The 1979–80 NHL season was the 63rd

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 ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

. This season saw the addition of four teams from the disbanded

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

as expansion franchises. 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 ...

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

New England Whalers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

(later renamed "Hartford Whalers" at the insistence of the Boston Bruins), and

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...

joined the NHL, bringing the total to 21 teams. The other two WHA teams ( Birmingham Bulls and

Cincinnati Stingers The Cincinnati Stingers were an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and in the Central Hockey League during the 1979–80 season. Their home arena was Riverfront Coliseum. They are ...

) were paid to disband. The

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

won their first

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

, defeating the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

in six games, in the

finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. The season also marked the eighth and final season for the

Flames A flame (from Latin '' flamma'') is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density they ...

in Atlanta before the franchise relocated to Calgary. The NHL would return to the Georgia capital in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

with the Thrashers, but that team would ultimately relocate away from Atlanta as well becoming the second (and current) incarnation of the

. The collapse of the WHA also saw the much hyped super-star rookie

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 ...

come to the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky would tie

Marcel Dionne Marcel Elphège "Little Beaver" Dionne (born August 3, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. Marcel ...

for the scoring lead with 137 points and capture the

Hart Memorial Trophy The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was dona ...

as the most valuable player while Dionne took home the

Art Ross Trophy The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the league by former player, General Manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has ...

as the leading scorer by virtue of having scored two more goals. Gretzky aside, many players made their debut in the NHL this season, both due to the WHA merger and to a change in the rules for the Entry Draft allowing eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds to be drafted for the first time; no fewer than seven

Hall of Famers A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

(Gretzky,

Ray Bourque Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memoria ...

Mark Messier Mark John Douglas Messier (; born January 18, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League (NHL). His playing career in the NHL lasted 25 years ( 1979–2004) with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Range ...

, Mike Gartner, Michel Goulet,

Mark Howe Mark Steven Howe (born 28 May 1955) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and left winger who played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) following six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He is curr ...

, and an undrafted

Joe Mullen Joseph Patrick Mullen (born February 26, 1957) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins betwee ...

) debuted this season, along with numerous other perennial stars. The big story of the regular season was the record-breaking undefeated streak compiled by the

. After starting the season with a 5–2 win over the New York Islanders and a 9–2 loss to the Atlanta Flames, the Flyers did not lose again for nearly three months, earning at least one point in every game between a 4–3 win over Toronto on October 14, 1979, and a 4–2 win over Buffalo on January 6, 1980, earning a 35-game record of 25–0–10. This stands as the longest undefeated streak in North American professional sports history.

Regular season

With 21 teams in the league, the regular-season schedule was set without regard to divisional affiliation. Each team played each of the other 20 teams four times in the year, twice at home and twice on the road. As well, a new playoff structure was introduced with the four division winners plus the next 12 teams with the best records qualifying. Division winners were not granted any byes and the divisions were ignored for determining playoff match-up seeding. Thus the division grouping ensured that if the five worst teams were to be in the same five-team division, the winner of this division would have qualified for the playoffs despite having the fifth worst season record. Except for that unlikely possibility, the divisional affiliations were irrelevant and had no effect on playoff qualification or seeding. A few months into the season, the Detroit Red Wings started playing at

Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena ...

after having spent all but their first season at the

Detroit Olympia Detroit Olympia, also known as Olympia Stadium, was a multi-purpose arena in Detroit. Nicknamed "The Old Red Barn", it was best known as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) from its opening in 1927 to 1979. Hist ...

. For the four previous seasons, the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making ...

had owned first place in the Adams Division. This season saw the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, alon ...

dethrone the Bruins in the Adams. The New York Islanders finished first overall in the NHL the previous season with 116 points, but lost in the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

semifinals to the upstart New York Rangers. This season saw them fall considerably in the standings as they finished fifth overall with 91 points, a full 25 points below last year's finish. On the other hand, the Philadelphia Flyers improved by 21 points from the previous season. Their 35-game undefeated streak (25–0–10) propelled them to the best record in the NHL with 116 points. All four expansion teams finished poorly with records below .500. The

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

fared the best with 73 points and the

tied the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

for last overall with 51 points. Hartford (14th overall) and Edmonton (16th overall) qualified for the playoffs, but both teams were swept 3 games to 0 in their respective first-round playoff series.

Rule changes

In August 1979, John Ziegler, the NHL president, announced that protective

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

s would be made mandatory for all NHL players. "The introduction of the helmet rule will be an additional safety factor", he said. The only exception were for players who signed their pro contracts prior to June 1, 1979. Those players under the exception who chose not to wear a helmet also had to sign a waiver form, if they so desired. At the time of the rule change, about 70% of NHLers were wearing helmets already. The first player to wear protective headgear on a regular basis was George Owen of the Boston Bruins in the 1928–29 season. Prior to that, the only time protective headgear was worn was to temporarily protect injuries.

Craig MacTavish Craig MacTavish (born August 15, 1958) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player, currently in an assistant coaching position with the St. Louis Blues. He played centre for 17 seasons in the National Hockey League with th ...

, while playing for the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

, was the last helmetless player, retiring after the 1996–97 season.

Final standings

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
''Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold''

Prince of Wales Conference

Clarence Campbell Conference

Playoffs

With the league expansion from 17 to 21 teams, the playoffs were also expanded, from a 12-team tournament to a 16-team tournament. The sixteen teams were composed of the four divisional champions plus the top 12 finishers of the remaining 17 teams. The 16 qualifying teams were then seeded based on regular season points, with divisional rankings ignored. Division leaders no longer received first round byes. The teams were seeded 1 through 16, with the top team playing the 16th team in the first round, and so on. In subsequent rounds, matchups were similarly arranged, with the top remaining seed against the lowest remaining seed, and so on. The Preliminary Round was a best-of-five set.McCarthy, p. 249 The Atlanta Flames played their final playoff games in this postseason, and moved to Calgary soon after. The playoffs returned to Atlanta in 2007.

Playoff seeds

The sixteen teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–16 based on regular season points. #

, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 116 points #

, Adams Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 110 points #

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 ...

, Norris Division champions – 107 points #

– 105 points #

– 91 points #

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

– 88 points #

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Smythe Division champions – 87 points #

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

– 86 points #

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

– 83 points #

– 80 points #

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

– 75 points #

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

– 74 points #

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

– 73 points (30 wins) #

– 73 points (27 wins) #

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce ...

– 70 points #

– 69 points

Playoff bracket

Stanley Cup Finals

The story of the playoffs was

Mike Bossy Michael Dean Bossy (January 22, 1957April 15, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. He spent his entire NHL career, which lasted from 1977 to 1987, with the Islanders, and ...

and the

. After a dismal start for their franchise in the early seventies, the Islanders built a contender for the

and won their first of four in a row by beating the

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

of game six of the final. Defenceman

Denis Potvin # Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a four-time Stanley Cup winner as a member of the earl ...

scored a crucial overtime goal in game one and the Cup was won when Bobby Nystrom scored the Cup-winning goal from John Tonelli and

Lorne Henning Lorne Henning (born February 22, 1952) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He most recently served as Director of Player Personnel and Assistant General Manager for the NHL's Vancouver Canucksbr> Born in Melfort, ...

at 7:11 of the first overtime. Ken Morrow became the first hockey player in history to win an Olympic gold medal and the

in the same season. Hall of Fame announcer Dan Kelly was calling the play-by-play for

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...

on that day, May 24, 1980. It was the last NHL game to air on American network television for nearly ten years.

Awards

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points'' Source: NHL.

Leading goaltenders

''Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (dependin ...

; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts''

Other statistics

* Plus-minus leader:

Jim Schoenfeld James Grant Schoenfeld (born September 4, 1952) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He most recently was the assistant general manager with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as an inte ...

, Buffalo Sabres

Coaches

Patrick Division

*Atlanta Flames:

Al MacNeil Allister Wences MacNeil (born September 27, 1935) is a former National Hockey League player and coach. He was the first native of Atlantic Canada to serve as a head coach in the NHL. Career He played parts of eleven seasons in the National Hockey ...

*New York Islanders:

Al Arbour Alger Joseph Arbour (November 1, 1932 – August 28, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He is third to Joel Quenneville for games coached in National Hockey League history and fifth all-time in wins, behind Scotty Bo ...

*New York Rangers:

Fred Shero Frederick Alexander Shero, nicknamed The Fog (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). However, he spen ...

*Philadelphia Flyers: Pat Quinn *Washington Capitals: Gary Green

Adams Division

*Boston Bruins:

Fred Creighton Fred Creighton (June 24, 1930 in Port Arthur, Ontario – September 28, 2011) was a Canadian ice hockey centre and coach. Creighton is best known for his time as an NHL head coach. Creighton grew up in rural Manitoba. After completing his journ ...

and

Harry Sinden Harry James Sinden (born September 14, 1932) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He served as a coach, general manager, and team president for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL), and was the coach of ...

*Buffalo Sabres:

Scotty Bowman William Scott Bowman, OC (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) head coach. He holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs and ...

*Minnesota North Stars:

Glen Sonmor Glen Robert Sonmor (April 22, 1929 – December 14, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, scout and coach. He played 28 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1953 to 1955, though most of his career was ...

*Quebec Nordiques: Jacques Demers *Toronto Maple Leafs: Floyd Smith,

Dick Duff Terrance Richard Duff (born February 18, 1936) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played 18 seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers in the National H ...

and

Punch Imlach George "Punch" Imlach (March 15, 1918 – December 1, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, an ...

Norris Division

*Detroit Red Wings: Bobby Kromm and

Ted Lindsay Ted Lindsay (born Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay; July 29, 1925 – March 4, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played as a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Linds ...

*Hartford Whalers:

Don Blackburn John Donald Blackburn (May 14, 1938 – February 4, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders an ...

*Los Angeles Kings: Bob Berry *Montreal Canadiens:

Bernie Geoffrion Joseph Bernard André Geoffrion (; February 14, 1931 – March 11, 2006), nicknamed "Boom Boom", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Generally considered one of the innovators of the slapshot, he was inducted into the Hockey ...

and

Claude Ruel Claude Ruel (September 12, 1938 – February 9, 2015) was a professional ice hockey Coach (ice hockey), coach for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ruel grew up playing hockey in Sherbrooke. He was considered to be ...

*Pittsburgh Penguins: Johnny Wilson

Smythe Division

*Chicago Black Hawks:

Eddie Johnston Edward Joseph Johnston (born November 24, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former coach and general manager in the National Hockey League. His professional career spanned fifty-three years (twenty-two as a player ...

*Colorado Rockies:

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

*Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather *St. Louis Blues:

Red Berenson Gordon Arthur "Red, The Red Baron" Berenson (born December 8, 1939) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 1984 to 2017. Berenson was inducted into Canada's Sports ...

*Vancouver Canucks:

Harry Neale Harold Watson Neale (born March 9, 1937) is a Canadian retired NCAA, NHL and WHA coach and general manager, and ice hockey broadcaster. Coaching career Following his playing career, Neale got his head coaching start at Hill Park Secondary Sc ...

*Winnipeg Jets: Tom McVie and Bill Sutherland

Milestones

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1979–80 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): * Bob Gould, Atlanta Flames *

Kent Nilsson Kent Åke "Kenta" Nilsson (born 31 August 1956) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Winnipeg Jets, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta and Calgary Flame ...

§, Atlanta Flames *

Paul Reinhart Paul Gerard Reinhart (born January 6, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He featured in the 1986 Stanley Cup ...

, Atlanta Flames *

Pekka Rautakallio Pekka Olavi "Rocky" Rautakallio (born July 25, 1953) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played 14 seasons of elite hockey in the SM-sarja and SM-liiga between 1968 and 1987 for Ässät and HIFK Helsinki, duri ...

§, Atlanta Flames * Pat Riggin §, Atlanta Flames * Brad McCrimmon, Boston Bruins *

, Boston Bruins *

, Boston Bruins * Mike Ramsey, Buffalo Sabres *

Rob McClanahan Robert Bruce McClanahan (born January 9, 1958) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 224 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Buffalo Sabres, Hartford Whalers and New York Rangers between 1980 and 1983. McC ...

, Buffalo Sabres * Keith Brown, Chicago Black Hawks *

Rich Preston Richard John "Rich" Preston (born May 22, 1952) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former forward. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Preston began his professional career in the World Hockey Association in the 1974-75 season with the Avco World ...

§, Chicago Black Hawks * Terry Ruskowski §, Chicago Black Hawks *

Darryl Sutter Darryl John Sutter (born August 19, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Calgary Flames. He is one of seven Sutter brothers, six of whom made the NHL ( Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich, and ...

, Chicago Black Hawks *

Rob Ramage George Robert Ramage (born January 11, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, M ...

§, Colorado Rockies * John Ogrodnick, Detroit Red Wings *

Mike Foligno Michael Anthony Foligno (; born January 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for fifteen seasons from 1979–80 until 1993–94. He is a scout for the Vegas Golden Knights. ...

, Detroit Red Wings *

Jim Korn James Allen Korn (born July 28, 1957 in Hopkins, Minnesota), is an American former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with five teams between 1979 and 1990. Internationally he played for the American natio ...

, Detroit Red Wings *

Kevin Lowe Kevin Hugh Lowe (born April 15, 1959) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive, former coach and former player. Lowe was the vice-chairman of Oilers Entertainment Group until his retirement on August 2nd, 2022 (behind only Glen Sather in ...

, Edmonton Oilers *

§, Edmonton Oilers *

§, Edmonton Oilers * John Garrett §, Hartford Whalers *

Gordie Roberts Gordon Douglas Roberts (born October 2, 1957) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 1,097 NHL regular season games from 1979 to 1994. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. His brother Doug Robert ...

§, Hartford Whalers *

§, Hartford Whalers * Mike Rogers §, Hartford Whalers * Mark Hardy, Los Angeles Kings *

Jay Wells Gordon Jay Wells (born May 18, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach and former player. He was nicknamed "The Hammer" for his tough, physical style of play. Playing career Jay Wells played his junior hockey with the Kingsto ...

, Los Angeles Kings * Curt Giles, Minnesota North Stars, * Craig Hartsburg §, Minnesota North Stars *

Tom McCarthy Thomas McCarthy (also Tom and Tommy) may refer to: Academia *Thomas A. McCarthy (born 1940), American professor of philosophy *Thomas J. McCarthy (born 1956), American professor of polymer chemistry at the University of Massachusetts *J. Thomas Mc ...

, Minnesota North Stars * Chris Nilan, Montreal Canadiens * Keith Acton, Montreal Canadiens * Gaston Gingras §, Montreal Canadiens *

Rick Meagher Richard Joseph Meagher (born November 2, 1953) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. Meagher played almost 700 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Hartford Whalers, New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues. He wo ...

, Montreal Canadiens *

Richard Brodeur Richard "King Richard", "Kermit" Brodeur (born September 15, 1952), is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Brodeur was born in Longueuil, Quebec and grew up in Montreal, Quebec. Playing career Brodeur was selected in the 1972 ...

§, New York Islanders * Ken Morrow, New York Islanders *

Duane Sutter Duane Calvin Sutter (born March 16, 1960) is a Canadian former National Hockey League player and head coach. He is one of the famed six Sutter brothers to play in the NHL. On May 21 2019, the Edmonton Oilers relieved Duane from his head of pro ...

, New York Islanders *

Brian Propp Brian Phillip Propp (born February 15, 1959) is a Canadian former professional Ice hockey left winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 until 1994. Playing career Propp started his career with the Melvill ...

, Philadelphia Flyers * Michel Goulet §, Quebec Nordiques *

Jamie Hislop James Donald Hislop (born January 20, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Cincinnati Stingers in the World Hockey Association from 1976 to 1979 and then the Quebec Nordiques and Calgary Flames of the Nat ...

§, Quebec Nordiques *

Real Cloutier Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...

§, Quebec Nordiques *

Mike Liut Michael Dennis Liut (born January 7, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Liut played for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1977 to 1979 and for the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, a ...

§, St. Louis Blues *

*, St. Louis Blues *

Laurie Boschman Laurie Joseph Boschman (born June 4, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 14 seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils and Ottawa ...

, Toronto Maple Leafs * Rick Vaive §, Vancouver Canucks * Mike Gartner §, Washington Capitals *

Dave Christian David William Christian (born May 12, 1959) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He played on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Additionally he played for five National ...

, Winnipeg Jets ''Players marked with § previously started their major professional career in the

.''

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1979–80 (listed with their last team): * Curt Bennett, Atlanta Flames *

Paul Henderson Paul Garnet Henderson, (born January 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Fla ...

, Atlanta Flames *

Gerry Cheevers Gerald Michael "Cheesie" Cheevers (born 7 December 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1961 and 1980. Cheevers is best known for ...

, Boston Bruins * Dave Schultz, Buffalo Sabres *

Keith Magnuson Keith Arlen Magnuson (April 27, 1947 – December 15, 2003) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman from Wadena, Saskatchewan who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1969 and 1979. Magnuson played 589 career NHL games, a ...

, Chicago Black Hawks *

Stan Mikita Stanley Mikita (born Stanislav Guoth; May 20, 1940 – August 7, 2018) was a Slovak-born Canadian ice hockey player for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League, generally regarded as the best centre of the 1960s. In 2017, he was ...

, Chicago Black Hawks *

Cliff Koroll Clifford Eugene Koroll (born October 1, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League between 1969 and 1980. He played in two Stanley Cup Finals with the Black ...

, Chicago Black Hawks *

Gary Croteau Gary Croteau (born June 20, 1946) is a Canadian former ice hockey forward, most notably with the Colorado Rockies of the National Hockey League. Playing career Croteau was born in Sudbury, Ontario, the son of Earl and Georgina Croteau. Earl Cro ...

, Colorado Rockies * Tom Webster, Detroit Red Wings * Dave Dryden, Edmonton Oilers *

Bill Flett William Mayer Flett (July 21, 1943 – July 12, 1999) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames. Flett then moved t ...

, Edmonton Oilers *

Al Hamilton Allan Guy Hamilton (born August 20, 1946) is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman, most notably with the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association. He also played in the National Hockey League for the Oilers, as well as the New Yor ...

, Edmonton Oilers *

Gordie Howe Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seaso ...

, Hartford Whalers (The last player to be born in the 1920s and the last player to have played in the 1940s) *

Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull OC (born January 3, 1939) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blonde hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high velo ...

, Hartford Whalers (The last player to be born in the 1930s) * Andre Lacroix, Hartford Whalers * Syl Apps, Jr., Los Angeles Kings *

Barry Gibbs Barry Paul "Gibby" Gibbs (born September 28, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was selected first overall in the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft. Playing career During his NHL career, Gibbs played for the Boston Bruins, M ...

, Los Angeles Kings *

Randy Manery Randy Neal Manery (born January 10, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Manery started his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings in 1970. He also played for the Atlanta Flames and Los Angeles Kings. ...

, Los Angeles Kings *

Jocelyn Guevremont Jocelyn Marcel Guèvremont (born March 1, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He began his career as a distinguished junior ice hockey player, named to the ...

, New York Rangers *

Dale Tallon Michael "Dale" Tallon (born October 19, 1950) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former player. He played in the NHL for ten years as a defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Following his retir ...

, Pittsburgh Penguins *

Pierre Plante Pierre Renald Plante (born May 14, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 599 National Hockey League (NHL) games for the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordi ...

, Quebec Nordiques * Carl Brewer, Toronto Maple Leafs * Dennis Hextall, Washington Capitals * Gary Smith, Winnipeg Jets

References

* * * * * ;Notes

External links

Hockey DatabaseNHL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:1979-80 NHL season 1979–80 in Canadian ice hockey by league 1979–80 in American ice hockey by league

Regular season

Rule changes

Final standings

Prince of Wales Conference

Clarence Campbell Conference

Playoffs

Playoff seeds

Playoff bracket

Stanley Cup Finals

Awards

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Leading goaltenders

Other statistics

Coaches

Patrick Division

Adams Division

Norris Division

Smythe Division

Milestones

Debuts

Last games

See also

References

External links