1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season

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.
• 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.
• 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 overall. The team picked Guy Carbonneau in the third-round, 44th overall.

Regular season

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

Final standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

|- |1||W||October 11, 1979||3–1 || align="left"| Atlanta Flames (1979–80) ||1–0–0 |- |2||W||October 13, 1979||3–1 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) ||2–0–0 |- |3||L||October 17, 1979||2–3 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) ||2–1–0 |- |4||W||October 20, 1979||5–4 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1979–80) ||3–1–0 |- |5||T||October 21, 1979||6–6 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) ||3–1–1 |- |6||W||October 23, 1979||5–3 || align="left"| @ Atlanta Flames (1979–80) ||4–1–1 |- |7||W||October 25, 1979||8–5 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) ||5–1–1 |- |8||W||October 27, 1979||3–2 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) ||6–1–1 |- |9||L||October 28, 1979||4–5 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) ||6–2–1 |- |10||T||October 30, 1979||2–2 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1979–80) ||6–2–2

| Legend:

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

Goaltending

Playoffs

Scoring

Goaltending

Awards and records

Larry Robinson, Norris Trophy

Draft picks

References

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. "1979-80 Montreal Canadiens Schedule".
6. "1979-80 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com.
7. National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 222, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, {{ISBN. 0-920445-98-5
8. National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 234, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, {{ISBN. 0-920445-98-5