# 1980–81 NHL season

The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The Flames relocated from Atlanta to Calgary. 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 five games.

## Entry draft

The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 11, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. This was the first draft opened to the public. Doug Wickenheiser was selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens.

## Arena changes

The Flames relocated from the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia to the Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta.

## Regular season

The season featured notable individual scoring milestones.
Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers broke Bobby Orr's single season assist record, scoring 109 assists, and Phil Esposito's point record, scoring 164 points. He won his second of an unmatched eight straight Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player
Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders became only the second man in NHL history to score 50 goals in his first 50 games. In the 50th game, played at his home rink, he had 48 goals going into the 3rd and final period (before the advent of overtime games). Bossy admitted being so embarrassed and upset that he contemplated not going out on the ice for the final period. However, Bossy got his 49th goal with 5:15 left to go in the game and the 50th with 1:50 remaining, sending the Nassau Coliseum into a delirium. Maurice Richard, the only other man to accomplish this feat, was on hand to congratulate him.
Bossy's Islanders finished as regular season champions with 110 points with the St. Louis Blues finishing a close second at 107 points.

### 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
League standings :
| 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)

#### Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 39 | 20 | 21 | 327 | 250 | 99 |
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 37 | 30 | 13 | 316 | 272 | 87 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 35 | 28 | 17 | 291 | 263 | 87 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 30 | 32 | 18 | 314 | 318 | 78 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 28 | 37 | 15 | 322 | 367 | 71 |
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 |

#### Clarence Campbell Conference

Patrick Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 48 | 18 | 14 | 355 | 260 | 110 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 41 | 24 | 15 | 313 | 249 | 97 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 39 | 27 | 14 | 329 | 298 | 92 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 30 | 36 | 14 | 312 | 317 | 74 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 26 | 36 | 18 | 286 | 317 | 70 |
Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 45 | 18 | 17 | 352 | 281 | 107 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 31 | 33 | 16 | 304 | 315 | 78 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 28 | 32 | 20 | 289 | 301 | 76 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 29 | 35 | 16 | 328 | 327 | 74 |
| Colorado Rockies | 80 | 22 | 45 | 13 | 258 | 344 | 57 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 9 | 57 | 14 | 246 | 400 | 32 |

## Playoffs
### Bracket

The top 16 teams in the league made the playoffs, and were seeded 1–16, regardless of division or conference. The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system: in each round, the highest remaining seed played against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed faced the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth.
In the preliminary round, teams competed in a best-of-five series. In the other three rounds, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each series).
| Preliminary Round | Preliminary Round | Preliminary Round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Stanley Cup Finals | Stanley Cup Finals | Stanley Cup Finals |
| 1 | NY Islanders | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Toronto | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Toronto | 0 | 1 | NY Islanders | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Edmonton | 2 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | St. Louis | 3 | 8 | Edmonton | 2 | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Pittsburgh | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Pittsburgh | 2 | | | | 1 | NY Islanders | 4 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | NY Rangers | 0 | | | | |
| 3 | Montreal | 0 | | | | | | | 4 | NY Rangers | 0 | | | | |
| 14 | Edmonton | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Edmonton | 3 | 2 | St. Louis | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | NY Rangers | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 1 | 7 | NY Rangers | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 13 | NY Rangers | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | NY Rangers | 3 | | | | | | | | 1 | NY Islanders | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Minnesota | 1 |
| 5 | Buffalo | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Minnesota | 1 |
| 12 | Vancouver | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Vancouver | 0 | 3 | Buffalo | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Minnesota | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 3 | 6 | Minnesota | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Quebec | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Quebec | 2 | | | | 2 | Calgary | 2 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Minnesota | 4 | | | | |
| 7 | Calgary | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | Minnesota | 4 | | | | |
| 10 | Chicago | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Chicago | 0 | 4 | Philadelphia | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Calgary | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Boston | 0 | 5 | Calgary | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Minnesota | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |

## Awards

1981 NHL awards :
| Stanley Cup: | New York Islanders |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (Wales Conference regular season champion) | Montreal Canadiens |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Campbell Conference regular season champion) | New York Islanders |
| Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season) | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) | Blake Dunlop, St. Louis Blues |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player) | Peter Stastny, Quebec Nordiques |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs) | Butch Goring, New York Islanders |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy: (Top defensive forward) | Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season) | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| Jack Adams Award: (Best coach) | Gordon "Red" Berenson, St. Louis Blues |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman) | Randy Carlyle, Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) | Rick Kehoe, Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: (Outstanding player, regular season) | Mike Liut, St. Louis Blues |
| Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record) | Denis Herron, Michel Larocque, & Richard Sevigny, Montreal Canadiens |

### All-Star teams

| First Team | Position | Second Team |
| Mike Liut, St. Louis Blues | G | Mario Lessard, Los Angeles Kings |
| Denis Potvin, New York Islanders | D | Larry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens |
| Randy Carlyle, Pittsburgh Penguins | D | Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins |
| Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers | C | Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles Kings |
| Mike Bossy, New York Islanders | RW | Dave Taylor, Los Angeles Kings |
| Charlie Simmer, Los Angeles Kings | LW | Bill Barber, Philadelphia Flyers |

## Player statistics
### Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 55 | 109 | 164 | 28 |
| Marcel Dionne | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 58 | 77 | 135 | 70 |
| Kent Nilsson | Calgary Flames | 80 | 49 | 82 | 131 | 26 |
| Mike Bossy | New York Islanders | 79 | 68 | 51 | 119 | 32 |
| Dave Taylor | Los Angeles Kings | 72 | 47 | 65 | 112 | 130 |
| Peter Stastny | Quebec Nordiques | 77 | 39 | 70 | 109 | 37 |
| Charlie Simmer | Los Angeles Kings | 65 | 56 | 49 | 105 | 62 |
| Mike Rogers | Hartford Whalers | 80 | 40 | 65 | 105 | 32 |
| Bernie Federko | St. Louis Blues | 78 | 31 | 73 | 104 | 47 |
| Jacques Richard | Quebec Nordiques | 78 | 52 | 51 | 103 | 39 |
| Rick Middleton | Boston Bruins | 80 | 44 | 59 | 103 | 16 |
| Bryan Trottier | New York Islanders | 73 | 31 | 72 | 103 | 74 |
Source: NHL.

### Leading goaltenders

| Player | Team | GP | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
| Richard Sevigny | Montreal | 33 | 1777 | 71 | 2 | 2.40 | .908 |
| Rick St. Croix | Philadelphia | 27 | 1567 | 65 | 2 | 2.49 | .913 |
| Don Edwards | Buffalo | 45 | 2700 | 133 | 3 | 2.96 | .898 |
| Pete Peeters | Philadelphia | 40 | 2333 | 115 | 2 | 2.96 | .897 |
| Bob Sauve | Buffalo | 35 | 2100 | 111 | 2 | 3.17 | .880 |
| Don Beaupre | Minnesota | 44 | 2585 | 138 | 0 | 3.20 | .889 |
| Glenn Resch | New York Islanders/Colorado | 40 | 2266 | 121 | 3 | 3.20 | .891 |
| Reggie Lemelin | Calgary | 29 | 1629 | 88 | 2 | 3.24 | .902 |
| Gilles Meloche | Minnesota | 38 | 2215 | 120 | 2 | 3.25 | .889 |
| Mario Lessard | Los Angeles | 64 | 3746 | 203 | 2 | 3.25 | .893 |

## Coaches
### Patrick Division

* Calgary Flames: Al MacNeil
* New York Islanders: Al Arbour
* New York Rangers: Fred Shero and Craig Patrick
* Philadelphia Flyers: Pat Quinn
* Washington Capitals: Gary Green

### Adams Division

* Boston Bruins: Gerry Cheevers
* Buffalo Sabres: Scotty Bowman
* Minnesota North Stars: Glen Sonmor
* Quebec Nordiques: Maurice Filion and Michel Bergeron
* Toronto Maple Leafs: Joe Crozier

### Norris Division

* Detroit Red Wings: Wayne Maxner
* Hartford Whalers: Don Blackburn
* Los Angeles Kings: Bob Berry
* Montreal Canadiens: Claude Ruel
* Pittsburgh Penguins: Eddie Johnston

### Smythe Division

* Chicago Black Hawks: Keith Magnuson
* Colorado Rockies: Bill MacMillan
* Edmonton Oilers: Bryan Watson
* St. Louis Blues: Red Berenson
* Vancouver Canucks: Harry Neale
* Winnipeg Jets: Mike Smith and Tom Watt

## Milestones
### Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1980–81 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
* Barry Pederson, Boston Bruins
* Steve Kasper, Boston Bruins
* Denis Savard, Chicago Black Hawks
* Steve Larmer, Chicago Black Hawks
* Andy Moog, Edmonton Oilers
* Charlie Huddy, Edmonton Oilers
* Glenn Anderson, Edmonton Oilers
* Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers
* Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers
* Larry Murphy, Los Angeles Kings
* Dino Ciccarelli, Minnesota North Stars
* Don Beaupre, Minnesota North Stars
* Neal Broten, Minnesota North Stars
* Doug Wickenheiser, Montreal Canadiens
* Guy Carbonneau, Montreal Canadiens
* Rick Wamsley, Montreal Canadiens
* Brent Sutter, New York Islanders
* Rollie Melanson, New York Islanders
* Tim Kerr, Philadelphia Flyers
* Mike Bullard, Pittsburgh Penguins
* Anton Stastny, Quebec Nordiques
* Peter Stastny, Quebec Nordiques
* Dale Hunter, Quebec Nordiques
* Paul MacLean, St. Louis Blues
* Dave Babych, Winnipeg Jets

### Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1980–81 (listed with their last team):
* Jean Ratelle, Boston Bruins
* Terry Harper, Colorado Rockies
* Pete Mahovlich, Detroit Red Wings
* Tom Bladon, Detroit Red Wings
* Phil Esposito, New York Rangers
* Walt Tkaczuk, New York Rangers
* Ron Ellis, Toronto Maple Leafs
* Dennis Kearns, Vancouver Canucks
* Bobby Schmautz, Vancouver Canucks
* Dennis Ververgaert, Washington Capitals
* Guy Charron, Washington Capitals
* Wayne Stephenson, Washington Capitals
* Jude Drouin, Winnipeg Jets

## Broadcasting

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games.
This was the first season that U.S. national broadcasts were only on cable television. ESPN and USA continued to carry slates of regular season and playoff games for the second consecutive season.