1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their 14th in the National Hockey League.
Regular season
Division standings
Schedule and results
Playoffs
The Penguins lost in the Preliminary round versus the St. Louis Blues.Player statistics
;Skaters;Goaltenders
†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 26th.
- Randy Carlyle established a new franchise record for goals, assists and points by a defenseman in a season. He topped the previous highs of 15 goals, 60 assists and 71 points.
- 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
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
Roster
Draft picks
The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 11, 1980 in Montreal, Quebec.| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 1 | 9 | Michael Bullard | Center | Canada | Brantford Alexanders |
| 3 | 51 | Randy Boyd | Defense | Canada | Ottawa 67's |
| 4 | 72 | Tony Feltrin | Defense | Canada | Victoria Cougars |
| 5 | 93 | Douglas Shedden | Center | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds |
| 6 | 114 | Pat Graham | Left Wing | Canada | Niagara Falls Flyers |
| 8 | 156 | Robert Geale | Center | Canada | Portland Winter Hawks |
| 9 | 177 | Brian Lundberg | Defense | Canada | U. of Michigan |
| 10 | 198 | Steve McKenzie | Defense | Canada | St. Albert Saints |