1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins season

NHL team season

1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division3rd Norris
Conference7th Wales
1980–81 record30-37-13
Goals for302
Goals against345
Team information
General managerBaz Bastien
CoachEddie Johnston
CaptainOrest Kindrachuk (to Jan 31)
Randy Carlyle (from Jan 31)
Alternate captainsNone
ArenaPittsburgh Civic Arena
Team leaders
GoalsRick Kehoe (55)
AssistsRandy Carlyle (67)
PointsRick Kehoe (88)
Penalty minutesPaul Baxter (204)
WinsGreg Millen (25)
Goals against averageNick Ricci (3.89)

The 1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their 14th in the National Hockey League.

Regular season

Division standings

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

[1]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.

Record vs. opponents

Norris Division record vs. opponents

Vs. Wales Conference

Vs. Norris Division

1980–81 NHL records[2]
Team DET HFD LAK MTL PIT Total
Detroit — 0−2−2 1−3 1−3 1−2−1 3−10−3
Hartford 2−0−2 — 0−3−1 1−3 2−2 5−8−3
Los Angeles 3−1 3−0−1 — 1−3 0−2−2 7−6−3
Montreal 3−1 3−1 3−1 — 2−2 11−5−0
Pittsburgh 2−1−1 2−2 2−0−2 2−2 — 8−5−3

Vs. Adams Division

1980–81 NHL records
Team BOS BUF MIN QUE TOR Total
Detroit 0−2−2 0−3−1 0−2−2 0−3−1 3−1 3−11−6
Hartford 1−1−2 1−2−1 1−3 2−2 1−1−2 6−9−5
Los Angeles 2−2 1−2−1 4−0 3−1 3−0−1 13−5−2
Montreal 3−1 3−1 1−2−1 1−1−2 3−1 11−6−3
Pittsburgh 0−3−1 0−3−1 1−3 2−1−1 1−2−1 4−12−4

Vs. Campbell Conference

Vs. Patrick Division

1980–81 NHL records
Team CGY NYI NYR PHI WSH Total
Detroit 1−2−1 0−4 2−1−1 1−3 1−2−1 5−12−3
Hartford 1−3 0−2−2 1−3 0−3−1 1−3 3−14−3
Los Angeles 1−3 2−2 3−1 0−4 2−1−1 8−11−1
Montreal 2−1−1 1−2−1 2−1−1 2−1−1 2−0−2 9−5−6
Pittsburgh 1−2−1 2−1−1 2−1−1 0−4 2−1−1 7−9−4

Vs. Smythe Division

1980–81 NHL records
Team CHI COL EDM STL VAN WIN Total
Detroit 1−1−2 2−1−1 1−2−1 0−4 1−2−1 3−0−1 8−10−6
Hartford 0−3−1 2−1−1 1−2−1 0−3−1 1−1−2 3−0−1 7−10−7
Los Angeles 2−0−2 3−0−1 2−0−2 0−2−2 4−0 4−0 15−2−7
Montreal 2−2 4−0 2−2 1−1−2 2−0−2 3−1 14−6−4
Pittsburgh 1−3 3−1 1−2−1 2−2 0−3−1 4−0 11−11−2


Schedule and results

1980–81 Schedule
October: 4–5–1 (Home: 2–3–0 ; Road: 2–2–1), 9 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
1 Oct 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–7 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 0–1–0 0
2 Oct 11 Winnipeg Jets 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 1–1–0 2
3 Oct 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 2–1–0 4
4 Oct 15 Hartford Whalers 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 2–2–0 4
5 Oct 18 Buffalo Sabres 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 2–3–0 4
6 Oct 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–8 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens 2–4–0 4
7 Oct 22 St. Louis Blues 3–9 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 3–4–0 6
8 Oct 25 Calgary Flames 8–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 3–5–0 6
9 Oct 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 3–5–1 7
10 Oct 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–5 Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Arena 4–5–1 9
November: 2–8–3 (Home: 2–6–0 ; Road: 0–2–3), 7 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
11 Nov 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Minnesota North Stars Met Center 4–6–1 9
12 Nov 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum 4–6–2 10
13 Nov 5 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 4–7–2 10
14 Nov 8 Detroit Red Wings 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–7–2 12
15 Nov 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–7 Boston Bruins Boston Garden 5–8–2 12
16 Nov 12 Washington Capitals 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–9–2 12
17 Nov 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 5–9–3 13
18 Nov 15 Boston Bruins 7–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–10–3 13
19 Nov 19 Minnesota North Stars 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–11–3 13
20 Nov 22 Colorado Rockies 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 6–11–3 15
21 Nov 26 Vancouver Canucks 7–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 6–12–3 15
22 Nov 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Boston Bruins Boston Garden 6–12–4 16
23 Nov 29 New York Rangers 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 6–13–4 16
December: 5–6–3 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 2–5–3), 13 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
24 Dec 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens 6–13–5 17
25 Dec 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum 7–13–5 19
26 Dec 6 Chicago Black Hawks 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 8–13–5 21
27 Dec 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–10 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 8–14–5 21
28 Dec 10 Montreal Canadiens 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 9–14–5 23
29 Dec 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–2 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 10–14–5 25
30 Dec 13 Philadelphia Flyers 6–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 10–15–5 25
31 Dec 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Los Angeles Kings The Forum 10–15–6 26
32 Dec 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–10 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum 10–16–6 26
33 Dec 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Calgary Flames Stampede Corral 10–16–7 27
34 Dec 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 St. Louis Blues The Checkerdome 10–17–7 27
35 Dec 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–9 Hartford Whalers XL Center 10–18–7 27
36 Dec 27 Quebec Nordiques 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 11–18–7 29
37 Dec 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena 11–19–7 29
January: 6–6–1 (Home: 6–2–1 ; Road: 0–4–0), 13 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
38 Jan 3 Detroit Red Wings 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 12–19–7 31
39 Jan 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium 12–20–7 31
40 Jan 7 New York Islanders 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 13–20–7 33
41 Jan 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum 13–21–7 33
42 Jan 10 Chicago Black Hawks 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 13–22–7 33
43 Jan 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13–23–7 33
44 Jan 14 St. Louis Blues 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 14–23–7 35
45 Jan 17 Los Angeles Kings 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 15–23–7 37
46 Jan 21 Philadelphia Flyers 5–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 15–24–7 37
47 Jan 24 Calgary Flames 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 16–24–7 39
48 Jan 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–7 St. Louis Blues The Checkerdome 16–25–7 39
49 Jan 28 Minnesota North Stars 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 17–25–7 41
50 Jan 31 Washington Capitals 4–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 17–25–8 42
February: 7–5–1 (Home: 5–1–1 ; Road: 2–4–0), 15 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
51 Feb 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–8 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium 17–26–8 42
52 Feb 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Arena 18–26–8 44
53 Feb 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–6 Colorado Rockies McNichols Sports Arena 18–27–8 44
54 Feb 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–5 Calgary Flames Stampede Corral 18–28–8 44
55 Feb 12 New York Islanders 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 19–28–8 46
56 Feb 14 Vancouver Canucks 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 19–28–9 47
57 Feb 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 19–29–9 47
58 Feb 19 Hartford Whalers 2–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 20–29–9 49
59 Feb 21 Buffalo Sabres 6–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 20–30–9 49
60 Feb 22 Colorado Rockies 4–9 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 21–30–9 51
61 Feb 25 Winnipeg Jets 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 22–30–9 53
62 Feb 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–5 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 23–30–9 55
63 Feb 28 New York Rangers 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 24–30–9 57
March: 5–6–3 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–4–2), 13 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
64 Mar 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–4 Quebec Nordiques Quebec Coliseum 25–30–9 59
65 Mar 4 Los Angeles Kings 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 26–30–9 61
66 Mar 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–8 Minnesota North Stars Met Center 26–31–9 61
67 Mar 8 Edmonton Oilers 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 27–31–9 63
68 Mar 11 Montreal Canadiens 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 27–32–9 63
69 Mar 14 Quebec Nordiques 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 27–32–10 64
70 Mar 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–7 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum 27–33–10 64
71 Mar 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum 27–34–10 64
72 Mar 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 Los Angeles Kings The Forum 27–34–11 65
73 Mar 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 Colorado Rockies McNichols Sports Arena 28–34–11 67
74 Mar 25 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 29–34–11 69
75 Mar 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 29–34–12 70
76 Mar 29 Edmonton Oilers 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 29–35–12 70
77 Mar 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 Quebec Nordiques Quebec Coliseum 29–36–12 70
April: 1–1–1 (Home: 0–1–0 ; Road: 1–0–1), 3 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
78 Apr 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena 29–36–13 71
79 Apr 4 Boston Bruins 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 29–37–13 71
80 Apr 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–4 Hartford Whalers XL Center 30–37–13 73
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

Playoffs

The Penguins lost in the Preliminary round (3–2) versus the St. Louis Blues.


April 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 St. Louis Blues Checkerdome Recap  
Greg Malone (1) – 00:15 First period 04:48 – pp – Mike Zuke (1)
15:58 – Tony Currie (1)
Rod Schutt (1) – 13:21 Second period 14:44 – Jorgen Pettersson (1)
No scoring Third period 19:59 – en – Mike Crombeen (1)
Greg Millen 44 saves / 47 shots Goalie stats Mike Liut 24 saves / 26 shots
April 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–4 St. Louis Blues Checkerdome Recap  
No scoring First period 02:35 – pp – Joe Micheletti (1)
Randy Carlyle (1) – 02:03
Gregg Sheppard (1) – 04:58
Mario Faubert (1) – pp – 06:59
George Ferguson (1) – 11:13 		Second period 03:11 – Tony Currie (2)
Rod Schutt (2) – 00:35
Randy Carlyle (2) – 03:06 		Third period 10:49 – Blair Chapman (1)
16:04 – pp – Bernie Federko (1)
Greg Millen 19 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Mike Liut 24 saves / 30 shots
April 11 St. Louis Blues 5–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Civic Arena Recap  
Brian Sutter (1) – pp – 11:51 First period 07:04 – pp – Rod Schutt (3)
Ralph Klassen (1) – 06:36
Wayne Babych (1) – 09:58
Bernie Federko (2) – pp – 14:38 		Second period 08:57 – Mike Bullard (1)
10:31 – Mark Johnson (1)
Bernie Federko (3) – 15:54 Third period 05:08 – pp – Gregg Sheppard (2)
Mike Liut 27 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Greg Millen 27 saves / 32 shots
April 12 St. Louis Blues 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Civic Arena Recap  
Ralph Klassen (2) – 05:53
Mike Zuke (2) – pp – 07:10 		First period 14:52 – pp – Mike Bullard (2)
Mike Zuke (3) – pp – 13:55 Second period 07:45 – pp – Mark Johnson (2)
11:49 – sh – Randy Carlyle (3)
No scoring Third period 00:44 – Mike Bullard (3)
09:21 – Randy Carlyle (4)
14:02 – Pat Price (1)
Mike Liut 28 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Greg Millen 21 saves / 24 shots
April 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 2OT St. Louis Blues Checkerdome Recap  
Paul Gardner (1) – pp – 07:48 First period No scoring
George Ferguson (2) – 15:06 Second period 11:17 – Brian Sutter (2)
16:06 – pp – Bernie Federko (4)
Greg Malone (2) – 10:36 Third period 03:34 – Rick Lapointe (1)
No scoring Second overtime period 05:16 – Mike Crombeen (2)
Greg Millen 48 saves / 52 shots Goalie stats Mike Liut 48 saves / 51 shots
St. Louis won series 3–2


Player statistics

Skaters
Regular Season[3]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Rick Kehoe 80 55 33 88 –9 6
Randy Carlyle 76 16 67 83 –16 136
Paul Gardner 62 34 40 74 –5 59
Peter Lee 80 30 34 64 0 86
Rod Schutt 80 25 35 60 –13 55
Mario Faubert 72 8 44 52 –18 188
Greg Malone 62 21 29 50 –14 68
Ross Lonsberry 80 17 33 50 –3 76
George Ferguson 79 25 18 43 –30 42
Ron Stackhouse 74 6 29 35 –11 86
Mark Johnson 73 10 23 33 4 50
Gregg Sheppard 47 11 17 28 –13 49
Paul Baxter 51 5 14 19 –11 204
Pat Hughes‡ 58 10 9 19 –9 161
Russ Anderson 34 3 14 17 12 112
Errol Thompson† 34 6 8 14 –9 12
Gary McAdam‡ 34 3 9 12 –16 30
Nick Libett 43 6 6 12 2 4
Orest Kindrachuk 13 3 9 12 3 34
Pat Price† 13 0 10 10 2 33
Marc Chorney 8 1 6 7 1 14
Jim Hamilton 20 1 6 7 2 18
Paul Marshall‡ 13 3 0 3 –7 4
Mike Bullard 15 1 2 3 –1 19
Dave Burrows† 53 0 2 2 –13 28
Gilles Lupien‡ 31 0 1 1 –15 34
Gary Rissling 25 1 0 1 –4 143
Bennett Wolf 24 0 1 1 –1 94
Kim Davis‡ 8 1 0 1 –3 4
Tony Feltrin 2 0 0 0 –3 0
Total 302 499 801 — 1,849
Playoffs[4]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Randy Carlyle 5 4 5 9 0 9
George Ferguson 5 2 6 8 0 9
Gregg Sheppard 5 2 4 6 0 2
Rodney Schutt 5 3 3 6 0 16
Mike Bullard 4 3 3 6 0 0
Greg Malone 5 2 3 5 0 16
Peter Lee 5 0 4 4 0 4
Rick Kehoe 5 0 3 3 0 0
Mark Johnson 5 2 1 3 0 6
Pat Price 5 1 1 2 0 21
Mario Faubert 5 1 1 2 0 4
Ron Stackhouse 4 0 1 1 0 6
Paul Gardner 5 1 0 1 0 8
Paul Baxter 5 0 1 1 0 28
Gary Rissling 5 0 1 1 0 4
Marc Chorney 2 0 1 1 0 2
Ross Lonsberry 5 0 0 0 0 2
Dave Burrows 1 0 0 0 0 0
Jim Hamilton 1 0 0 0 0 0
Total 21 38 59 — 137

Goaltenders
Regular Season[5]
Player GP W L T GA SO
Gregory Millen 63 25 27 10 258 0
Nick Ricci 9 4 5 0 35 0
Robert Holland 10 1 5 3 45 0
Total 30 37 13 338 0
Playoffs[6]
Player GP W L T GA SO
Gregory Millen 5 2 3 0 19 0
Total 2 3 0 19 0

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

Awards and records

  • Ron Stackhouse became the first defenseman to score 300 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 7–9 loss to Hartford on November 26.
  • Randy Carlyle established a new franchise record for goals (16), assists (67) and points (83) by a defenseman in a season. He topped the previous highs of 15 goals (held by Ron Stackhouse and Darryl Edestrand), 60 assists and 71 points (both held by Ron Stackhouse).
  • Rick Kehoe established a new franchise record for goals in a season with 55. He topped the previous high of 53 held by Pierre Larouche.

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1980–81 season:

Trades

September 26, 1980 To Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens option to swap 1983 3rd round picks

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Gilles Lupien
Canadiens option to swap 1983 3rd round picks

November 18, 1980 To Toronto Maple Leafs

Kim Davis
Paul Marshall

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Dave Burrows
Paul Gardner

January 2, 1981 To Washington Capitals

1981 5th round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Gary Rissling

January 8, 1981 To Detroit Red Wings

Gary McAdam

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Errol Thompson

February 20, 1981 To Hartford Whalers

Gilles Lupien

To Pittsburgh Penguins

1981 6th round pick

March 10, 1981 To Edmonton Oilers

Pat Hughes

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Pat Price

Additions and subtractions

Additions
Player Former team Via
Paul Baxter Quebec Nordiques free agency (1980-08-07)
Subtractions
Player New team Via
Tom Bladon Edmonton Oilers free agency (1980-07-10)
Kim Clackson Quebec Nordiques compensation for signing of Paul Baxter (1980-08-07)
This sports-related list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (May 2009)

Draft picks

The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 11, 1980, in Montreal.[7]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 9 Michael Bullard Center  Canada Brantford Alexanders (OHA)
3 51 Randy Boyd Defense  Canada Ottawa 67's (OHA)
4 72 Tony Feltrin Defense  Canada Victoria Cougars (WHL)
5 93 Douglas Shedden Center  Canada Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHA)
6 114 Pat Graham Left Wing  Canada Niagara Falls Flyers (OHA)
8 156 Robert Geale Center  Canada Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
9 177 Brian Lundberg Defense  Canada U. of Michigan (NCAA)
10 198 Steve McKenzie Defense  Canada St. Albert Saints (AJHL)

References

  • Penguins on Hockey Database
  1. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  2. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "1980–1981 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  4. ^ "1980–1981 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  5. ^ "1980–1981 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  6. ^ "1980–1981 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  7. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.
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