| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 8–May 24, 1980 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Defending champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | New York Islanders |
| Runner-up | Philadelphia Flyers |
The 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 8, after the conclusion of the 1979–80 NHL season. This season saw the addition of four teams from the disbanded World Hockey Association (WHA) as expansion franchises, and thus the playoffs were also expanded from 12 to 16 teams. The expanded playoff format allowed two of those former WHA clubs, the Edmonton Oilers and the Hartford Whalers, to make the playoffs in their first season in the NHL. The Atlanta Flames played their final playoff games before moving to Calgary after the season; the playoffs would eventually return to Atlanta in 2007 when the expansion Atlanta Thrashers made their first postseason appearance.
The playoffs concluded on May 24 when the New York Islanders defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5–4 to win the final series four games to two and win the Stanley Cup. It was the Islanders' first Stanley Cup win and was the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup wins.
