| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Canada |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Dates | September 1–13, 1981 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  Soviet Union (1st title) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 18 |
| Goals scored | 128 (7.11 per game) |
| Attendance | 158,594 (8,811 per game) |
| Scoring leader(s) | Wayne Gretzky (12 pts) |
| MVP | Vladislav Tretiak |
The 1981 Labatt Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title by the score of 8–1. Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak was named most valuable player. Canada's Wayne Gretzky led the tournament in scoring with 12 points.
This second edition of the Canada Cup was originally scheduled to be held in 1979 but was postponed due to disputes between the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and Hockey Canada. It was postponed a second time in 1980 following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Canada's boycott of sporting events with the Soviet Union as a result. When finally held in 1981, tournament organizer Alan Eagleson speculated it could be the last such event due to rising costs and disappointing attendance. Eagleson generated additional controversy when he refused to allow the Soviets to take the Canada Cup trophy with them to the Soviet Union.