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 | |
Division | 1st Norris |
Conference | 2nd Wales |
1979–80 record | 47-20-13 |
Goals for | 328 |
Goals against | 240 |
Team information | |
General Manager | Irving Grundman |
Coach | Bernie Geoffrion (Oct-Dec) Claude Ruel (Dec-Apr) |
Captain | Serge Savard |
Alternate captains | None |
Arena | Montreal Forum |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Guy Lafleur Pierre Larouche (50) |
Assists | Guy Lafleur (75) |
Points | Guy Lafleur (125) |
Penalty minutes | Gilles Lupien (109) |
Plus/minus | Steve Shutt (+25) |
Wins | Denis Herron (25) |
Goals against average | Denis 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 Naslund 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
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 47 | 20 | 13 | 328 | 240 | 107 |
Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 30 | 36 | 14 | 290 | 313 | 74 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 30 | 37 | 13 | 251 | 303 | 73 |
Hartford Whalers | 80 | 27 | 34 | 19 | 303 | 312 | 73 |
Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 268 | 306 | 63 |
[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.
Schedule and results
Regular season results | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
1 | W | October 11, 1979 | 3–1 | Atlanta Flames (1979–80) | 1–0–0 |
2 | W | October 13, 1979 | 3–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) | 2–0–0 |
3 | L | October 17, 1979 | 2–3 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) | 2–1–0 |
4 | W | October 20, 1979 | 5–4 | New York Rangers (1979–80) | 3–1–0 |
5 | T | October 21, 1979 | 6–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) | 3–1–1 |
6 | W | October 23, 1979 | 5–3 | @ Atlanta Flames (1979–80) | 4–1–1 |
7 | W | October 25, 1979 | 8–5 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) | 5–1–1 |
8 | W | October 27, 1979 | 3–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) | 6–1–1 |
9 | L | October 28, 1979 | 4–5 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) | 6–2–1 |
10 | T | October 30, 1979 | 2–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1979–80) | 6–2–2 |
11 | W | November 1, 1979 | 5–1 | Minnesota North Stars (1979–80) | 7–2–2 |
12 | L | November 3, 1979 | 3–5 | Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) | 7–3–2 |
13 | W | November 5, 1979 | 2–0 | Washington Capitals (1979–80) | 8–3–2 |
14 | T | November 7, 1979 | 3–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) | 8–3–3 |
15 | L | November 10, 1979 | 3–5 | St. Louis Blues (1979–80) | 8–4–3 |
16 | W | November 13, 1979 | 5–2 | @ St. Louis Blues (1979–80) | 9–4–3 |
17 | W | November 15, 1979 | 4–1 | @ Colorado Rockies (1979–80) | 10–4–3 |
18 | W | November 17, 1979 | 3–1 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80) | 11–4–3 |
19 | L | November 18, 1979 | 2–5 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80) | 11–5–3 |
20 | W | November 22, 1979 | 7–0 | Winnipeg Jets (1979–80) | 12–5–3 |
21 | W | November 24, 1979 | 3–1 | Boston Bruins (1979–80) | 13–5–3 |
22 | L | November 25, 1979 | 2–4 | @ Boston Bruins (1979–80) | 13–6–3 |
23 | T | November 27, 1979 | 5–5 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) | 13–6–4 |
24 | W | November 29, 1979 | 3–2 | St. Louis Blues (1979–80) | 14–6–4 |
25 | T | December 1, 1979 | 4–4 | Hartford Whalers (1979–80) | 14–6–5 |
26 | T | December 3, 1979 | 3–3 | @ New York Rangers (1979–80) | 14–6–6 |
27 | L | December 5, 1979 | 2–3 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80) | 14–7–6 |
28 | W | December 7, 1979 | 5–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1979–80) | 15–7–6 |
29 | L | December 9, 1979 | 5–7 | Colorado Rockies (1979–80) | 15–8–6 |
30 | L | December 11, 1979 | 1–4 | @ New York Islanders (1979–80) | 15–9–6 |
31 | L | December 14, 1979 | 3–5 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80) | 15–10–6 |
32 | L | December 15, 1979 | 2–6 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80) | 15–11–6 |
33 | L | December 18, 1979 | 3–5 | @ St. Louis Blues (1979–80) | 15–12–6 |
34 | L | December 19, 1979 | 2–5 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80) | 15–13–6 |
35 | W | December 22, 1979 | 4–2 | Vancouver Canucks (1979–80) | 16–13–6 |
36 | W | December 23, 1979 | 8–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80) | 17–13–6 |
37 | L | December 27, 1979 | 3–7 | New York Islanders (1979–80) | 17–14–6 |
38 | W | December 29, 1979 | 6–3 | Buffalo Sabres (1979–80) | 18–14–6 |
39 | L | January 2, 1980 | 3–5 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) | 18–15–6 |
40 | L | January 5, 1980 | 3–4 | Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) | 18–16–6 |
41 | W | January 7, 1980 | 4–3 | Edmonton Oilers (1979–80) | 19–16–6 |
42 | W | January 9, 1980 | 5–3 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80) | 20–16–6 |
43 | W | January 12, 1980 | 4–3 | Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) | 21–16–6 |
44 | W | January 14, 1980 | 3–2 | Atlanta Flames (1979–80) | 22–16–6 |
45 | W | January 16, 1980 | 6–1 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) | 23–16–6 |
46 | W | January 19, 1980 | 7–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80) | 24–16–6 |
47 | L | January 22, 1980 | 1–2 | @ New York Islanders (1979–80) | 24–17–6 |
48 | W | January 24, 1980 | 7–2 | @ Hartford Whalers (1979–80) | 25–17–6 |
49 | L | January 26, 1980 | 2–7 | Buffalo Sabres (1979–80) | 25–18–6 |
50 | W | January 29, 1980 | 4–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80) | 26–18–6 |
51 | W | January 30, 1980 | 3–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1979–80) | 27–18–6 |
52 | W | February 2, 1980 | 5–4 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80) | 28–18–6 |
53 | W | February 7, 1980 | 4–3 | Colorado Rockies (1979–80) | 29–18–6 |
54 | L | February 9, 1980 | 3–4 | Vancouver Canucks (1979–80) | 29–19–6 |
55 | W | February 10, 1980 | 3–2 | @ Boston Bruins (1979–80) | 30–19–6 |
56 | W | February 14, 1980 | 5–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) | 31–19–6 |
57 | W | February 16, 1980 | 8–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) | 32–19–6 |
58 | T | February 17, 1980 | 2–2 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80) | 32–19–7 |
59 | L | February 19, 1980 | 1–3 | @ Washington Capitals (1979–80) | 32–20–7 |
60 | W | February 21, 1980 | 3–0 | Winnipeg Jets (1979–80) | 33–20–7 |
61 | W | February 23, 1980 | 5–1 | Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) | 34–20–7 |
62 | T | February 26, 1980 | 3–3 | @ Atlanta Flames (1979–80) | 34–20–8 |
63 | W | February 28, 1980 | 6–3 | Minnesota North Stars (1979–80) | 35–20–8 |
64 | W | March 1, 1980 | 6–3 | Washington Capitals (1979–80) | 36–20–8 |
65 | W | March 2, 1980 | 5–1 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) | 37–20–8 |
66 | W | March 6, 1980 | 5–4 | Edmonton Oilers (1979–80) | 38–20–8 |
67 | W | March 8, 1980 | 5–2 | New York Rangers (1979–80) | 39–20–8 |
68 | W | March 10, 1980 | 6–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1979–80) | 40–20–8 |
69 | W | March 12, 1980 | 4–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80) | 41–20–8 |
70 | W | March 14, 1980 | 4–3 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80) | 42–20–8 |
71 | W | March 15, 1980 | 7–3 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80) | 43–20–8 |
72 | T | March 19, 1980 | 5–5 | @ Hartford Whalers (1979–80) | 43–20–9 |
73 | T | March 22, 1980 | 5–5 | Hartford Whalers (1979–80) | 43–20–10 |
74 | W | March 23, 1980 | 6–1 | @ New York Rangers (1979–80) | 44–20–10 |
75 | W | March 25, 1980 | 8–4 | Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) | 45–20–10 |
76 | T | March 28, 1980 | 2–2 | New York Islanders (1979–80) | 45–20–11 |
77 | T | March 30, 1980 | 1–1 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80) | 45–20–12 |
78 | W | April 2, 1980 | 7–2 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) | 46–20–12 |
79 | W | April 5, 1980 | 6–1 | Boston Bruins (1979–80) | 47–20–12 |
80 | T | April 6, 1980 | 4–4 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) | 47–20–13 |
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 Lafleur | RW | 74 | 50 | 75 | 125 | 12 | 40 | 15 | 0 | 7 |
Pierre Larouche | C | 73 | 50 | 41 | 91 | 16 | 36 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
Steve Shutt | LW | 77 | 47 | 42 | 89 | 34 | 45 | 17 | 0 | 4 |
Larry Robinson | D | 72 | 14 | 61 | 75 | 39 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
Pierre Mondou | C | 75 | 30 | 36 | 66 | 12 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
Yvon Lambert | LW | 77 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Mark Napier | RW | 76 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Rejean Houle | W | 60 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 68 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Mario Tremblay | RW | 77 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 105 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Rod Langway | D | 77 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 81 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Bob Gainey | LW | 64 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 32 | -2 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
Guy Lapointe | D | 45 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 29 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Doug Jarvis | C | 80 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 28 | -5 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Brian Engblom | D | 70 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Doug Risebrough | C | 44 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 81 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Serge Savard | D | 46 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 18 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Rick Chartraw | D/RW | 66 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gaston Gingras | D | 34 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Gilles Lupien | D | 56 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 109 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Danny Geoffrion | RW | 32 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Norm Dupont | LW | 35 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Michel Larocque | G | 39 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chris Nilan | RW | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 50 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Keith Acton | C | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Denis Herron | G | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rick Meagher | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Moe Robinson | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Richard Sevigny | G | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denis Herron | 1909 | 34 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 80 | 2.51 | 0 |
Michel Larocque | 2259 | 39 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 125 | 3.32 | 3 |
Richard Sevigny | 632 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 2.94 | 0 |
Team: | 4800 | 80 | 47 | 20 | 13 | 236 | 2.95 | 3 |
Playoffs
- Scoring
Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yvon Lambert | LW | 10 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Mario Tremblay | RW | 10 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Steve Shutt | LW | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Rejean Houle | W | 10 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Doug Jarvis | C | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Mark Napier | RW | 10 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Pierre Larouche | C | 9 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gaston Gingras | D | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rod Langway | D | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Brian Engblom | D | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Pierre Mondou | C | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Guy Lafleur | RW | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rick Chartraw | D/RW | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Larry Robinson | D | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Norm Dupont | LW | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Bob Gainey | LW | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Danny Geoffrion | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Denis Herron | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Yvan Joly | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Guy Lapointe | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Michel Larocque | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gilles Lupien | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chris Nilan | RW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Serge Savard | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michel Larocque | 300 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 2.20 | 1 |
Denis Herron | 300 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 3.00 | 0 |
Team: | 600 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 2.60 | 1 |
- 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[8]
Transactions
Draft picks
Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/junior/club team (League) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 27 | Gaston Gingras | Defence | ![]() | Birmingham Bulls (WHA) |
2 | 37 | Mats Naslund | Left Wing | ![]() | Brynas IF (Sweden) |
3 | 43 | Craig Levie | Defence | ![]() | Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) |
3 | 44 | Guy Carbonneau | Centre | ![]() | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) |
3 | 58 | Rick Wamsley | Goaltender | ![]() | Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL) |
4 | 79 | Dave Orleski | Left Wing | ![]() | New Westminster Bruins (WHL) |
5 | 100 | Yvan Joly | Right Wing | ![]() | Ottawa 67's (OMJHL) |
6 | 121 | Greg Moffett | Goaltender | ![]() | University of New Hampshire (ECAC) |
Farm teams
See also
References
- The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.240, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
- The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.236, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
- The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.237, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
- The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.239, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
- "1979–80 Montreal Canadiens Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- "1979-80 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 222, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
- National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 234, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5