1980–81 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1980–81 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 72nd season 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 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
Schedule and results
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.Player statistics
Regular season
;Scoring| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| LW | 77 | 35 | 38 | 73 | 51 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 3 | |
| RW | 79 | 35 | 36 | 71 | 24 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 6 | |
| RW | 51 | 27 | 43 | 70 | 29 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 7 | |
| RW | 77 | 25 | 38 | 63 | 123 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 4 | |
| W | 77 | 27 | 31 | 58 | 83 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 3 | |
| LW | 73 | 22 | 32 | 54 | 39 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
| C | 61 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | |
| D | 65 | 12 | 38 | 50 | 37 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 2 | |
| LW | 78 | 23 | 24 | 47 | 36 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 3 | |
| D | 80 | 11 | 34 | 45 | 120 | 53 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |
| C | 57 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 16 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 2 | |
| C | 61 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 74 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| C | 80 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 34 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| C | 48 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 93 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| D | 80 | 3 | 25 | 28 | 96 | 63 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 55 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| D | 77 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| RW | 57 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 262 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| C | 41 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 33 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 79 | -6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| D | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D/RW | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
;Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| 1777 | 33 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 71 | 2.40 | 2 | |
| 1623 | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 82 | 3.03 | 1 | |
| 1147 | 25 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 67 | 3.50 | 1 | |
| 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 |
| LW | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
;Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
| 180 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 4.33 | 0 | |
| Team: | 180 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 4.33 | 0 |
Awards and records
Transactions
Roster
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.| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 1 | 1 | Doug Wickenheiser | Regina Pats | |
| 2 | 27 | Ric Nattress | Brantford Alexanders | |
| 2 | 40 | John Chabot | Hull Olympiques | |
| 3 | 45 | John Newberry | Nanaimo Clippers | |
| 3 | 61 | Craig Ludwig | University of North Dakota | |
| 4 | 82 | Jeff Teal | University of Minnesota | |
| 5 | 103 | Remi Gagne | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | |
| 6 | 124 | Mike McPhee | Rennssaeler Polytechnic Institute | |
| 7 | 145 | Bill Norton | Clarkson University | |
| 8 | 166 | Steve Penney | Shawinigan Cataractes | |
| 9 | 187 | John Schmidt | University of Notre Dame | |
| 10 | 208 | Scott Robinson | University of Denver |