| Sep 21, 1980 Sun | Preseason | Detroit | Hartford | Add Fight |
| Sep 24, 1980 Wed | Preseason | Detroit | St. Louis | Polonich-Sutter |
| Sep 25, 1980 Thu | Preseason | Detroit | St. Louis | Foligno-Maxwell
Vasko-Sutter
Cloutier-Turnbull
Vasko-Lapointe
Larson-Sutter |
| Sep 30, 1980 Tue | Preseason | Toronto | Detroit | Shand-Polonich
Maloney-Peterson |
| Oct 2, 1980 Thu | Preseason | Hartford | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Oct 4, 1980 Sat | Preseason | Detroit | Pittsburgh | Add Fight |
| Oct 5, 1980 Sun | Preseason | Detroit | Pittsburgh | Add Fight |
| Oct 10, 1980 Fri | | Detroit | Vancouver | Event |
| Oct 11, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | Los Angeles | Larson-Simmer |
| Oct 15, 1980 Wed | | Detroit | Toronto | Add Fight |
| Oct 16, 1980 Thu | | NY Islanders | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Oct 18, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | Hartford | Korn-Alley |
| Oct 23, 1980 Thu | | Colorado | Detroit | Malinowski-Foligno |
| Oct 25, 1980 Sat | | NY Rangers | Detroit | Duguay-Polonich
Dore-Polonich
Hospodar-Polonich |
| Oct 26, 1980 Sun | | Detroit | NY Rangers | Larson-Johnstone |
| Oct 28, 1980 Tue | | Chicago | Detroit | Mulvey-McCourt
Ruskowski-Woods |
| Oct 29, 1980 Wed | | Detroit | Hartford | Add Fight |
| Nov 1, 1980 Sat | | Buffalo | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Nov 4, 1980 Tue | | Detroit | NY Islanders | Add Fight |
| Nov 6, 1980 Thu | | Montreal | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Nov 8, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | Pittsburgh | Add Fight |
| Nov 11, 1980 Tue | | Boston | Detroit | Bourque-Polonich (5.5)
Kasper-Woods |
| Nov 12, 1980 Wed | | Detroit | Buffalo | Add Fight |
| Nov 15, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | Philadelphia | Add Fight |
| Nov 19, 1980 Wed | | Detroit | Quebec | Add Fight |
| Nov 20, 1980 Thu | | Detroit | Montreal | Hamel-Nilan
Polonich-Langway |
| Nov 22, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | St. Louis | Miller-Turnbull
Foligno-Sutter
Hicks-Stewart |
| Nov 26, 1980 Wed | | Washington | Detroit | Mulvey-Hamel |
| Nov 29, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | NY Islanders | Barrett-Nystrom (2) |
| Dec 2, 1980 Tue | | Detroit | Boston | Polonich-Secord (1)
Larson-Jonathan (2)
Hicks-Morrison
Larson-Foster |
| Dec 4, 1980 Thu | | Quebec | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Dec 6, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | Philadelphia | Brawl at 50:45
Korn-Morrison
Foligno-Bathe
Huber-Bridgman |
| Dec 7, 1980 Sun | | Detroit | Minnesota | Add Fight |
| Dec 11, 1980 Thu | | Los Angeles | Detroit | Simmer-Larson
Lewis-Korn |
| Dec 13, 1980 Sat | | Chicago | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Dec 14, 1980 Sun | | Detroit | Washington | Hicks-Labre (3)
Foligno-Hangsleben (3)
Larson-Kelly
Kirton-McTaggart |
| Dec 16, 1980 Tue | | Edmonton | Detroit | Hughes-Hamel
Brackenbury-Korn |
| Dec 18, 1980 Thu | | Toronto | Detroit | Shand-Polonich |
| Dec 20, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | Colorado | Foligno-Vautour |
| Dec 23, 1980 Tue | | Minnesota | Detroit | Christoff-Hicks |
| Dec 27, 1980 Sat | | Detroit | Edmonton | Larson-Messier
Polonich-Hicks
Foligno-Price |
| Dec 28, 1980 Sun | | Detroit | Winnipeg | Foligno-Trimper |
| Dec 31, 1980 Wed | | Pittsburgh | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Jan 2, 1981 Fri | | Vancouver | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Jan 3, 1981 Sat | | Detroit | Pittsburgh | Polonich-Kindrachuk
Hicks-Rissling |
| Jan 6, 1981 Tue | | Montreal | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Jan 8, 1981 Thu | | Detroit | Boston | (Rough) Labraaten-O'Connell |
| Jan 10, 1981 Sat | | Calgary | Detroit | Plett-Paterson
Peplinski-Larson |
| Jan 13, 1981 Tue | | Boston | Detroit | Crowder-Hamel |
| Jan 15, 1981 Thu | | Detroit | Calgary | Hicks-McKendry
Hicks-Holt
Miller-Smith (8)
Huber-Vail |
| Jan 16, 1981 Fri | | Detroit | Vancouver | Foligno-Williams |
| Jan 20, 1981 Tue | | Detroit | Los Angeles | Miller-Jensen (4.8)
Miller-Jensen (6)
Foligno-Terrion |
| Jan 22, 1981 Thu | | NY Islanders | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Jan 24, 1981 Sat | | Colorado | Detroit | Vautour-Korn |
| Jan 26, 1981 Mon | | Detroit | Toronto | Add Fight |
| Jan 28, 1981 Wed | | Detroit | Quebec | Line Brawl at 38:23
Hicks-Richard
(Rough) McAdam-Hunter
Korn-Richard |
| Jan 29, 1981 Thu | | Minnesota | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Feb 1, 1981 Sun | | St. Louis | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Feb 3, 1981 Tue | | Toronto | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Feb 5, 1981 Thu | | Los Angeles | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Feb 6, 1981 Fri | | Detroit | Buffalo | Add Fight |
| Feb 8, 1981 Sun | | Vancouver | Detroit | Williams-Larson (7)
(Rough) Williams-Kirton
(Rough) Campbell-Barrett
(Cheap) Williams-Nedomansky
Williams-Foligno |
| Feb 12, 1981 Thu | | Hartford | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Feb 14, 1981 Sat | | Philadelphia | Detroit | Wesley-Korn (6) |
| Feb 17, 1981 Tue | | Winnipeg | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Feb 19, 1981 Thu | | NY Rangers | Detroit | Scrum at 11:34
Silk-Ingarfield
Duguay-Larson
Beck-Korn
Crowd Trouble at 60:00 (9) |
| Feb 21, 1981 Sat | | Detroit | Montreal | Foligno-Nilan (5.5) |
| Feb 25, 1981 Wed | | St. Louis | Detroit | Lapointe-Smith |
| Feb 27, 1981 Fri | | Detroit | Edmonton | Korn-Brackenbury
Barrett-Brackenbury |
| Mar 1, 1981 Sun | | Detroit | Winnipeg | Add Fight |
| Mar 4, 1981 Wed | | Detroit | Chicago | Add Fight |
| Mar 8, 1981 Sun | | Detroit | NY Rangers | Smith-Laidlaw (5.3)
Foligno-Kotsopoulos |
| Mar 10, 1981 Tue | | Hartford | Detroit | Lupien-Ingarfield |
| Mar 12, 1981 Thu | | Detroit | Philadelphia | Smith-Cochrane (3)
Larson-Cochrane |
| Mar 14, 1981 Sat | | Detroit | St. Louis | Smith-Patey
Paterson-Babych |
| Mar 17, 1981 Tue | | Quebec | Detroit | Cote-Huber |
| Mar 19, 1981 Thu | | Calgary | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Mar 21, 1981 Sat | | Winnipeg | Detroit | Bowness-Paterson
Wilson-McAdam |
| Mar 22, 1981 Sun | | Detroit | Minnesota | Event at 50:03 |
| Mar 24, 1981 Tue | | Detroit | Colorado | Korn-Cooper |
| Mar 26, 1981 Thu | | Washington | Detroit | Walker-Smith
Hangsleben-Foligno |
| Mar 28, 1981 Sat | | Edmonton | Detroit | Fogolin-Smith |
| Mar 29, 1981 Sun | | Detroit | Chicago | Smith-Robidoux |
| Mar 31, 1981 Tue | | Detroit | Calgary | Smith-Marsh
(Cheap) Foligno-Marsh |
| Apr 2, 1981 Thu | | Pittsburgh | Detroit | Add Fight |
| Apr 4, 1981 Sat | | Buffalo | Detroit | Playfair-Korn |
| Apr 5, 1981 Sun | | Detroit | Washington | Smith-McTaggart |