1980–81 Montreal Canadiens season

1980–81 Montreal Canadiens
Wales Conference champions
Norris Division champions
Division1st Norris
Conference1st Wales
1980–81 record45–22–13
Goals for332
Goals against232
Team information
General managerIrving Grundman
CoachClaude Ruel
CaptainSerge Savard
Alternate captainsNone
ArenaMontreal Forum
Average attendance16,699
Team leaders
GoalsSteve Shutt
Mark Napier (35)
AssistsGuy Lafleur (43)
PointsSteve Shutt (73)
Penalty minutesChris Nilan (262)
Plus/minusBrian Engblom (+63)
WinsRichard Sevigny (20)
Goals against averageRick Wamsley (1.90)

The 1980–81 Montreal Canadiens season was the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Montreal Canadiens' 72nd season of play. The Canadiens lost just once in their last twenty-seven home games.[1] The Canadiens earned at least 100 regular season points for the seventh consecutive season.[1] Montreal qualified for the 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs and were eliminated in the NHL's preliminary round by the Edmonton Oilers three games to none, in what was considered a major upset.[2] Four days after the Canadiens were eliminated, head coach Claude Ruel resigned.

Offseason

Regular season

  • Guy Lafleur, as a result of recovery from a car accident, appeared in only 51 games and scored 27 goals. It was the first time since the 1973–74 season that he failed to score 50 goals or more in a season.[2][3]

Final standings

Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens 80 45 22 13 332 232 103
Los Angeles Kings 80 43 24 13 337 290 99
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 30 37 13 302 345 73
Hartford Whalers 80 21 41 18 292 372 60
Detroit Red Wings 80 19 43 18 252 339 56

[4]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

League standings[5]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p – New York Islanders PTK 80 48 18 14 355 260 110
2 x – St. Louis Blues SMY 80 45 18 17 352 281 107
3 y – Montreal Canadiens NRS 80 45 22 13 332 232 103
4 Los Angeles Kings NRS 80 43 24 13 337 290 99
5 x – Buffalo Sabres ADM 80 39 20 21 327 250 99
6 Philadelphia Flyers PTK 80 41 24 15 313 249 97
7 Calgary Flames PTK 80 39 27 14 329 298 92
8 Boston Bruins ADM 80 37 30 13 316 272 87
9 Minnesota North Stars ADM 80 35 28 17 291 263 87
10 Chicago Black Hawks SMY 80 31 33 16 304 315 78
11 Quebec Nordiques ADM 80 30 32 18 314 318 78
12 Vancouver Canucks SMY 80 28 32 20 289 301 76
13 New York Rangers PTK 80 30 36 14 312 317 74
14 Edmonton Oilers SMY 80 29 35 16 328 327 74
15 Pittsburgh Penguins NRS 80 30 37 13 302 345 73
16 Toronto Maple Leafs ADM 80 28 37 15 322 367 71
17 Washington Capitals PTK 80 26 36 18 286 317 70
18 Hartford Whalers NRS 80 21 41 18 292 372 60
19 Colorado Rockies SMY 80 22 45 13 258 344 57
20 Detroit Red Wings NRS 80 19 43 18 252 339 56
21 Winnipeg Jets SMY 80 9 57 14 246 400 32

Divisions: ADM – Adams, NRS – Norris, PTK – Patrick, SMY – Smythe

bold – The top 16 teams in the league qualified for the playoffs, regardless of division or conference.
x – Won division; y – Won Conference (and division); p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and conference and division)

Record vs. opponents

Norris Division record vs. opponents

Vs. Wales Conference

Vs. Campbell Conference


Schedule and results

Regular season results
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 L October 11, 1980 4–5 Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81) 0–1–0
2 L October 12, 1980 2–3 @ Boston Bruins (1980–81) 0–2–0
3 T October 15, 1980 3–3 @ Washington Capitals (1980–81) 0–2–1
4 W October 18, 1980 4–1 Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) 1–2–1
5 L October 19, 1980 1–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) 1–3–1
6 L October 21, 1980 3–4 @ St. Louis Blues (1980–81) 1–4–1
7 W October 23, 1980 7–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81) 2–4–1
8 L October 25, 1980 2–5 Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) 2–5–1
9 L October 28, 1980 4–6 @ New York Islanders (1980–81) 2–6–1
10 W October 30, 1980 8–2 Hartford Whalers (1980–81) 3–6–1
11 W November 1, 1980 7–4 New York Rangers (1980–81) 4–6–1
12 W November 4, 1980 5–4 Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) 5–6–1
13 L November 6, 1980 2–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) 5–7–1
14 W November 8, 1980 3–0 Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) 6–7–1
15 W November 11, 1980 8–2 @ Colorado Rockies (1980–81) 7–7–1
16 W November 12, 1980 8–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) 8–7–1
17 T November 14, 1980 3–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) 8–7–2
18 W November 16, 1980 5–1 @ Winnipeg Jets (1980–81) 9–7–2
19 W November 19, 1980 5–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) 10–7–2
20 W November 20, 1980 7–3 Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) 11–7–2
21 W November 22, 1980 7–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) 12–7–2
22 L November 25, 1980 4–5 Calgary Flames (1980–81) 12–8–2
23 L November 27, 1980 3–4 New York Islanders (1980–81) 12–9–2
24 L November 29, 1980 2–4 Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) 12–10–2
25 W December 3, 1980 6–5 @ Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) 13–10–2
26 L December 4, 1980 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) 13–11–2
27 W December 6, 1980 4–1 Boston Bruins (1980–81) 14–11–2
28 L December 10, 1980 3–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) 14–12–2
29 W December 11, 1980 5–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) 15–12–2
30 W December 13, 1980 4–1 Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) 16–12–2
31 T December 17, 1980 4–4 @ Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) 16–12–3
32 W December 18, 1980 4–0 @ Calgary Flames (1980–81) 17–12–3
33 L December 20, 1980 3–4 @ Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) 17–13–3
34 T December 23, 1980 2–2 @ Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) 17–13–4
35 W December 27, 1980 7–4 Washington Capitals (1980–81) 18–13–4
36 W December 28, 1980 5–2 @ New York Rangers (1980–81) 19–13–4
37 W December 30, 1980 4–0 Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) 20–13–4
38 W January 2, 1981 3–1 @ Hartford Whalers (1980–81) 21–13–4
39 W January 3, 1981 2–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81) 22–13–4
40 W January 6, 1981 6–2 @ Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) 23–13–4
41 W January 8, 1981 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) 24–13–4
42 T January 10, 1981 5–5 Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) 24–13–5
43 W January 12, 1981 5–0 Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) 25–13–5
44 W January 15, 1981 7–3 Winnipeg Jets (1980–81) 26–13–5
45 L January 17, 1981 5–6 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) 26–14–5
46 L January 19, 1981 3–6 @ Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) 26–15–5
47 L January 21, 1981 2–4 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81) 26–16–5
48 W January 24, 1981 6–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) 27–16–5
49 L January 28, 1981 1–9 @ Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) 27–17–5
50 T January 29, 1981 4–4 @ Calgary Flames (1980–81) 27–17–6
51 L January 31, 1981 1–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) 27–18–6
52 W February 3, 1981 5–2 @ Colorado Rockies (1980–81) 28–18–6
53 W February 5, 1981 7–0 Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) 29–18–6
54 W February 7, 1981 6–2 Boston Bruins (1980–81) 30–18–6
55 T February 12, 1981 3–3 St. Louis Blues (1980–81) 30–18–7
56 W February 14, 1981 6–1 Washington Capitals (1980–81) 31–18–7
57 T February 15, 1981 5–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) 31–18–8
58 W February 19, 1981 5–2 Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) 32–18–8
59 W February 21, 1981 4–1 Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) 33–18–8
60 W February 22, 1981 4–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) 34–18–8
61 T February 24, 1981 2–2 @ St. Louis Blues (1980–81) 34–18–9
62 W February 26, 1981 6–0 Colorado Rockies (1980–81) 35–18–9
63 W February 28, 1981 5–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) 36–18–9
64 T March 1, 1981 4–4 @ New York Rangers (1980–81) 36–18–10
65 W March 4, 1981 9–3 Winnipeg Jets (1980–81) 37–18–10
66 L March 7, 1981 2–4 @ Winnipeg Jets (1980–81) 37–19–10
67 T March 9, 1981 1–1 @ Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) 37–19–11
68 W March 11, 1981 2–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) 38–19–11
69 W March 12, 1981 4–3 St. Louis Blues (1980–81) 39–19–11
70 W March 14, 1981 2–1 Colorado Rockies (1980–81) 40–19–11
71 T March 17, 1981 3–3 @ New York Islanders (1980–81) 40–19–12
72 L March 18, 1981 3–9 @ Hartford Whalers (1980–81) 40–20–12
73 W March 21, 1981 5–3 Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) 41–20–12
74 T March 22, 1981 2–2 @ Washington Capitals (1980–81) 41–20–13
75 W March 26, 1981 8–2 Calgary Flames (1980–81) 42–20–13
76 L March 28, 1981 2–6 New York Rangers (1980–81) 42–21–13
77 L March 29, 1981 0–4 @ Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) 42–22–13
78 W March 31, 1981 3–1 New York Islanders (1980–81) 43–22–13
79 W April 3, 1981 6–1 Hartford Whalers (1980–81) 44–22–13
80 W April 5, 1981 4–2 @ Boston Bruins (1980–81) 45–22–13

[7]

Playoffs

The Canadiens were swept in three games by the Edmonton Oilers. In Game One of the series, Wayne Gretzky had five assists. This was a single game playoff record.[1]

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring

Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Steve Shutt LW 77 35 38 73 51 30 7 0 3
Mark Napier RW 79 35 36 71 24 34 5 0 6
Guy Lafleur RW 51 27 43 70 29 24 7 0 7
Mario Tremblay RW 77 25 38 63 123 16 4 1 4
Rejean Houle W 77 27 31 58 83 20 6 1 3
Yvon Lambert LW 73 22 32 54 39 7 4 0 3
Pierre Larouche C 61 25 28 53 28 13 5 0 2
Larry Robinson D 65 12 38 50 37 46 7 0 2
Bob Gainey LW 78 23 24 47 36 13 5 3 3
Rod Langway D 80 11 34 45 120 53 5 1 2
Pierre Mondou C 57 17 24 41 16 24 5 0 2
Keith Acton C 61 15 24 39 74 5 3 0 2
Doug Jarvis C 80 16 22 38 34 12 0 2 1
Doug Risebrough C 48 13 21 34 93 7 1 0 1
Brian Engblom D 80 3 25 28 96 63 1 0 0
Gaston Gingras D 55 5 16 21 22 5 3 0 1
Serge Savard D 77 4 13 17 30 12 0 0 1
Chris Nilan RW 57 7 8 15 262 7 0 0 1
Doug Wickenheiser C 41 7 8 15 20 5 2 0 0
Guy Lapointe D 33 1 9 10 79 -6 1 0 1
Robert Picard D 8 2 2 4 6 -1 1 0 0
Denis Herron G 25 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
Guy Carbonneau C 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Michel Larocque G 28 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
Bill Baker D 11 0 0 0 32 -1 0 0 0
Rick Chartraw D/RW 14 0 0 0 4 -5 0 0 0
Yvan Joly RW 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Dave Orleski LW 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Richard Sevigny G 33 0 0 0 30 0 0 0 0
Rick Wamsley G 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Richard Sevigny 1777 33 20 4 3 71 2.40 2
Michel Larocque 1623 28 16 9 3 82 3.03 1
Denis Herron 1147 25 6 9 6 67 3.50 1
Rick Wamsley 253 5 3 0 1 8 1.90 1
Team: 4800 80 45 22 13 228 2.85 5

Playoffs

Scoring

Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Steve Shutt LW 3 2 1 3 4 0 0 0
Pierre Larouche C 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0
Brian Engblom D 3 1 0 1 4 0 0 0
Gaston Gingras D 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0
Rejean Houle W 3 1 0 1 6 0 0 0
Doug Risebrough C 3 1 0 1 0 1 0 0
Guy Lafleur RW 3 0 1 1 2 0 0 0
Pierre Mondou C 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Larry Robinson D 3 0 1 1 2 0 0 0
Keith Acton C 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
Bob Gainey LW 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Doug Jarvis C 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yvon Lambert LW 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Rod Langway D 3 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
Guy Lapointe D 1 0 0 0 17 0 0 0
Mark Napier RW 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Chris Nilan RW 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Picard D 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Serge Savard D 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Richard Sevigny G 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mario Tremblay RW 3 0 0 0 9 0 0 0

Goaltending

Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Richard Sevigny 180 3 0 3 13 4.33 0
Team: 180 3 0 3 13 4.33 0

[8]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Transactions

Draft picks

The 1980 NHL entry draft was hosted at the Montreal Forum. It would mark the first time that an NHL arena hosted the event.[9]

Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team
1 1 Doug Wickenheiser  Canada Regina Pats (WHL)
2 27 Ric Nattress  Canada Brantford Alexanders (OHA)
2 40 John Chabot  Canada Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
3 45 John Newberry  Canada Nanaimo Clippers (BCJHL)
3 61 Craig Ludwig  United States University of North Dakota (NCAA)
4 82 Jeff Teal  United States University of Minnesota (WCHA)
5 103 Remi Gagne  Canada Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
6 124 Mike McPhee  Canada Rennssaeler Polytechnic Institute (ECAC)
7 145 Bill Norton  United States Clarkson University (ECAC)
8 166 Steve Penney  Canada Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
9 187 John Schmidt  United States University of Notre Dame (WCHA)
10 208 Scott Robinson  Canada University of Denver (WCHA)

Farm teams

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Jenish, D'Arcy (2009). The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory. Doubleday. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0.
  2. ^ a b Faris, Nick (May 14, 2021). "The playoff upset that rattled a dynasty and put Gretzky's Oilers 'on the map'". TheScore.com. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Jenish, D'Arcy (2009). The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory. Doubleday. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0.
  4. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  5. ^ "1980–81 NHL Standings". NHL.com. National Hockey League.
  6. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "1980–81 Montreal Canadiens Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  8. ^ "1980-81 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  9. ^ Jenish, D'Arcy (2009). The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory. Doubleday. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0.