1977–78 NHL season explained

1977–78 NHL season
League:National Hockey League
Sport:Ice hockey
Duration:October 12, 1977 – May 25, 1978
Draft:Draft
Draft Link:1978 NHL Draft
Top Pick Link:List of first overall NHL draft picks
Top Pick:Dale McCourt
Picked By:Detroit Red Wings
Season:Regular season
Season Champs:Montreal Canadiens
Mvp:Guy Lafleur (Canadiens)
Mvp Link:Hart Memorial Trophy
Top Scorer:Guy Lafleur (Canadiens)
Top Scorer Link:Art Ross Trophy
Playoffs:Playoffs
Playoffs Link:1978 Stanley Cup playoffs
Finals:Stanley Cup
Finals Link:1978 Stanley Cup Finals
Finals Champ:Montreal Canadiens
Finals Runner-Up:Boston Bruins
Playoffs Mvp:Larry Robinson (Canadiens)
Playoffs Mvp Link:Conn Smythe Trophy
No Of Games:80
No Of Teams:18
Tv:CBC, SRC (Canada)
NHL Network (United States)

The 1977–78 NHL season was the 61st season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won their third Stanley Cup in a row, defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals.

League business

Prior to the start of the season, Clarence Campbell retired as NHL President. John Ziegler succeeded him in that capacity.

A trophy for the top defensive forward, the Frank J. Selke Trophy, made its debut this season and went to Bob Gainey, who played left wing for Montreal.

The league changed the playoff qualification format for this season. Whereas before the top three teams in every division qualified, the format was changed to guarantee the top two teams in each division a playoff spot. The last four qualifiers were from the next-best four regular-season records from teams finishing third or lower.

Teams were required to place the last names of players on the back of all jerseys starting with this season, but Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard initially refused, fearing that he would not be able to sell programs at his team's games. The NHL responded by threatening to levy a fine on the team in February 1978, so Ballard complied by making the letters the same color as the background they were on, which for the team's road jerseys was blue. The League threatened further sanctions, and despite playing more than one game with their "unreadable" sweaters, Ballard's Maple Leafs finally complied in earnest by making the letters white on the blue road jerseys. (Blue letter names would not come to the white home jerseys until the following year.)[1]

Officials began wearing their surnames on the back of their sweaters instead of being identified by numbers, as they were previously. The NHL returned to using uniform numbers for officials for the 1994–95 season.

Arena changes

The St. Louis Blues's home arena, St. Louis Arena, was renamed the Checkerdome after Ralston Purina purchased both the team and the arena, referencing the pet food company's checkerboard logo.

Map of teams

Teams

1977-78 National Hockey League
Division Team City Arena Capacity
AdamsBoston BruinsBoston, MassachusettsBoston Garden14,602
Buffalo SabresBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo Memorial Auditorium16,433
Cleveland BaronsRichfield, OhioRichfield Coliseum18,544
Toronto Maple LeafsToronto, OntarioMaple Leaf Gardens16,316
NorrisDetroit Red WingsDetroit, MichiganDetroit Olympia15,000
Montreal CanadiensMontreal, QuebecMontreal Forum19,000
Los Angeles KingsInglewood, CaliforniaThe Forum16,005
Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaCivic Arena16,033
Washington CapitalsLandover, MarylandCapital Centre18,130
PatrickAtlanta FlamesAtlanta, GeorgiaOmni Coliseum15,155
New York IslandersUniondale, New YorkNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum15,317
New York RangersNew York, New YorkMadison Square Garden17,500
Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaSpectrum17,077
SmytheChicago Black HawksChicago, IllinoisChicago Stadium16,666
Colorado RockiesDenver, ColoradoMcNichols Sports Arena15,900
Minnesota North StarsBloomington, MinnesotaMetropolitan Sports Center15,000
St. Louis BluesSt. Louis, MissouriCheckerdome18,006
Vancouver CanucksVancouver, British ColumbiaPacific Coliseum15,570

Regular season

Bobby Orr sat out the season to rest his oft-injured knee in the hope that rest would allow him to return to play in 1978–79; he would return for that season, only playing in six games before retiring. However, defenseman Doug Wilson proved to be an excellent replacement for the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Detroit Red Wings made changes, adding rookie Dale McCourt andAndre St. Laurent, who led the Wings to their first playoff appearance since 1970.

On December 11, 1977, the Philadelphia Flyers' Tom Bladon became the first defenceman in NHL history to score eight points in one game.[2] He scored four goals and four assists versus the Cleveland Barons. It was 25% of his point total for the entire season.

The Colorado Rockies qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They would not make the playoffs again until after the team had moved to New Jersey, in 1988. The next time the playoffs came to Colorado would be the Colorado Avalanche's championship season of 1996.

Final standings

GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold

Clarence Campbell Conference

Playoffs

The playoffs were held in four rounds, preliminary, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. In the preliminary round, the Detroit Red Wings was the only lower-placed team to win over the higher-placed team. The Red Wings were then defeated in five games by the first-place Montreal Canadiens. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Los Angeles Kings to advance to the quarterfinals, where the Leafs upset the third-place New York Islanders in seven games, setting up an "Original Six" playoff against Montreal. The upsets ended there as the Canadiens swept the Leafs to advance to the finals. In the other groupings, the higher-placed team won each round, and the second-place Boston Bruins advanced to the finals against the first-place Canadiens. In the finals, the Canadiens defeated the Bruins in six games to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup.

The Colorado Rockies made their one and only playoff appearance in the preliminary round against the Philadelphia Flyers, and were swept in two games. It would take another ten years before they got to the playoffs again in New Jersey. The Chicago Black Hawks were swept in the other "Original Six" matchup of the playoffs, losing to Boston in the quarterfinals.

Playoff seeds

The twelve teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–12 based on regular season points.

Note: Only teams that qualified for the playoffs are listed here.

  1. Montreal Canadiens, Norris Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions, NHL regular season champions – 129 points
  2. Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions – 113 points
  3. New York Islanders, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 111 points
  4. Philadelphia Flyers – 105 points (45 wins)
  5. Buffalo Sabres – 105 points (44 wins)
  6. Toronto Maple Leafs – 92 points
  7. Atlanta Flames – 87 points
  8. Chicago Black Hawks, Smythe Division champions – 83 points
  9. Detroit Red Wings – 78 points
  10. Los Angeles Kings – 77 points
  11. New York Rangers – 73 points
  12. Colorado Rockies – 59 points

Playoff bracket

Preliminary round

(1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Colorado Rockies

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. It was the Rockies' only playoff appearance in their first eight seasons before moving to New Jersey in 1982 (including two years in Kansas City and six in Denver).

(2) Buffalo Sabres vs. (7) New York Rangers

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams.

(3) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. The only previous meeting was in the 1975 preliminary round, in which Toronto won the series 2–1.

(4) Atlanta Flames vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

This was the first playoff series between these two teams; they would not meet again in Stanley Cup play until 2004, after the Flames had relocated to Calgary. (The Flames never won a playoff series while representing Atlanta, losing all six over an eight-year period.)

For Detroit, it was their only playoff series win in the twenty years between 1967 and 1986.

Quarterfinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Detroit Red Wings

This was the 12th playoff series meeting between these two teams. Detroit led 7–4 in previous playoff meetings. Montreal won their most recent meeting in six games in the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals. When Detroit won game two 4–2, the Red Wings victory marked the only time in the 1978 Stanley Cup playoffs that the Canadiens lost a game on home ice.

Game 4 was the final playoff game at the Detroit Olympia.

(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Chicago Black Hawks

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams. Boston won four of the previous five meetings. Chicago won their last series meeting 2–1 in the 1975 preliminary round.

(3) New York Islanders vs. (6) Toronto Maple Leafs

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams.

(4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (5) Buffalo Sabres

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. Philadelphia won the only previous meeting in six games in the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals.

Semifinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) Toronto Maple Leafs

This was the 14th playoff series meeting between these two teams. Toronto lead 7–6 in previous meetings. Toronto won the most recent meeting in six games in the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals.

(2) Boston Bruins vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers

This was the fourth playoff series meeting between these two teams. Philadelphia won two of the previous three meetings. This was the third straight semifinal meeting following Philadelphia's win in five games in 1976 and Boston's four-game sweep last season.

Game five was Fred Shero's last game as head coach of the Flyers, and Bernie Parent's final playoff game.[3]

Stanley Cup Finals

See main article: 1978 Stanley Cup Finals.

This was the 17th playoff series (and the last Finals) meeting between these two teams. Montreal led 14–2 in previous meetings. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Finals, in which Montreal won in a four-game sweep.

Awards

The league introduced the Frank J. Selke trophy this season. It rewards the forward judged to be the best at defensive abilities.

1978 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy


(Wales Conference regular season champion)

Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl


(Campbell Conference regular season champion)

New York Islanders
Art Ross Trophy


(Top scorer, regular season)

Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy


(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)

Butch Goring, Los Angeles Kings
Calder Memorial Trophy


(Top first-year player)

Mike Bossy, New York Islanders
Conn Smythe Trophy


(Most valuable player, playoffs)

Larry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens
Frank J. Selke Trophy


(Best defensive forward)

Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens
Hart Memorial Trophy


(Most valuable player, regular season)

Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens
Jack Adams Award


(Best coach)

Bobby Kromm, Detroit Red Wings
James Norris Memorial Trophy


(Best defenceman)

Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy


(Excellence and sportsmanship)

Butch Goring, Los Angeles Kings
Lester B. Pearson Award


(Outstanding player, regular season)

Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens
Vezina Trophy


(Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record)

Ken Dryden & Michel Larocque, Montreal Canadiens

All-Star teams

First Team   Position   Second Team
Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiensalign=center GDon Edwards, Buffalo Sabres
Denis Potvin, New York Islandersalign=center DLarry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens
Brad Park, Boston Bruinsalign=center DBörje Salming, Toronto Maple Leafs
Bryan Trottier, New York Islandersalign=center CDarryl Sittler, Toronto Maple Leafs
Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiensalign=center RWMike Bossy, New York Islanders
Clark Gillies, New York Islandersalign=center LWSteve Shutt, Montreal Canadiens

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes

PlayerTeamGPGAPtsPIM
align=left Guy Lafleuralign=left Montreal Canadiens 78 60 72 132 26
align=left Bryan Trottieralign=left New York Islanders 77 46 77 123 46
align=left Darryl Sittleralign=left Toronto Maple Leafs 80 45 72 117 100
align=left Jacques Lemairealign=left Montreal Canadiens 76 36 61 97 14
align=left Denis Potvinalign=left New York Islanders 80 30 64 94 81
align=left Mike Bossyalign=left New York Islanders 73 53 38 91 6
align=left Terry O'Reillyalign=left Boston Bruins 77 29 61 90 211
align=left Gilbert Perreaultalign=left Buffalo Sabres 79 41 48 89 20
align=left Bobby Clarkealign=left Philadelphia Flyers 71 21 68 89 83
align=left Lanny McDonaldalign=left Toronto Maple Leafs 74 47 40 87 54
align=left Wilf Paiementalign=left Colorado Rockies 80 31 56 87 114
Source: NHL.

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts

PlayerTeamGPMINGAGAAWLTSO
Montreal Canadiens 52 3071 105 2.05 37 7 7 5
Philadelphia Flyers 49 2923 108 2.22 29 6 13 7
Boston Bruins 25 1326 56 2.53 15 6 2 2
N.Y. Islanders 45 2637 112 2.55 28 9 7 3
Chicago Black Hawks 64 3840 168 2.63 28 22 14 5
Buffalo Sabres 72 4209 185 2.64 38 16 17 5
N.Y. Islanders 38 2154 95 2.65 20 8 8 2
Montreal Canadiens 30 1729 77 2.67 22 3 4 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 63 3760 172 2.74 34 19 9 5
Atlanta Flames 58 3340 153 2.75 25 12 19 2

Other statistics

Plus-minus

Coaches

Patrick Division

Adams Division

Norris Division

Smythe Division

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1977–78 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Nedomansky began his major professional career in the World Hockey Association.

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1977–78 (listed with their last team):

NOTE: Goldsworthy and Neilson would finish their major professional careers in the World Hockey Association.

Broadcasting

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games.

In the U.S., this was the third season that NHL games aired in national broadcast syndication under the NHL Network package. Starting in the 1978 playoffs, the NHL Network began simulcasting most games with HNIC/CBC.

See also

References

Notes

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: DeLaere. Matt. What's in a Number?. Impressions. 17 August 2017. 2 March 2018.
  2. Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press,
  3. Web site: DropYourGloves.com . 2010-12-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315200321/http://dropyourgloves.com/Games/GameEvents.aspx?Game=14746 . 2012-03-15 . dead .