1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their 13th in the National Hockey League.
Regular season
The Penguins changed their team colors from two-tone blue to Black and Gold in January. This move was done in part to honor the other two professional teams in Pittsburgh both of whom won their respective championships in 1979. The Boston Bruins initially challenged the change in colors as the new scheme closely matched their own. However, as the original NHL franchise in Pittsburgh, the Pirates, had nearly the same colors from their inception while the Bruins wore brown and yellow sweaters NHL president John Ziegler Jr. eventually denied the Bruins claim. The new Pittsburgh jerseys were debuted on January 30th against the visiting St. Louis Blues.Division standings
Schedule and results
Playoffs
Preliminary Round vs. Boston
Player statistics
;Skaters;Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
Transactions
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1979–80 season:Trades
| August 30, 1979 | To Montreal Canadiens ---- Denis Herron 1982 2nd round pick | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Rob Holland Pat Hughes |
| November 13, 1979 | To St. Louis Blues ---- Blair Chapman | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Bob Stewart |
Additions and subtractions
Roster
Draft picks
The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was held on August 9, 1979 in Montreal, Quebec.| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 2 | 31 | Paul Marshall | Left Wing | Canada | Brantford Alexanders |
| 3 | 52 | Bennett Wolf | Defense | Canada | Kitchener Rangers |
| 4 | 73 | Brian Cross | Defense | Canada | Brantford Alexanders |
| 5 | 94 | Nick Ricci | Goaltender | Canada | Niagara Falls Flyers |
| 6 | 115 | Marc Chorney | Defense | Canada | U. of North Dakota |