1976–77 Quebec Nordiques season

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1976–77 Quebec Nordiques
Eastern Division champions
Division1st Eastern
1976–77 record47–31–3
Home record29–10–1
Road record18–21–2
Goals for353
Goals against295
Team information
CoachMarc Boileau
CaptainMarc Tardif
ArenaLe Colisee
Team leaders
GoalsReal Cloutier (66)
AssistsReal Cloutier & Christian Bordeleau (75)
PointsReal Cloutier (141)
Penalty minutesPaul Baxter (244)
Plus/minusReal Cloutier (+47)
WinsRichard Brodeur (29)
Goals against averageRichard Brodeur (3.45)

The 1976–77 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques 5th season, as they were coming off their best season to date in 1975–76, earning a team record 50 victories and 104 points, as they finished in second place in the Canadian Division. In the post-season, Quebec win their first Avco Cup in team history. Serge Bernier would win the WHA Playoff MVP trophy, as he earned 36 points for the Nordiques in 17 post-season games.

Offseason

During the off-season, the league saw the Toronto Toros move to Birmingham, Alabama, and be renamed the Birmingham Bulls, while the Cleveland Crusaders moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to become the second version of the Minnesota Fighting Saints. The league was back to twelve teams from fourteen the previous season, as the original Fighting Saints and Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics franchise folded midway through the 1975-76 season. The Nordiques would move from the Canadian Division to the Eastern Division, joining the Birmingham Bulls, Cincinnati Stingers, Indianapolis Racers, Minnesota Fighting Saints and New England Whalers in the division.

The Nordiques also made a head coaching change after their disappointing playoff appearance, as head coach Jean-Guy Gendron was relieved of his duties, and former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Marc Boileau was his replacement.

Regular season

Quebec would have a very strong start to the season, winning eight of their first nine games to take a lead in the Eastern Division. The Nordiques would cool off, as they had a record of 8-11-1 in their next twenty games, however, Quebec snapped out of their slump and won nine games in a row to take control of the Division. The Nordiques would finish the season on top of the Eastern Division with a 47-31-3 record, earning 97 points, which was fourteen points higher than the second place Cincinnati Stingers.

Offensively, Quebec was led by Real Cloutier, who won the Bill Hunter Trophy awarded to the player who leads the league in scoring. Cloutier scored 66 goals and 75 assists for a league best 141 points. Marc Tardif scored 49 goals and 109 points despite missing 19 games, while Christian Bordeleau 32 goals and tied Cloutier with a team high 75 assists to earn 107 points for the season. Serge Bernier narrowly missed out on the 100 point club, as he scored 43 goals and 96 points in 74 games. On defense, newly acquired Jim Dorey led the blueline with 47 points in 73 games, while J. C. Tremblay had another productive season, earning 35 points in 53 games. Paul Baxter had a team high 244 penalty minutes, which was the second highest total in the league.

In goal, Richard Brodeur had the majority of playing time, winning 29 games, while posting a team best 3.45 GAA, along with 2 shutouts. Ed Humphreys and Serge Aubry split the backup duties, with Humphreys winning twelve games and a 3.58 GAA, while Aubry won six games with a 3.98 GAA.

Season standings

Eastern Division
GP W L T GF GA PTS
Quebec Nordiques 81 47 31 3 353 295 97
Cincinnati Stingers 81 39 37 5 354 303 83
Indianapolis Racers 81 36 37 8 276 305 80
New England Whalers 81 35 40 6 275 290 76
Birmingham Bulls 81 31 46 4 289 309 66
Minnesota Fighting Saints 42 19 18 5 136 129 43

Game log

# Date Visitor Score Home Record Pts
1 October 9 Calgary Cowboys 2–5 Quebec Nordiques 1–0–0 2
2 October 10 Birmingham Bulls 3–4 Quebec Nordiques 2–0–0 4
3 October 12 San Diego Mariners 4–6 Quebec Nordiques 3–0–0 6
4 October 16 Quebec Nordiques 8–2 New England Whalers 4–0–0 8
5 October 17 Cincinnati Stingers 5–2 Quebec Nordiques 4–1–0 8
6 October 19 Quebec Nordiques 6–5 Birmingham Bulls 5–1–0 10
7 October 21 Quebec Nordiques 4–2 Calgary Cowboys 6–1–0 12
8 October 23 Houston Aeros 2–6 Quebec Nordiques 7–1–0 14
9 October 26 Phoenix Roadrunners 3–11 Quebec Nordiques 8–1–0 16
10 October 29 Quebec Nordiques 4–6 Indianapolis Racers 8–2–0 16
11 October 30 Minnesota Fighting Saints 1–5 Quebec Nordiques 9–2–0 18
12 November 2 Phoenix Roadrunners 5–3 Quebec Nordiques 9–3–0 18
13 November 6 Birmingham Bulls 5–6 Quebec Nordiques 10–3–0 20
14 November 9 Birmingham Bulls 3–4 Quebec Nordiques 11–3–0 22
15 November 13 Minnesota Fighting Saints 4–2 Quebec Nordiques 11–4–0 22
16 November 14 Indianapolis Racers 3–1 Quebec Nordiques 11–5–0 22
17 November 16 Quebec Nordiques 4–8 Winnipeg Jets 11–6–0 22
18 November 18 Quebec Nordiques 9–5 Minnesota Fighting Saints 12–6–0 24
19 November 19 Quebec Nordiques 1–4 Calgary Cowboys 12–7–0 24
20 November 21 Quebec Nordiques 5–8 Edmonton Oilers 12–8–0 24
21 November 23 Winnipeg Jets 4–7 Quebec Nordiques 13–8–0 26
22 November 25 Quebec Nordiques 5–0 Indianapolis Racers 14–8–0 28
23 November 26 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Minnesota Fighting Saints 14–9–0 28
24 November 27 Indianapolis Racers 8–2 Quebec Nordiques 14–10–0 28
25 November 30 New England Whalers 1–2 Quebec Nordiques 15–10–0 30
26 December 3 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 New England Whalers 15–10–1 31
27 December 5 Winnipeg Jets 4–6 Quebec Nordiques 16–10–1 33
28 December 7 Edmonton Oilers 4–2 Quebec Nordiques 16–11–1 33
29 December 9 Quebec Nordiques 5–4 Phoenix Roadrunners 17–11–1 35
30 December 11 Houston Aeros 1–4 Quebec Nordiques 18–11–1 37
31 December 12 New England Whalers 1–5 Quebec Nordiques 19–11–1 39
32 December 14 New England Whalers 3–1 Quebec Nordiques 19–12–1 39
33 December 18 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Calgary Cowboys 19–13–1 39
34 December 19 Quebec Nordiques 3–5 San Diego Mariners 19–14–1 39
35 December 21 Quebec Nordiques 2–3 Birmingham Bulls 19–15–1 39
36 December 22 Quebec Nordiques 4–3 Minnesota Fighting Saints 20–15–1 41
37 December 26 Quebec Nordiques 12–3 Winnipeg Jets 21–15–1 43
38 December 28 Quebec Nordiques 3–2 Edmonton Oilers 22–15–1 45
39 January 4 New England Whalers 3–5 Quebec Nordiques 23–15–1 47
40 January 7 Quebec Nordiques 7–3 New England Whalers 24–15–1 49
41 January 9 San Diego Mariners 2–5 Quebec Nordiques 25–15–1 51
42 January 20 Quebec Nordiques 5–4 New England Whalers 26–15–1 53
43 January 22 Calgary Cowboys 3–5 Quebec Nordiques 27–15–1 55
44 January 25 Indianapolis Racers 1–3 Quebec Nordiques 28–15–1 57
45 January 26 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 Quebec Nordiques 28–16–1 57
46 January 28 Quebec Nordiques 6–5 Indianapolis Racers 29–16–1 59
47 January 29 Cincinnati Stingers 2–7 Quebec Nordiques 30–16–1 61
48 February 1 Indianapolis Racers 4–5 Quebec Nordiques 31–16–1 63
49 February 2 Quebec Nordiques 5–6 Indianapolis Racers 31–17–1 63
50 February 4 Quebec Nordiques 0–7 Birmingham Bulls 31–18–1 63
51 February 6 Cincinnati Stingers 1–6 Quebec Nordiques 32–18–1 65
52 February 8 Winnipeg Jets 7–2 Quebec Nordiques 32–19–1 65
53 February 11 Quebec Nordiques 5–1 Indianapolis Racers 33–19–1 67
54 February 12 Quebec Nordiques 3–7 Houston Aeros 33–20–1 67
55 February 15 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Houston Aeros 33–21–1 67
56 February 16 Quebec Nordiques 4–2 San Diego Mariners 34–21–1 69
57 February 19 Quebec Nordiques 1–3 Cincinnati Stingers 34–22–1 69
58 February 22 Indianapolis Racers 2–4 Quebec Nordiques 35–22–1 71
59 February 24 Quebec Nordiques 6–10 Birmingham Bulls 35–23–1 71
60 February 25 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 Cincinnati Stingers 35–24–1 71
61 February 26 Birmingham Bulls 3–5 Quebec Nordiques 36–24–1 73
62 March 1 Quebec Nordiques 5–4 Edmonton Oilers 37–24–1 75
63 March 2 Quebec Nordiques 3–4 Winnipeg Jets 37–25–1 75
64 March 5 San Diego Mariners 0–6 Quebec Nordiques 38–25–1 77
65 March 6 Quebec Nordiques 2–6 New England Whalers 38–26–1 77
66 March 8 Phoenix Roadrunners 2–9 Quebec Nordiques 39–26–1 79
67 March 12 Edmonton Oilers 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 39–26–2 80
68 March 13 New England Whalers 3–5 Quebec Nordiques 40–26–2 82
69 March 15 Quebec Nordiques 3–4 Houston Aeros 40–27–2 82
70 March 17 Quebec Nordiques 4–3 Phoenix Roadrunners 41–27–2 84
71 March 18 Quebec Nordiques 3–7 Cincinnati Stingers 41–28–2 84
72 March 19 Calgary Cowboys 0–8 Quebec Nordiques 42–28–2 86
73 March 22 Houston Aeros 2–6 Quebec Nordiques 43–28–2 88
74 March 23 Quebec Nordiques 6–4 Cincinnati Stingers 44–28–2 90
75 March 24 Quebec Nordiques 3–4 Indianapolis Racers 44–29–2 90
76 March 26 Cincinnati Stingers 6–4 Quebec Nordiques 44–30–2 90
77 March 27 Cincinnati Stingers 0–4 Quebec Nordiques 45–30–2 92
78 April 2 Quebec Nordiques 6–5 Phoenix Roadrunners 46–30–2 94
79 April 3 Quebec Nordiques 0–7 San Diego Mariners 46–31–2 94
80 April 5 New England Whalers 2–7 Quebec Nordiques 47–31–2 96
81 April 6 Quebec Nordiques 2–2 Cincinnati Stingers 47–31–3 97

Playoffs

In the opening round of the playoffs, Quebec would face the New England Whalers in a best of seven series. The Whalers finished the year with a record of 35-40-6, earning 76 points, which was 21 fewer than the Nordiques. The series opened with two games at Le Colisee, with Quebec winning them both, by scores of 5-2 and 7-3, to take the series lead. The series moved over to New England for the next two games, however, Quebec stayed hot and defeated the Whalers 4-3 in overtime in the third game to take a 3-0 lead in the series. New England fought off elimination in the fourth game, defeating the Nordiques 6-4, however, in the fifth game played back in Quebec, the Nordiques shutout New England 3-0 to win the series.

In the Eastern Division finals, the Nordiques faced off against the Indianapolis Racers, who finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern Division with a 36-37-8 record. The Racers swept the second place Cincinnati Stingers in the opening round to advance to the division finals. The series opened with two games in Quebec, and the Nordiques stayed unbeaten on home ice during the post-season, as they defeated Indianapolis 3-1 and 8-3 to take the early series lead. The series shifted over to Indianapolis for the next two games, but the Nordiques won the third game, defeating the Racers 6-5 in overtime to put them on the brink of elimination. Indianapolis finally managed to win a game in the fourth game of the series, shutting out the Nordiques 2-0, however, with the series back in Quebec for the fifth game, the Nordiques remained hot on home ice, easily winning the game 8-3, and advancing to the Avco Cup finals.

The Nordiques opponents in the Avco Cup finals was the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg was the defending champions, as they won the 1976 Avco Cup. The Jets had a record of 46-32-2, finishing with 94 points, and in second place in the Western Division. Winnipeg defeated the Edmonton Oilers and Houston Aeros to earn a spot in the finals. The series opened with two games in Quebec, and the Jets ended the Nordiques home ice winning streak with a 2-1 victory in the first game. Quebec evened the series with a 6-1 thumping in the second game. The series moved to Winnipeg for the next two games, and the Jets used their home ice to their advantage, as they took the third game by a 6-1 score, however, the Nordiques would once again even the series up, defeating Winnipeg 4-2 in the fourth game. The series was back in Quebec for the fifth game, and the Nordiques destroyed the Jets 8-3 to take their first lead in the series, and were now only one win away from the championship. The Jets responded in the sixth game played back in Winnipeg, crushing the Nordiques 12-3, to set up a seventh and deciding game in Quebec. The Nordiques would take control of the seventh game early, coasting their way to an 8-2 victory, and winning their first Avco Cup in team history. Serge Bernier would win the WHA Playoff MVP trophy, as he earned 36 points for the Nordiques in 17 post-season games.

Quebec Nordiques 4, New England Whalers 1

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 9 New England Whalers 2–5 Quebec Nordiques 1–0
2 April 12 New England Whalers 3–7 Quebec Nordiques 2-0
3 April 14 Quebec Nordiques 4–3 New England Whalers 3-0
4 April 16 Quebec Nordiques 4–6 New England Whalers 3-1
5 April 19 New England Whalers 0–3 Quebec Nordiques 4–1

Quebec Nordiques 4, Indianapolis Racers 1

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 23 Indianapolis Racers 1–3 Quebec Nordiques 1–0
2 April 25 Indianapolis Racers 3–8 Quebec Nordiques 2-0
3 April 28 Quebec Nordiques 6–5 Indianapolis Racers 3-0
4 April 30 Quebec Nordiques 0–2 Indianapolis Racers 3-1
5 May 2 Indianapolis Racers 3–8 Quebec Nordiques 4–1

Quebec Nordiques 4, Winnipeg Jets 3

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 May 11 Winnipeg Jets 2–1 Quebec Nordiques 0-1
2 May 15 Winnipeg Jets 1–6 Quebec Nordiques 1-1
3 May 18 Quebec Nordiques 1–6 Winnipeg Jets 1-2
4 May 20 Quebec Nordiques 4–2 Winnipeg Jets 2-2
5 May 22 Winnipeg Jets 3–8 Quebec Nordiques 3-2
6 May 24 Quebec Nordiques 3–12 Winnipeg Jets 3-3
5 May 26 Winnipeg Jets 2–8 Quebec Nordiques 4-3

Season stats

Scoring leaders

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Real Cloutier 76 66 75 141 39
Marc Tardif 62 49 60 109 65
Chris Bordeleau 72 32 75 107 34
Serge Bernier 74 43 53 96 94
Paulin Bordeleau 80 42 41 83 52

Goaltending

Player GP TOI W L T GA SO GAA Save %
Richard Brodeur 53 2906 29 18 2 167 2 3.45 .880
Ed Humphreys 22 1240 12 8 1 74 1 3.58 .880
Serge Aubry 21 769 6 5 0 51 1 3.98 .862

Playoff stats

Scoring leaders

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Serge Bernier 17 14 22 36 10
Real Cloutier 17 14 13 27 10
Paulin Bordeleau 16 12 9 21 12
Norm Dube 14 3 12 15 11
Andre Boudrias 17 3 12 15 6

Goaltending

Player GP TOI W L GA SO GAA Save %
Serge Aubry 3 18 0 0 0 0 0.00 1.000
Richard Brodeur 17 1007 12 5 55 1 3.28 .882

Draft picks

Quebec's draft picks from the 1976 WHA Amateur Draft.

Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team (league)
1 10 Rick Green  Canada London Knights (OMJHL)
2 19 Bob Manno  Canada St. Catharines Black Hawks (OMJHL)
3 32 Al Glendenning  Canada Calgary Centennials (WCHL)
4 44 Maurice Barrette  Canada Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
5 56 Garth MacGuigan  Canada Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
6 68 Claude Periard  Canada Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL)
7 80 Denis Charbonneau  Canada Laval National (QMJHL)
10 114 Pierre Brassard  Canada Cornwall Royals (QMJHL)

References

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