# 1980–81 Minnesota North Stars season

The 1980–81 Minnesota North Stars season was the North Stars' 14th season. Although the North Stars finished the season with one less win and one less point than the previous season, they made a surprise appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Islanders, which they lost 4 games to 1.

## Offseason
### NHL Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 1 | 16 | Brad Palmer (F) | Canada | Victoria Cougars (WHL) |
| 2 | 37 | Don Beaupre (G) | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OHA) |
| 4 | 79 | Mark Huglen (D) | United States | Roseau High School (USHS-MN) |
| 5 | 100 | David Jensen (D) | United States | University of Minnesota (WCHA) |
| 6 | 121 | Danny Zavarise (D) | Canada | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 142 | Bill Stewart (RW) | Canada | University of Denver (WCHA) |
| 8 | 163 | Jeff Walters (RW) | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) |
| 9 | 184 | Bob Lakso (LW) | United States | Aurora-Hoyt Lakes High School (USHS-MN) |
| 10 | 205 | Dave Richter (D) | Canada | University of Michigan (WCHA) |

## Regular season
### Season standings

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 |
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 :
| 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

Adams Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Adams Division
1980–81 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
MIN
QUE
TOR
Total
Boston
—2–1–12–1–11–31–1–26–6–4
Buffalo
1–2–1—0–1–33–0–13–17–4–5
Minnesota
1–2–11–0–3—2–20–44–8–4
Quebec
3–10–3–12–2—0–2–25–8–3
Toronto
1–1–21–34–02–0–2—8–4–4
Vs. Norris Division
1980–81 NHL records
Team
DET
HFD
LAK
MTL
PIT
Total
Boston
2−0−21−1−22−21−33−0−19–6–5
Buffalo
3−0−12−1−12−1−11−33−0−111–5–4
Minnesota
2−0−23−10−42−1−13−110–7–3
Quebec
3−0−12−21−31−1−21−2–18–8–4
Toronto
1−31–1−20−3−11−32−1–15–11–4
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Patrick Division
1980–81 NHL records
Team
CGY
NYI
NYR
PHI
WSH
Total
Boston
1–32–22–22–22–1–19–10–1
Buffalo
2–1–12–22–1–12–0–22–0–210–4–6
Minnesota
2–20–2–21–1–21–2–13–0–17–7–6
Quebec
1–1–21–31–1–22–1–14–09–6–5
Toronto
2–21–32–22–0–21–38–10–2
Vs. Smythe Division
1980–81 NHL records
Team
CHI
COL
EDM
STL
VAN
WIN
Total
Boston
3−12−1−13−11−32−22−0−213−8−3
Buffalo
2−23–0−11−1−20−3−11−1−24−011−7−6
Minnesota
2−22−1–12−1−12−1–12−1−14−014−6−4
Quebec
0−3−12−23−11−2–11–1−21–1−28−10−6
Toronto
2−1–11−1−21−2−11−30–3−12−27−12−5 :

## Schedule and results

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

## Playoffs
### Stanley Cup Finals

New York Islanders vs. Minnesota North Stars
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score |
| May 12 | Minnesota | 3 | New York | 6 |
| May 14 | Minnesota | 3 | New York | 6 |
| May 17 | New York | 7 | Minnesota | 5 |
| May 19 | New York | 2 | Minnesota | 4 |
| May 21 | Minnesota | 1 | New York | 5 |
New York wins the series 4–1.

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| Bobby Smith | 78 | 29 | 64 | 93 | +1 | 73 |
| Tim Young | 74 | 25 | 41 | 66 | +6 | 40 |
| Al MacAdam | 78 | 21 | 39 | 60 | -6 | 94 |
| Steve Payne | 76 | 30 | 28 | 58 | +14 | 88 |
| Tom McCarthy | 62 | 23 | 25 | 48 | +3 | 62 |
| Craig Hartsburg | 74 | 13 | 30 | 43 | -9 | 124 |
| Kent-Erik Andersson | 77 | 17 | 24 | 41 | +8 | 22 |
| Steve Christoff | 56 | 26 | 13 | 39 | -9 | 58 |
| Gordie Roberts | 50 | 6 | 31 | 37 | +2 | 94 |
| Mike Eaves | 48 | 10 | 24 | 34 | +1 | 18 |
| Dino Ciccarelli | 32 | 18 | 12 | 30 | +2 | 29 |
| Curt Giles | 67 | 5 | 22 | 27 | +8 | 56 |
| Greg Smith | 74 | 5 | 21 | 26 | +7 | 126 |
| Glen Sharpley | 28 | 12 | 12 | 24 | -4 | 18 |
| Mike Fidler | 20 | 5 | 12 | 17 | +5 | 6 |
| Ron Zanussi | 41 | 6 | 11 | 17 | +3 | 89 |
| Brad Maxwell | 27 | 3 | 13 | 16 | -1 | 98 |
| Mike Polich | 74 | 8 | 5 | 13 | -3 | 19 |
| Fred Barrett | 62 | 4 | 8 | 12 | E | 72 |
| Gary Sargent | 23 | 4 | 7 | 11 | -1 | 36 |
| Tom Younghans | 74 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -10 | 79 |
| Paul Shmyr | 61 | 1 | 9 | 10 | +4 | 79 |
| Jack Carlson | 43 | 7 | 2 | 9 | -5 | 108 |
| Brad Palmer | 23 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -5 | 22 |
| Kevin Maxwell | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 7 |
| Don Jackson | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +3 | 19 |

### Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | GP | W | L | T | SO | GAA |