The
1980–81 Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
season was the club's
72nd season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
of play. The Canadiens lost just once in their last twenty-seven home games. The Canadiens earned at least 100 regular season points for the seventh consecutive season. Montreal qualified for the playoffs and were eliminated in the NHL's Preliminary round by the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
three games to none. Four days after the Canadiens were eliminated, head coach Claude Ruel resigned.
Offseason
Regular season
* Guy Lafleur appeared in only 51 games and scored 27 goals. It was the first time since the
1973–74 Montreal Canadiens season that he failed to score 50 goals or more in a season.
Final standings
Record vs. opponents
Schedule and results
Playoffs
The Canadiens were swept in three games by the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
. In Game One of the series,
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
had five assists. This was a single game playoff record.
Player statistics
Regular season
;Scoring
;Goaltending
Playoffs
;Scoring
;Goaltending
Awards and records
Transactions
Draft picks
The
1980 NHL Entry Draft
The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was the 18th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft.The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.241, Published in Canada by Doubleda ...
was hosted at the Montreal Forum. It would mark the first time that an NHL Arena hosted the event.
[The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.240, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ]
Farm teams
See also
*
1980–81 NHL season
The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The New York Islanders were the top regular season team and the top playoff team, winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup by defeating the Minnesota North Stars in f ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1980-81 Montreal Canadiens Season
Montreal Canadiens seasons
Montreal Canadiens season, 1980-81
Norris Division champion seasons
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
Eastern Conference (NHL) championship seasons