 |
| Norman Mann | Syracuse Stars | 46 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 47 |
| Charlie Mason | Philadelphia Ramblers | 48 | 25 | 15 | 40 | 17 |
| Bazel Doran | Syracuse Stars | 48 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 42 |
| Art Jackson | Syracuse Stars | 29 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 38 |
Calder Cup Playoffs
| Preliminary Round | Division Finals | Calder Cup Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia | 2 | ||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Springfield | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Springfield | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Providence | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Philadelphia | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Syracuse | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Syracuse | 3 | ||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 2 | ||||||||||||