The 1979–80 WHL season was the 14th season for the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
. Eleven teams completed a 72-game season. The
Regina Pats
Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to:
Places Canada
* Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province
** Regina (electoral district)
** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina
France
* Régina, French Guiana, a commune
United States
* R ...
won the
President's Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably ...
.
League notes
*The
Edmonton Oil Kings
The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League. As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers ...
relocated to
Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...
to become the
Great Falls Americans
The Great Falls Americans are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior A ice hockey team from Great Falls, Montana, playing at the Great Falls IcePlex in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The players, ages 16–20, carry amateur status ...
, however the team only lasted 28 games, as the Americans ceased operations on December 16, 1979.
*The WHL abandoned the three division format, opting instead for a two division format of eight teams in the East and four in the West.
Regular season
Final standings
1Folded mid-season
Scoring leaders
''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes''
1980 WHL Playoffs
First round
*Regina defeated Lethbridge 4 games to 0
*Brandon defeated Calgary 4 games to 3
*Medicine Hat defeated Billings 4 games to 3
Division semi-finals
Round Robin format
*Medicine Hat (3–1) advanced
*Regina (2–2) advanced
*Brandon (1–3) eliminated
*Victoria (5–3) advanced
*Seattle (4–4) advanced
*Portland (3–5) eliminated
Division finals
*Regina defeated Medicine Hat 4 games to 1
*Victoria defeated Seattle 4 games to 0
WHL Championship
*Regina defeated Victoria 4 games to 1
All-Star game
There was no All-Star game in 1979–80.
WHL awards
All-Star Teams
See also
*
1980 Memorial Cup
The 1980 Memorial Cup occurred May 4–11 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba and at the Agridome in Regina, Saskatchewan. It was the 62nd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian ...
*
1980 NHL Entry Draft
*
1979 in sports
*
1980 in sports
References
whl.ca* 2005–06 WHL Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:1979-80 Whl Season
Western Hockey League seasons
WCHL
WCHL