1976–77 Montreal Canadiens season explained

Team:	Montreal Canadiens
League:	NHL
Season:	1976–77
Year:	1976
Conference:	Wales
Conferencerank:	1st
Division:	Norris
Divisionrank:	1st
Record:	60–8–12
Homerecord:	33–1–6
Roadrecord:	27–7–6
Goalsfor:	387
Goalsagainst:	171
Generalmanager:	Sam Pollock
Coach:	Scotty Bowman
Captain:	Yvan Cournoyer
Altcaptain:	None
Arena:	Montreal Forum
Goalsleader:	Steve Shutt (60)
Assistsleader:	Guy Lafleur (80)
Pointsleader:	Guy Lafleur (136)
Pimleader:	Doug Risebrough (132)
Winsleader:	Ken Dryden (41)
Gaaleader:	Michel Larocque (2.09)
Divisionwin:	Yes
Conferencewin:	Yes
Stanleycup:	yes

The 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens season was the Canadiens' 68th season. The team is regarded to be the greatest NHL team ever composed. The Canadiens won their 20th Stanley Cup in 1976–77, taking the NHL championship. Montreal set new records for most wins (60) and points (132) in a season.^[1] Those records were not broken until the re-introduction of regular season overtime and the extension of the schedule to 82 games. The 1976–77 Canadiens continue to hold the all-time records for regulation wins as well as points per game (1.650). They outscored their opponents by 216 goals (also a league record), a differential average of 2.7 goals per game.

Of the 24 players on the roster, 14 were drafted by the Canadiens: Pierre Bouchard, Rick Chartraw, Brian Engblom, Bob Gainey, Réjean Houle, Guy Lafleur, Michel Larocque, Pierre Mondou, Bill Nyrop, Doug Risebrough, Larry Robinson, Steve Shutt, Mario Tremblay, and Murray Wilson. The only player on the roster not developed by the Canadiens was Peter Mahovlich.

Montreal lost only eight games, a modern-era record that has never been tied or broken even when counting only regulation losses and including lockout and pandemic-shortened seasons. They earned at least a point in 72 games, which also still stands as an all-time record.

The Canadiens earned their 100th point in the 62nd game of the season with a victory over the Atlanta Flames on February 23, 1977. This was an NHL record for fastest team to 100 points for 45 seasons.^[2] ^[3]

Regular season

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

Regular season schedule
No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	W	October 7, 1976	10–1	Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77)	1–0–0
2	W	October 9, 1976	3–0	Vancouver Canucks (1976–77)	2–0–0
3	L	October 10, 1976	1–3	@ Buffalo Sabres (1976–77)	2–1–0
4	W	October 12, 1976	4–2	@ Detroit Red Wings (1976–77)	3–1–0
5	W	October 14, 1976	7–1	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77)	4–1–0
6	W	October 16, 1976	7–4	New York Rangers (1976–77)	5–1–0
7	L	October 17, 1976	3–5	@ Boston Bruins (1976–77)	5–2–0
8	W	October 19, 1976	6–0	@ Washington Capitals (1976–77)	6–2–0
9	W	October 21, 1976	5–3	Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77)	7–2–0
10	W	October 23, 1976	9–1	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77)	8–2–0
11	W	October 25, 1976	4–1	New York Islanders (1976–77)	9–2–0
12	T	October 27, 1976	4–4	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77)	9–2–1
13	L	October 30, 1976	3–4	Boston Bruins (1976–77)	9–3–1
14	W	November 1, 1976	3–2	Buffalo Sabres (1976–77)	10–3–1
15	W	November 3, 1976	5–2	@ Minnesota North Stars (1976–77)	11–3–1
16	W	November 6, 1976	11–3	Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77)	12–3–1
17	W	November 9, 1976	8–1	@ St. Louis Blues (1976–77)	13–3–1
18	T	November 10, 1976	2–2	@ Atlanta Flames (1976–77)	13–3–2
19	T	November 13, 1976	3–3	Colorado Rockies (1976–77)	13–3–3
20	W	November 15, 1976	4–2	St. Louis Blues (1976–77)	14–3–3
21	L	November 17, 1976	0–1	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77)	14–4–3
22	W	November 19, 1976	6–3	Minnesota North Stars (1976–77)	15–4–3
23	W	November 21, 1976	9–5	Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77)	16–4–3
24	W	November 23, 1976	5–1	@ New York Islanders (1976–77)	17–4–3
25	W	November 24, 1976	8–1	@ Cleveland Barons (1976–77)	18–4–3
26	W	November 27, 1976	4–3	@ Los Angeles Kings (1976–77)	19–4–3
27	T	December 2, 1976	3–3	Los Angeles Kings (1976–77)	19–4–4
28	W	December 4, 1976	3–1	Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77)	20–4–4
29	W	December 6, 1976	1–0	Cleveland Barons (1976–77)	21–4–4
30	W	December 8, 1976	4–3	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77)	22–4–4
31	W	December 11, 1976	5–0	Detroit Red Wings (1976–77)	23–4–4
32	L	December 12, 1976	2–5	@ New York Rangers (1976–77)	23–5–4
33	W	December 15, 1976	8–2	@ Colorado Rockies (1976–77)	24–5–4
34	W	December 18, 1976	2–0	@ Los Angeles Kings (1976–77)	25–5–4
35	W	December 20, 1976	5–4	@ Vancouver Canucks (1976–77)	26–5–4
36	W	December 27, 1976	4–2	Cleveland Barons (1976–77)	27–5–4
37	T	December 29, 1976	3–3	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77)	27–5–5
38	T	December 30, 1976	5–5	Minnesota North Stars (1976–77)	27–5–6
39	W	January 2, 1977	7–0	Atlanta Flames (1976–77)	28–5–6
40	W	January 3, 1977	6–4	Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77)	29–5–6
41	W	January 6, 1977	9–2	@ Buffalo Sabres (1976–77)	30–5–6
42	W	January 8, 1977	7–2	Washington Capitals (1976–77)	31–5–6
43	W	January 11, 1977	6–0	@ Colorado Rockies (1976–77)	32–5–6
44	L	January 12, 1977	2–7	@ St. Louis Blues (1976–77)	32–6–6
45	W	January 15, 1977	6–0	Los Angeles Kings (1976–77)	33–6–6
46	L	January 17, 1977	3–7	@ Boston Bruins (1976–77)	33–7–6
47	W	January 18, 1977	3–0	@ Washington Capitals (1976–77)	34–7–6
48	W	January 20, 1977	6–2	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77)	35–7–6
49	W	January 22, 1977	5–2	Washington Capitals (1976–77)	36–7–6
50	T	January 23, 1977	2–2	Detroit Red Wings (1976–77)	36–7–7
51	T	January 29, 1977	3–3	Buffalo Sabres (1976–77)	36–7–8
52	W	January 30, 1977	2–1	New York Islanders (1976–77)	37–7–8
53	W	February 1, 1977	7–3	@ Cleveland Barons (1976–77)	38–7–8
54	W	February 3, 1977	6–4	@ Vancouver Canucks (1976–77)	39–7–8
55	T	February 5, 1977	3–3	@ Los Angeles Kings (1976–77)	39–7–9
56	W	February 9, 1977	6–0	Vancouver Canucks (1976–77)	40–7–9
57	W	February 12, 1977	8–3	Boston Bruins (1976–77)	41–7–9
58	W	February 13, 1977	5–3	@ Detroit Red Wings (1976–77)	42–7–9
59	T	February 16, 1977	4–4	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77)	42–7–10
60	W	February 19, 1977	5–2	Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77)	43–7–10
61	W	February 21, 1977	3–2	Atlanta Flames (1976–77)	44–7–10
62	W	February 23, 1977	4–2	@ Atlanta Flames (1976–77)	45–7–10
63	W	February 26, 1977	5–3	Cleveland Barons (1976–77)	46–7–10
64	W	February 27, 1977	8–1	@ New York Rangers (1976–77)	47–7–10
65	W	March 1, 1977	5–4	@ New York Islanders (1976–77)	48–7–10
66	W	March 3, 1977	5–1	Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77)	49–7–10
67	W	March 5, 1977	7–2	New York Rangers (1976–77)	50–7–10
68	L	March 6, 1977	1–4	@ Buffalo Sabres (1976–77)	50–8–10
69	T	March 9, 1977	2–2	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77)	50–8–11
70	W	March 10, 1977	7–1	Colorado Rockies (1976–77)	51–8–11
71	W	March 12, 1977	5–1	Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77)	52–8–11
72	W	March 14, 1977	3–0	Los Angeles Kings (1976–77)	53–8–11
73	W	March 16, 1977	5–2	@ Minnesota North Stars (1976–77)	54–8–11
74	W	March 21, 1977	5–1	@ Boston Bruins (1976–77)	55–8–11
75	W	March 24, 1977	6–1	St. Louis Blues (1976–77)	56–8–11
76	W	March 26, 1977	4–0	Detroit Red Wings (1976–77)	57–8–11
77	W	March 27, 1977	6–0	@ Detroit Red Wings (1976–77)	58–8–11
78	T	March 30, 1977	3–3	Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77)	58–8–12
79	W	April 2, 1977	11–0	Washington Capitals (1976–77)	59–8–12
80	W	April 3, 1977	2–1	@ Washington Capitals (1976–77)	60–8–12

^[4]

Playoffs

Stanley Cup Finals

See main article: 1977 Stanley Cup Finals. Jacques Lemaire scored three game-winning goals, including the Cup winner in overtime. Guy Lafleur won the Conn Smythe Trophy for scoring 9 goals and 17 assists during the playoffs.

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score	Notes
May 7	Boston	3	Montreal	7
May 10	Boston	0	Montreal	3
May 12	Montreal	4	Boston	2
May 14	Montreal	2	Boston	1	OT

Montreal wins the series 4–0. Guy Lafleur won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring

Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
RW	80	56	80	136	20	89	14	0	8
LW	80	60	45	105	28	88	8	0	9
D	77	19	66	85	45	120	3	0	3
D	77	25	51	76	53	69	10	0	6
C	75	34	41	75	22	70	5	2	4
C	76	15	47	62	45	36	3	0	1
C	78	22	38	60	132	33	1	0	6
RW	60	25	28	53	8	27	6	0	2
LW	79	24	28	52	50	30	2	0	5
W	65	22	30	52	24	39	2	0	3
RW	74	18	28	46	61	25	4	0	3
D	78	9	33	42	35	79	0	0	1
C	80	16	22	38	14	30	0	0	2
LW	80	14	19	33	41	31	0	1	3
LW	60	13	14	27	26	25	1	0	1
D	74	3	19	22	21	42	0	0	1
D/RW	45	5	14	19	18	22	0	1	1
D	73	4	11	15	52	33	0	1	0
D/RW	43	3	4	7	59	27	0	0	1
G	56	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0
D	4	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0
G	26	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SO
	3275	56	41	6	8	117	2.14	10
	1525	26	19	2	4	53	2.09	4
Team:	4800	80	60	8	12	170	2.12	14

Playoffs

Scoring

Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG
RW	14	9	17	26	6	1	0	2
C	14	7	12	19	6	1	0	3
LW	14	8	10	18	2	2	0	3
D	12	3	9	12	4	1	0	0
D	14	2	10	12	12	1	0	0
C	13	4	5	9	19	2	0	1
D	14	2	7	9	2	1	0	1
LW	14	1	6	7	14	0	0	0
C	14	0	7	7	2	0	0	0
LW	14	3	3	6	12	1	0	0
LW	14	4	1	5	25	0	1	1
C	12	2	3	5	16	0	0	0
D/RW	14	3	0	3	6	0	1	1
RW	14	3	0	3	9	0	0	0
D/RW	13	2	1	3	17	0	0	0
D	8	1	0	1	4	0	0	0
D	6	0	1	1	6	0	0	0
W	6	0	1	1	4	0	0	0
G	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
D	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
C	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
C/LW	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	GA	GAA	SO
	849	14	12	2	22	1.55	4
Team:	849	14	12	2	22	1.55	4

^[5]

Awards and records

Prince of Wales Trophy
Ken Dryden and Michel Larocque, Vezina Trophy
Ken Dryden, Goaltender, NHL First Team All-Star
Guy Lafleur, Art Ross Trophy
Guy Lafleur, Conn Smythe Trophy
Guy Lafleur, Hart Memorial Trophy
Guy Lafleur, Lou Marsh Trophy
Guy Lafleur, right wing, NHL First Team All-Star
Guy Lafleur, NHL leader, assists (80)^[6]
Guy Lafleur, NHL leader, points (136)^[6]
Guy Lapointe, defence, NHL Second Team All-Star
Larry Robinson, defence, NHL First Team All-Star
Steve Shutt, left wing, NHL First Team All-Star
Steve Shutt, NHL leader, goals (60)^[6]
132 points, NHL record for most points in a season by a team
+216 goal differential, NHL record for highest team differential

Draft picks

Round		Player	College/junior/club team
1	12	Peter Lee	Ottawa 67's (OHA)
1	13	Rod Schutt	Sudbury Wolves (OMJHL)
1	18	Bruce Baker	Ottawa 67's (OMJHL)
2	36	Barry Melrose	Kamloops Chiefs (WCHL)
3	54	Bill Baker	University of Minnesota (WCHA)
4	72	Ed Clarey	Cornwall Royals (QMJHL)
5	90	Maurice Barrette	Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
6	108	Pierre Brassard	Cornwall Royals (QMJHL)
7	118	Rich Gosselin	Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL)
8	123	John Gregory	University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
9	125	Bruce Horsch	Michigan Tech University (WCHA)
10	127	John Tavella	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL)
11	129	Mark Davidson	Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL)
12	131	Bill Wells	Cornwall Royals (QMJHL)
13	133	Ron Wilson	St. Catharines Black Hawks (OMJHL)

References

Notes and References

Web site: Campbell . Ken . January 3, 2014 . GREATEST TEAMS OF ALL-TIME: 1976-77 MONTREAL CANADIENS . April 9, 2023 . The Hockey News.
Web site: March 2, 2023 . Bruins rout Sabres 7-1, become fastest team to 100 points . March 2, 2023 . Associated Press.
Web site: Russo . Eric . Bruins Make History, Become Fastest Team to 100 Points . 2023-06-13 . NHL.com .
Web site: 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens Games. Hockey-reference.com . 2009-07-14 .
Web site: hockey-reference.com . 2009-05-28 . 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com.
National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 204, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, .