| 1980 CIAU University Cup | |
| Venues: | Sherwood Ice Sports Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan |
| Winners: | Alberta Golden Bears |
| Count: | 6 |
| Second: | Regina Cougars |
| Dates: | March 13–16 |
| Games: | 7 |
| Num Teams: | 6 |
| Award Title: | MVP |
| Award: | Chris Helland (Alberta) |
| Prev Season: | 1979 |
| Next Season: | 1981 |
The 1980 CIAU Men's University Cup Hockey Tournament (18th annual) was held at the Sherwood Ice Sports Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Regina Cougars served as tournament host.
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
The format was mostly unchanged from the year before. The only alteration was that the selection committee chose to admit defending national champion and Canada West runner-up Alberta instead of GPAC runner-up Brandon. This was done partially because the two conferences had played an interlocking schedule during the season. The six teams were sorted by a committee prior to the tournament and arranged so that the host and wild card teams would be in opposite brackets.
In the round-robin groups, the teams that finished with the best record would advance to the championship game. If there was a tie for the best record, the first tie-breaker was goal differential. If there was a tie in goal differential, the teams would play sudden death overtime for the advantage.
| Team | Qualification | Record | Appearance | Last | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild-card | 20–11–0 | 13th | 1979 | ||
| West: Canada West Champion | 20–11–0 | 3rd | 1976 | ||
| Quebec: QUAA Champion | 19–6–2 | 5th | 1979 | ||
| Ontario: OUAA Champion | 18–8–3 | 3rd | 1979 | ||
| Atlantic: AUAA Champion | 26–5–1 | 3rd | 1978 | ||
| Plains: GPAC Champion / Host | 15–9–0 | 3rd | 1979 |
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: round-robin games were played on consecutive days March 13–15[1]