1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season

The 1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 71st season. The Canadiens ended the season with a twenty-game unbeaten streak at the Montreal Forum. By season's end, the franchise was third overall in NHL standings.[1] The season involved being eliminated in the NHL Quarter-finals vs the Minnesota North Stars 4 games to 3.

1979–80 Montreal Canadiens
Norris Division champions
Division1st Norris
Conference2nd Wales
1979–80 record47–20–13
Home record30–7–3
Road record17–13–10
Goals for328
Goals against240
Team information
General managerIrving Grundman
CoachBernie Geoffrion (Oct–Dec)
Claude Ruel (Dec–Apr)
CaptainSerge Savard
Alternate captainsNone
ArenaMontreal Forum
Team leaders
GoalsGuy Lafleur and Pierre Larouche (50)
AssistsGuy Lafleur (75)
PointsGuy Lafleur (125)
Penalty minutesGilles Lupien (109)
Plus/minusLarry Robinson (+38)
WinsDenis Herron (25)
Goals against averageDenis Herron (2.51)

Offseason
  • Al MacNeil left his position as head coach of the Canadiens farm club, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, to become head coach of the Atlanta Flames.[2]
  • Jacques Lemaire retired to become a playing coach in Switzerland. In addition, Ken Dryden and captain Yvan Cournoyer also retired from the team.
  • Scotty Bowman, upset over the appointment of Irving Grundman as general manager in 1978, left the club to become head coach and general manager of the Buffalo Sabres.
  • Boom Boom Geoffrion was hired as head coach in September 1979. In his previous coaching stint, Geoffrion lasted half a season with the 1968–69 New York Rangers. He had to leave the position due to ulcers.[3]
  • Veteran defenceman Serge Savard is named team captain.
  • The Canadiens did not have a first-round pick in the Amateur Draft. The club picked Mats Näslund with its second-round choice, 37th over-all. The team picked Guy Carbonneau in the third-round, 44th over-all.

Regular season

Despite a record of fifteen wins, nine losses and six ties, Geoffrion stepped down as head coach.[4]

Final standings
Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens80472013328240107
Los Angeles Kings8030361429031374
Pittsburgh Penguins8030371325130373
Hartford Whalers8027341930331273
Detroit Red Wings8026431126830663

[5]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.

Vs. Wales Conference

Vs. Campbell Conference

Schedule and results
Regular season results
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1WOctober 11, 19793–1Atlanta Flames (1979–80)1–0–0
2WOctober 13, 19793–1Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)2–0–0
3LOctober 17, 19792–3@ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80)2–1–0
4WOctober 20, 19795–4New York Rangers (1979–80)3–1–0
5TOctober 21, 19796–6@ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)3–1–1
6WOctober 23, 19795–3@ Atlanta Flames (1979–80)4–1–1
7WOctober 25, 19798–5Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)5–1–1
8WOctober 27, 19793–2Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)6–1–1
9LOctober 28, 19794–5@ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)6–2–1
10TOctober 30, 19792–2@ Washington Capitals (1979–80)6–2–2
11WNovember 1, 19795–1Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)7–2–2
12LNovember 3, 19793–5Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)7–3–2
13WNovember 5, 19792–0Washington Capitals (1979–80)8–3–2
14TNovember 7, 19793–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)8–3–3
15LNovember 10, 19793–5St. Louis Blues (1979–80)8–4–3
16WNovember 13, 19795–2@ St. Louis Blues (1979–80)9–4–3
17WNovember 15, 19794–1@ Colorado Rockies (1979–80)10–4–3
18WNovember 17, 19793–1@ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)11–4–3
19LNovember 18, 19792–5@ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)11–5–3
20WNovember 22, 19797–0Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)12–5–3
21WNovember 24, 19793–1Boston Bruins (1979–80)13–5–3
22LNovember 25, 19792–4@ Boston Bruins (1979–80)13–6–3
23TNovember 27, 19795–5@ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)13–6–4
24WNovember 29, 19793–2St. Louis Blues (1979–80)14–6–4
25TDecember 1, 19794–4Hartford Whalers (1979–80)14–6–5
26TDecember 3, 19793–3@ New York Rangers (1979–80)14–6–6
27LDecember 5, 19792–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)14–7–6
28WDecember 7, 19795–2Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)15–7–6
29LDecember 9, 19795–7Colorado Rockies (1979–80)15–8–6
30LDecember 11, 19791–4@ New York Islanders (1979–80)15–9–6
31LDecember 14, 19793–5@ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)15–10–6
32LDecember 15, 19792–6@ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)15–11–6
33LDecember 18, 19793–5@ St. Louis Blues (1979–80)15–12–6
34LDecember 19, 19792–5@ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)15–13–6
35WDecember 22, 19794–2Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)16–13–6
36WDecember 23, 19798–4Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)17–13–6
37LDecember 27, 19793–7New York Islanders (1979–80)17–14–6
38WDecember 29, 19796–3Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)18–14–6
39LJanuary 2, 19803–5@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)18–15–6
40LJanuary 5, 19803–4Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80)18–16–6
41WJanuary 7, 19804–3Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)19–16–6
42WJanuary 9, 19805–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)20–16–6
43WJanuary 12, 19804–3Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)21–16–6
44WJanuary 14, 19803–2Atlanta Flames (1979–80)22–16–6
45WJanuary 16, 19806–1@ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80)23–16–6
46WJanuary 19, 19807–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)24–16–6
47LJanuary 22, 19801–2@ New York Islanders (1979–80)24–17–6
48WJanuary 24, 19807–2@ Hartford Whalers (1979–80)25–17–6
49LJanuary 26, 19802–7Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)25–18–6
50WJanuary 29, 19804–3@ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)26–18–6
51WJanuary 30, 19803–2@ Colorado Rockies (1979–80)27–18–6
52WFebruary 2, 19805–4@ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)28–18–6
53WFebruary 7, 19804–3Colorado Rockies (1979–80)29–18–6
54LFebruary 9, 19803–4Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)29–19–6
55WFebruary 10, 19803–2@ Boston Bruins (1979–80)30–19–6
56WFebruary 14, 19805–1Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)31–19–6
57WFebruary 16, 19808–1Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)32–19–6
58TFebruary 17, 19802–2@ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)32–19–7
59LFebruary 19, 19801–3@ Washington Capitals (1979–80)32–20–7
60WFebruary 21, 19803–0Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)33–20–7
61WFebruary 23, 19805–1Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)34–20–7
62TFebruary 26, 19803–3@ Atlanta Flames (1979–80)34–20–8
63WFebruary 28, 19806–3Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)35–20–8
64WMarch 1, 19806–3Washington Capitals (1979–80)36–20–8
65WMarch 2, 19805–1@ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)37–20–8
66WMarch 6, 19805–4Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)38–20–8
67WMarch 8, 19805–2New York Rangers (1979–80)39–20–8
68WMarch 10, 19806–3Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)40–20–8
69WMarch 12, 19804–3@ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)41–20–8
70WMarch 14, 19804–3@ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)42–20–8
71WMarch 15, 19807–3@ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)43–20–8
72TMarch 19, 19805–5@ Hartford Whalers (1979–80)43–20–9
73TMarch 22, 19805–5Hartford Whalers (1979–80)43–20–10
74WMarch 23, 19806–1@ New York Rangers (1979–80)44–20–10
75WMarch 25, 19808–4Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80)45–20–10
76TMarch 28, 19802–2New York Islanders (1979–80)45–20–11
77TMarch 30, 19801–1@ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)45–20–12
78WApril 2, 19807–2@ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)46–20–12
79WApril 5, 19806–1Boston Bruins (1979–80)47–20–12
80TApril 6, 19804–4@ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)47–20–13

[7]

Playoffs

The Canadiens swept the Hartford Whalers in the preliminary round 3–0 in games. The Canadiens then faced the Minnesota North Stars in the quarter-final and lost a seven-game series four games to three.

Player statistics

Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Guy LafleurRW74507512512401507
Pierre LaroucheC7350419116361207
Steve ShuttLW7747428934451704
Larry RobinsonD721461753938603
Pierre MondouC753036661226803
Yvon LambertLW77213253233707
Mark NapierRW76163349711401
Rejean HouleW60182745683203
Mario TremblayRW771626421056002
Rod LangwayD77729368136001
Bob GaineyLW6414193332-2413
Guy LapointeD456202629-2000
Doug JarvisC8013112428-5013
Brian EngblomD70320234322000
Doug RisebroughC448101881-2000
Serge SavardD46581318-2001
Rick ChartrawD/RW665712356000
Gaston GingrasD3437101811201
Gilles LupienD5617810913001
Danny GeoffrionRW32066121000
Norm DupontLW3513442000
Michel LarocqueG3902240000
Chris NilanRW1502250-1000
Keith ActonC201100000
Denis HerronG3400000000
Rick MeagherC200000000
Moe RobinsonD100000000
Richard SevignyG1100040000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Denis Herron1909342533802.510
Michel Larocque225939171381253.323
Richard Sevigny63211542312.940
Team:4800804720132362.953

Playoffs
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Yvon LambertLW1084124101
Mario TremblayRW100111114000
Steve ShuttLW106396202
Rejean HouleW1045912100
Doug JarvisC104482010
Mark NapierRW102680100
Pierre LaroucheC91782000
Gaston GingrasD101678000
Rod LangwayD103362100
Brian EngblomD102466101
Pierre MondouC41454000
Guy LafleurRW33140000
Rick ChartrawD/RW102240000
Larry RobinsonD100442000
Norm DupontLW81120001
Bob GaineyLW101124001
Danny GeoffrionRW20007000
Denis HerronG50000000
Yvan JolyRW10000000
Guy LapointeD20000000
Michel LarocqueG50000000
Gilles LupienD40002000
Chris NilanRW50002000
Serge SavardD20000000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Michel Larocque300541112.201
Denis Herron300523153.000
Team:6001064262.601

[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

Larry Robinson, Norris Trophy[9]

Transactions

Draft picks
Round # Player Position Nationality College/junior/club team (League)
227Gaston GingrasDefence CanadaBirmingham Bulls (WHA)
237Mats NäslundLeft Wing SwedenBrynäs IF (Sweden)
343Craig LevieDefence CanadaEdmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
344Guy CarbonneauCentre CanadaChicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
358Rick WamsleyGoaltender CanadaBrantford Alexanders (OMJHL)
479Dave OrleskiLeft Wing CanadaNew Westminster Bruins (WHL)
5100Yvan JolyRight Wing CanadaOttawa 67's (OMJHL)
6121Greg MoffettGoaltender United StatesUniversity of New Hampshire (ECAC)

[10]

See also

References
  1. The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.240, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
  2. The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.236, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
  3. The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.237, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
  4. The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.239, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
  5. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  6. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  7. "1979–80 Montreal Canadiens Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  8. "1979-80 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  9. National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 222, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
  10. National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 234, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
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