The 1979–80 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 56th season. In the first round of the NHL Draft, the Bruins drafted defenseman Ray Bourque. The Bruins had two coaches during the season, Fred Creighton had a record of 40 wins, 20 losses and 13 ties, while Harry Sinden had 6 wins and 1 loss. The Bruins lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions for the second season in a row, this time it was the New York Islanders in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The last remaining active member of the 1979–80 Boston Bruins was defenseman Ray Bourque, who retired after the 2000–01 season, right after winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
Offseason
Don Cherry was fired after the 1978–79 season. Fred Creighton, former coach of the Atlanta Flames was brought in to coach the Bruins.
Regular season
General Manager Harry Sinden fired Coach Creighton with 15 days to go in the regular season despite the Bruins' winning record with Creighton. Sinden, who had coached before, took over coaching duties as well.
Divisional standings
Record vs. opponents
Schedule and results
|-
| 1979–80 Schedule
Playoffs
Lost quarter-finals (4-1) to New York Islanders
Won Preliminary Round (3-2) over Pittsburgh Penguins
Player statistics
Regular season
Scoring
Goaltending
Playoffs
Scoring
Goaltending
Awards and records
Records
Milestones
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Claimed from waivers
Draft picks
Boston's picks at the 1980 NHL Entry Draft were as follows: