1980–81 Montreal Canadiens season

The 1980–81 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 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 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.

Regular season

 * Guy Lafleur, as a result of recovery from a car accident, appeared in only 51 games and scored 27 goals. It was the first time since the 1973–74 Montreal Canadiens season that he failed to score 50 goals or more in a season.

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.

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.