1980–81 Chicago Black Hawks season

National Hockey League team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 1980–81 1980 Chicago Black Hawks 31–33–16 21–11–8 10–22–8 Campbell 5th Smythe 2nd 304 315 Bob Pulford Keith Magnuson Terry Ruskowski None Chicago Stadium 12,090 Darryl Sutter (40) Tom Lysiak (55) Tom Lysiak (76) Denis Savard (+27) Terry Ruskowski (225) Tony Esposito (29) Tony Esposito (3.76) The 1980–81 Chicago Black Hawks season was the 55th season of operation of the Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). 2 Offseason At the 1980 NHL entry draft, the Black Hawks had the third overall pick, and selected Denis Savard from the Montreal Juniors of the QMJHL. In 72 games with the Juniors, Savard had 63 goals and 181 points during the 1979–80 season. The club replaced head coach Eddie Johnston, as former Black Hawks defenceman and captain Keith Magnuson was named the new head coach of the team. Magnuson appeared in 589 games with Chicago from 1969 to 1980. Regular season The Black Hawks had a tough first half of the season, as the club had a record of 12-22-6 through their first 40 games, clinging on to the fourth and final playoff position in the Smythe Division. The Black Hawks then went 14–2–4 in their next 20 games, which included an eight-game winning streak, to improve their overall record to 26–24–10, and second place in the division. Chicago would finish their final 20 game stretch with a 5–9–6 record, finishing the season with a 31–33–16 record, earning 78 points, and maintaining second place in the Smythe Division, 31 points behind the division winners, the St. Louis Blues. Offensively, Tom Lysiak led the club with 76 points, as he scored 21 goals and 55 assists. Rookie Denis Savard finished one point behind, scoring 28 goals and 75 points, while having a team best +27 rating. Darryl Sutter led the Black Hawks with 40 goals, while earning 62 points, and Reg Kerr had 30 goals and 60 points in 70 games. Terry Ruskowski chipped in with 59 points, while leading Chicago with 225 penalty minutes. On the blueline, Bob Murray led the scoring, getting 13 goals and 60 points, while Doug Wilson had 12 goals and 51 points. In goal, Tony Esposito led the way, earning a 29–23–14 record in 66 games, posting a 3.75 GAA. Final standings CHI CHI Record vs. opponents CHI Playoffs The Black Hawks opened the playoffs with a best-of-five preliminary series against the Calgary Flames. The Flames finished the season with a 39–27–14 record, earning 92 points, 14 more than Chicago, and a third-place finish in the Patrick Division. The series opened with two games at the Calgary Corral, and in the first game, the Black Hawks were led by two goals by Darryl Sutter, but it wasn't enough as the Flames held on for a 4–3 victory. In the second game, the Flames dominated the Hawks, defeating Chicago 6–2, as Calgary was led by goaltender Reggie Lemelin, who made 38 saves. The series moved to Chicago Stadium for the third game, as the Flames took a 4–2 lead going into the third period. The Black Hawks tied the game on goals by Al Secord and Darryl Sutter to force overtime, however, in double overtime, Willi Plett of the Flames scored, as Calgary completed the series sweep. Schedule and results Regular season background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 5px solid; border-bottom:#000000 5px solid; 1980–81 regular season1980-81 Chicago Black Hawks Schedule https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CBH/1981_games.html Hockey-Reference.com March 28, 2025 y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; October Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |1||W||October 9, 1980||4–3 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) ||1–0–0 |- |2||W||October 11, 1980||5–4 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1980–81) ||2–0–0 |- |3||T||October 12, 1980||3–3 || align="left"| Calgary Flames (1980–81) ||2–0–1 |- |4||W||October 15, 1980||4–2 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) ||3–0–1 |- |5||L||October 17, 1980||2–6 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets (1980–81) ||3–1–1 |- |6||W||October 19, 1980||8–4 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1980–81) ||4–1–1 |- |7||L||October 21, 1980||0–2 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1980–81) ||4–2–1 |- |8||L||October 23, 1980||2–7 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1980–81) ||4–3–1 |- |9||L||October 25, 1980||3–5 || align="left"| @ Colorado Rockies (1980–81) ||4–4–1 |- |10||W||October 26, 1980||7–4 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) ||5–4–1 |- |11||T||October 28, 1980||2–2 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) ||5–4–2 |- |12||W||October 29, 1980||8–4 || align="left"| Winnipeg Jets (1980–81) ||6–4–2 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; November Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |13||L||November 2, 1980||3–5 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1980–81) ||6–5–2 |- |14||T||November 5, 1980||3–3 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1980–81) ||6–5–3 |- |15||L||November 8, 1980||3–7 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1980–81) ||6–6–3 |- |16||L||November 9, 1980||1–7 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) ||6–7–3 |- |17||T||November 11, 1980||6–6 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) ||6–7–4 |- |18||T||November 13, 1980||4–4 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames (1980–81) ||6–7–5 |- |19||L||November 15, 1980||2–5 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) ||6–8–5 |- |20||L||November 16, 1980||4–5 || align="left"| Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) ||6–9–5 |- |21||W||November 19, 1980||5–2 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) ||7–9–5 |- |22||W||November 22, 1980||6–2 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) ||8–9–5 |- |23||W||November 23, 1980||11–3 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers (1980–81) ||9–9–5 |- |24||L||November 26, 1980||3–10 || align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) ||9–10–5 |- |25||L||November 28, 1980||4–6 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) ||9–11–5 |- |26||L||November 29, 1980||2–5 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) ||9–12–5 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; December Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |27||L||December 4, 1980||5–7 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) ||9–13–5 |- |28||L||December 6, 1980||4–6 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) ||9–14–5 |- |29||L||December 7, 1980||4–5 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1980–81) ||9–15–5 |- |30||T||December 10, 1980||2–2 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) ||9–15–6 |- |31||W||December 11, 1980||5–2 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1980–81) ||10–15–6 |- |32||L||December 13, 1980||3–7 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) ||10–16–6 |- |33||W||December 14, 1980||2–1 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1980–81) ||11–16–6 |- |34||L||December 17, 1980||1–6 || align="left"| Colorado Rockies (1980–81) ||11–17–6 |- |35||W||December 20, 1980||5–2 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) ||12–17–6 |- |36||L||December 21, 1980||0–9 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1980–81) ||12–18–6 |- |37||L||December 26, 1980||2–3 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) ||12–19–6 |- |38||L||December 28, 1980||3–6 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) ||12–20–6 |- |39||L||December 31, 1980||2–4 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1980–81) ||12–21–6 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; January Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |40||L||January 3, 1981||1–2 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1980–81) ||12–22–6 |- |41||W||January 4, 1981||3–2 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) ||13–22–6 |- |42||W||January 7, 1981||6–2 || align="left"| Colorado Rockies (1980–81) ||14–22–6 |- |43||W||January 10, 1981||5–3 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) ||15–22–6 |- |44||W||January 11, 1981||2–1 || align="left"| Calgary Flames (1980–81) ||16–22–6 |- |45||W||January 15, 1981||3–2 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1980–81) ||17–22–6 |- |46||W||January 17, 1981||3–2 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1980–81) ||18–22–6 |- |47||W||January 18, 1981||7–2 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) ||19–22–6 |- |48||W||January 21, 1981||4–2 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1980–81) ||20–22–6 |- |49||L||January 24, 1981||2–4 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1980–81) ||20–23–6 |- |50||W||January 28, 1981||7–3 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) ||21–23–6 |- |51||L||January 30, 1981||2–4 || align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) ||21–24–6 |- |52||T||January 31, 1981||3–3 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames (1980–81) ||21–24–7 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; February Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |53||W||February 2, 1981||8–4 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) ||22–24–7 |- |54||W||February 4, 1981||6–3 || align="left"| Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) ||23–24–7 |- |55||W||February 7, 1981||6–2 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1980–81) ||24–24–7 |- |56||W||February 8, 1981||9–1 || align="left"| Winnipeg Jets (1980–81) ||25–24–7 |- |57||T||February 12, 1981||5–5 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) ||25–24–8 |- |58||W||February 14, 1981||4–3 || align="left"| @ Colorado Rockies (1980–81) ||26–24–8 |- |59||T||February 15, 1981||4–4 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers (1980–81) ||26–24–9 |- |60||T||February 18, 1981||5–5 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1980–81) ||26–24–10 |- |61||L||February 21, 1981||3–6 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1980–81) ||26–25–10 |- |62||L||February 22, 1981||4–7 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) ||26–26–10 |- |63||T||February 25, 1981||2–2 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1980–81) ||26–26–11 |- |64||L||February 27, 1981||1–6 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) ||26–27–11 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; March Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |65||T||March 1, 1981||4–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1980–81) ||26–27–12 |- |66||T||March 4, 1981||3–3 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) ||26–27–13 |- |67||L||March 7, 1981||1–7 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1980–81) ||26–28–13 |- |68||W||March 8, 1981||3–2 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) ||27–28–13 |- |69||T||March 11, 1981||4–4 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) ||27–28–14 |- |70||L||March 13, 1981||3–5 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) ||27–29–14 |- |71||W||March 15, 1981||8–2 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets (1980–81) ||28–29–14 |- |72||W||March 18, 1981||5–1 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) ||29–29–14 |- |73||T||March 21, 1981||4–4 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) ||29–29–15 |- |74||L||March 22, 1981||2–6 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1980–81) ||29–30–15 |- |75||L||March 25, 1981||2–4 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) ||29–31–15 |- |76||L||March 28, 1981||2–5 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1980–81) ||29–32–15 |- |77||W||March 29, 1981||4–3 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) ||30–32–15 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; April Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |78||T||April 1, 1981||2–2 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) ||30–32–16 |- |79||L||April 3, 1981||1–3 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1980–81) ||30–33–16 |- |80||W||April 5, 1981||8–4 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) ||31–33–16 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black Playoffs background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 5px solid; border-bottom:#000000 5px solid; 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; Preliminary round vs. (7) Calgary Flames – Flames win 3–0 Game Date Visitor Score Home Series |- | 1 || April 8 || Chicago Black Hawks || 3–4 || Calgary Flames || 0–1 |- | 2 || April 9 || Chicago Black Hawks || 2–6 || Calgary Flames || 0–2 |- | 3 || April 11 || Calgary Flames || 5–4 || Chicago Black Hawks || 0–3 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win 1px solid black #fcc Loss 1px solid black Player statistics Regular season Scoring Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG Tom Lysiak C 72 21 55 76 207523 Denis Savard C 76 28 47 75 4727403 Darryl Sutter LW 76 40 22 62 86-11404 Reg Kerr LW 70 30 30 60 5610604 Bob Murray Robert Frederick Murray D 77 13 47 60 936601 Tim Higgins Tim Higgins (ice hockey) RW 78 24 35 59 8620101 Terry Ruskowski C 72 8 51 59 225-19202 Doug Wilson Doug Wilson (ice hockey) D 76 12 39 51 806301 Keith Brown Keith Brown (ice hockey) D 80 9 34 43 805011 Ted Bulley LW 68 18 16 34 9518302 Grant Mulvey RW 42 18 14 32 81-18614 Glen Sharpley C 35 10 16 26 126400 Al Secord LW 41 13 9 22 145-4302 Rich Preston RW 47 7 14 21 24-15301 Mike O'Connell D 34 5 16 21 325110 Greg Fox Greg Fox (ice hockey) D 75 3 16 19 112-10000 Ron Sedlbauer LW 39 12 3 15 12-7300 John Marks John Marks (ice hockey) LW 39 8 6 14 28-3110 Miles Zaharko D 42 3 11 14 4022001 Dave Hutchison Dave Hutchison (ice hockey) D 59 2 9 11 12412000 Rick Paterson C 49 8 2 10 18-2121 Peter Marsh Peter Marsh (ice hockey) RW 29 4 6 10 100000 Florent Robidoux LW 39 6 2 8 75-6100 Tony Esposito G 66 0 3 3 00000 Ken Solheim LW 5 2 0 2 0-3000 Doug Crossman D 9 0 2 2 2-5000 Brian Young Brian Young (ice hockey) D 8 0 2 2 6-4000 Steve Larmer RW 4 0 1 1 01000 Murray Bannerman G 15 0 0 0 00000 Bill Gardner Bill Gardner (ice hockey) C 1 0 0 0 00000 Doug Lecuyer LW 14 0 0 0 41-2000 Goaltending Player MIN GPW LTGAGAA SO Tony Esposito 3935 66 29 23 14 246 3.75 0 Murray Bannerman 865 15 2 10 2 62 4.30 0 Team: 4800 80 31 33 16 308 3.85 0 Playoffs Scoring Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG Al Secord LW 3 4 0 4 14000 Darryl Sutter LW 3 3 1 4 2100 Tom Lysiak C 3 0 3 3 0000 Doug Wilson Doug Wilson (ice hockey) D 3 0 3 3 2000 Peter Marsh Peter Marsh (ice hockey) RW 2 1 1 2 2000 Keith Brown Keith Brown (ice hockey) D 3 0 2 2 2000 Terry Ruskowski C 3 0 2 2 11000 Glen Sharpley C 1 0 2 2 0000 Rick Paterson C 2 1 0 1 0010 Greg Fox Greg Fox (ice hockey) D 3 0 1 1 2000 Rich Preston RW 3 0 1 1 0000 Tony Esposito G 3 0 0 0 0000 Tim Higgins Tim Higgins (ice hockey) RW 3 0 0 0 0000 Dave Hutchison Dave Hutchison (ice hockey) D 2 0 0 0 2000 Reg Kerr LW 3 0 0 0 2000 John Marks John Marks (ice hockey) LW 3 0 0 0 0000 Grant Mulvey RW 3 0 0 0 0000 Bob Murray Robert Frederick Murray D 3 0 0 0 2000 Denis Savard C 3 0 0 0 0000 Miles Zaharko D 2 0 0 0 0000 Goaltending Player MIN GPW LGAGAA SO Tony Esposito 215 3 0 3 15 4.19 0 Team: 215 3 0 3 15 4.19 0 hockey-reference.com 2009-06-16 1980-81 Chicago Black Hawks Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CBH/1981.html Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals       MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; Transactions The Black Hawks were involved in the following transactions during the 1980–81 season.https://www.prosportstransactions.com/hockey/Search/SearchResults.php?Player=&Team=BlackHawks&BeginDate=1980-05-01&EndDate=1981-09-01&PlayerMovementChkBx=yes&submit=Search&start=0 Hockey Transactions Search Results Trades June 14, 1980To Chicago Black Hawks2nd-round pick in 1981 – Kevin GriffinTo Hartford WhalersMike Veisor December 1, 1980To Chicago Black HawksPeter MarshTo Winnipeg JetsTim Trimper Doug Lecuyer December 18, 1980To Chicago Black HawksAl SecordTo Boston BruinsMike O'Connell December 29, 1980To Chicago Black HawksGlen SharpleyTo Minnesota North StarsKen Solheim 2nd-round pick in 1981 – Tom Hirsch February 18, 1981To Chicago Black HawksCashTo Toronto Maple LeafsRon Sedlbauer Free agent signings June 3, 1980From Fort Wayne Komets (IHL)Bob Janecyk Draft picks Chicago's draft picks at the 1980 NHL entry draft held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal. Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)13Denis SavardCanadaMontreal Juniors (QMJHL)115Jerry DupontCanadaToronto Marlboros (OHA)228Steve LudzikCanadaNiagara Falls Flyers (OHA)230Ken SolheimCanadaMedicine Hat Tigers (WHL)236Len DawesCanadaVictoria Cougars (WHL)357Troy MurrayCanadaSt. Albert Saints (AJHL)358Marcel FrereCanadaBillings Bighorns (WHL)467Carey WilsonCanadaDartmouth College (ECAC)478Brian ShawCanadaPortland Winter Hawks (WHL)599Kevin GinnellCanadaMedicine Hat Tigers (WHL)6120Steve LarmerCanadaNiagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)7141Sean SimpsonCanadaOttawa 67's (OMJHL)8162Jim RalphCanadaOttawa 67's (OMJHL)9183Don DietrichCanadaBrandon Wheat Kings (WHL)10204Dan FrawleyCanadaSudbury Wolves (OMJHL) See also 1980–81 NHL season References Category:Chicago Blackhawks seasons Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Chicago Category:1980 in Chicago Category:1981 in Chicago