The 1980–81 Montreal Canadiens season was the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Montreal Canadiens' 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 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs and were eliminated in the NHL's preliminary round by the Edmonton Oilers three games to none, in what was considered a major upset. Four days after the Canadiens were eliminated, head coach Claude Ruel resigned.

Offseason

Regular season

Final standings

Record vs. opponents

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

Goaltending

Playoffs

Scoring

Goaltending

Awards and records

Transactions

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.

Farm teams