1977–78 Boston Bruins season
Appearance
1977–78 Boston Bruins | |
---|---|
Adams Division champions | |
Division | 1st Adams |
1977–78 record | 51–18–11 |
Goals for | 333 |
Goals against | 218 |
Team information | |
General manager | Harry Sinden |
Coach | Don Cherry |
Captain | Wayne Cashman |
Alternate captains | None |
Arena | Boston Garden |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Peter McNab (41) |
Assists | Terry O'Reilly (61) |
Points | Terry O'Reilly (90) |
Penalty minutes | Terry O'Reilly (211) |
Wins | Ron Grahame (26) |
Goals against average | Gilles Gilbert (2.53) |
The 1977–78 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 54th season in the NHL. The season involved participating in the Stanley Cup finals.
Offseason
NHL Draft
Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | Dwight Foster (RW) | Canada | Kitchener Rangers (OHA) |
2 | 34 | Dave Parro (G) | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WCHL) |
3 | 52 | Mike Forbes (D) | Canada | St. Catharines Fincups (OMJHL) |
4 | 70 | Brian McGregor (RW) | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WCHL) |
5 | 88 | Doug Butler (D) | Canada | Saint Louis University (CCHA) |
6 | 106 | Keith Johnson (D) | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WCHL) |
7 | 122 | Ralph Cox (RW) | United States | University of New Hampshire (ECAC) |
8 | 138 | Mario Claude (D) | Canada | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) |
Regular season
The 1977–78 Bruins set an NHL record by having 11 different skaters score 20 goals or more in a season.[1][2][3] The eleven skaters are:
- Peter McNab
- Terry O'Reilly
- Bobby Schmautz
- Stan Jonathan
- Jean Ratelle
- Rick Middleton
- Wayne Cashman
- Gregg Sheppard
- Brad Park
- Don Marcotte
- Bob Miller
Season standings
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Bruins | 80 | 51 | 18 | 11 | 333 | 218 | 113 |
Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 44 | 19 | 17 | 288 | 215 | 105 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 41 | 29 | 10 | 271 | 237 | 92 |
Cleveland Barons | 80 | 22 | 45 | 13 | 230 | 325 | 57 |
[4]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Schedule and results
No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | T | October 13, 1977 | 2–2 | Atlanta Flames (1977–78) | 0–0–1 |
2 | L | October 15, 1977 | 1–3 | @ New York Islanders (1977–78) | 0–1–1 |
3 | L | October 16, 1977 | 0–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 0–2–1 |
4 | W | October 19, 1977 | 7–3 | @ St. Louis Blues (1977–78) | 1–2–1 |
5 | W | October 22, 1977 | 4–3 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 2–2–1 |
6 | T | October 23, 1977 | 3–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) | 2–2–2 |
7 | T | October 25, 1977 | 4–4 | @ Colorado Rockies (1977–78) | 2–2–3 |
8 | L | October 26, 1977 | 0–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) | 2–3–3 |
9 | W | October 29, 1977 | 5–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 3–3–3 |
10 | L | November 3, 1977 | 1–4 | Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 3–4–3 |
11 | L | November 5, 1977 | 2–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 3–5–3 |
12 | W | November 6, 1977 | 5–3 | New York Islanders (1977–78) | 4–5–3 |
13 | W | November 10, 1977 | 5–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 5–5–3 |
14 | W | November 12, 1977 | 6–3 | @ Atlanta Flames (1977–78) | 6–5–3 |
15 | W | November 13, 1977 | 3–1 | Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 7–5–3 |
16 | T | November 17, 1977 | 4–4 | Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) | 7–5–4 |
17 | W | November 19, 1977 | 3–1 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 8–5–4 |
18 | W | November 20, 1977 | 1–0 | Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) | 9–5–4 |
19 | W | November 23, 1977 | 2–0 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 10–5–4 |
20 | W | November 24, 1977 | 6–0 | Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 11–5–4 |
21 | W | November 26, 1977 | 3–2 | New York Rangers (1977–78) | 12–5–4 |
22 | W | November 27, 1977 | 4–1 | St. Louis Blues (1977–78) | 13–5–4 |
23 | W | December 1, 1977 | 4–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) | 14–5–4 |
24 | T | December 3, 1977 | 4–4 | @ Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 14–5–5 |
25 | W | December 4, 1977 | 3–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 15–5–5 |
26 | W | December 8, 1977 | 6–4 | Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 16–5–5 |
27 | W | December 10, 1977 | 6–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 17–5–5 |
28 | W | December 11, 1977 | 8–2 | @ New York Rangers (1977–78) | 18–5–5 |
29 | L | December 15, 1977 | 4–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) | 18–6–5 |
30 | L | December 17, 1977 | 1–4 | @ New York Islanders (1977–78) | 18–7–5 |
31 | W | December 18, 1977 | 2–1 | Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 19–7–5 |
32 | W | December 21, 1977 | 6–3 | Colorado Rockies (1977–78) | 20–7–5 |
33 | W | December 23, 1977 | 6–1 | Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) | 21–7–5 |
34 | W | December 27, 1977 | 6–3 | @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 22–7–5 |
35 | T | December 28, 1977 | 5–5 | @ Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 22–7–6 |
36 | W | December 31, 1977 | 7–0 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 23–7–6 |
37 | W | January 4, 1978 | 3–0 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) | 24–7–6 |
38 | W | January 7, 1978 | 3–1 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) | 25–7–6 |
39 | L | January 8, 1978 | 3–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 25–8–6 |
40 | L | January 10, 1978 | 2–3 | New York Rangers (1977–78) | 25–9–6 |
41 | W | January 12, 1978 | 6–1 | Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 26–9–6 |
42 | L | January 14, 1978 | 3–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 26–10–6 |
43 | W | January 19, 1978 | 4–1 | Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 27–10–6 |
44 | W | January 21, 1978 | 7–1 | Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 28–10–6 |
45 | L | January 22, 1978 | 2–3 | Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 28–11–6 |
46 | W | January 26, 1978 | 4–3 | Colorado Rockies (1977–78) | 29–11–6 |
47 | W | January 27, 1978 | 5–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 30–11–6 |
48 | W | January 29, 1978 | 8–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 31–11–6 |
49 | W | February 1, 1978 | 5–3 | @ St. Louis Blues (1977–78) | 32–11–6 |
50 | L | February 2, 1978 | 1–3 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 32–12–6 |
51 | W | February 4, 1978 | 8–1 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 33–12–6 |
52 | T | February 5, 1978 | 3–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 33–12–7 |
53 | W | February 9, 1978 | 5–3 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 34–12–7 |
54 | W | February 15, 1978 | 4–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 35–12–7 |
55 | L | February 18, 1978 | 2–4 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) | 35–13–7 |
56 | W | February 21, 1978 | 3–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1977–78) | 36–13–7 |
57 | W | February 22, 1978 | 6–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) | 37–13–7 |
58 | W | February 25, 1978 | 4–2 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 38–13–7 |
59 | T | February 28, 1978 | 4–4 | Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) | 38–13–8 |
60 | W | March 2, 1978 | 4–3 | Atlanta Flames (1977–78) | 39–13–8 |
61 | W | March 4, 1978 | 7–3 | Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 40–13–8 |
62 | W | March 5, 1978 | 6–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) | 41–13–8 |
63 | W | March 7, 1978 | 7–2 | St. Louis Blues (1977–78) | 42–13–8 |
64 | T | March 9, 1978 | 2–2 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 42–13–9 |
65 | L | March 11, 1978 | 2–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) | 42–14–9 |
66 | W | March 12, 1978 | 9–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 43–14–9 |
67 | W | March 16, 1978 | 7–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) | 44–14–9 |
68 | W | March 18, 1978 | 6–3 | @ New York Rangers (1977–78) | 45–14–9 |
69 | W | March 19, 1978 | 6–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 46–14–9 |
70 | W | March 21, 1978 | 5–3 | @ Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 47–14–9 |
71 | W | March 23, 1978 | 7–0 | Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) | 48–14–9 |
72 | L | March 25, 1978 | 3–6 | @ Atlanta Flames (1977–78) | 48–15–9 |
73 | T | March 26, 1978 | 2–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 48–15–10 |
74 | T | March 28, 1978 | 4–4 | @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 48–15–11 |
75 | W | March 30, 1978 | 6–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 49–15–11 |
76 | L | April 1, 1978 | 1–7 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 49–16–11 |
77 | W | April 2, 1978 | 8–3 | New York Rangers (1977–78) | 50–16–11 |
78 | L | April 6, 1978 | 2–5 | Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 50–17–11 |
79 | W | April 8, 1978 | 3–1 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 51–17–11 |
80 | L | April 9, 1978 | 2–5 | New York Islanders (1977–78) | 51–18–11 |
Season summary
- December 1: Following a fight with Alex Pirus, John Wensink skates over to the Minnesota bench and challenges the entire team but no player responds.
Player statistics
Regular season
- Scoring
Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terry O'Reilly | RW | 77 | 29 | 61 | 90 | 211 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
Jean Ratelle | C | 80 | 25 | 59 | 84 | 10 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
Peter McNab | C | 79 | 41 | 39 | 80 | 4 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Brad Park | D | 80 | 22 | 57 | 79 | 79 | 68 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
Wayne Cashman | LW | 76 | 24 | 38 | 62 | 69 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Rick Middleton | RW | 79 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 8 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Gregg Sheppard | C | 54 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 24 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
Bobby Schmautz | RW | 54 | 27 | 27 | 54 | 87 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
Don Marcotte | LW | 77 | 20 | 34 | 54 | 16 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Stan Jonathan | LW | 68 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 116 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Bob Miller | C | 76 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 41 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Mike Milbury | D | 80 | 8 | 30 | 38 | 151 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
John Wensink | LW | 80 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 181 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Rick Smith | D | 79 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 69 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
John Bucyk | LW | 53 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 4 | −2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Gary Doak | D | 61 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 37 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Al Sims | D | 43 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Matti Hagman | C | 15 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | −1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Dennis O'Brien | D | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mike Forbes | D | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | −5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dwight Foster | RW | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Doug Halward | D | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gerry Cheevers | G | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gilles Gilbert | G | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ron Grahame | G | 40 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Darryl Edestrand | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Steve Langdon | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Clayton Pachal | C/LW | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jim Pettie | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sean Shanahan | C/RW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ron Grahame | 2328 | 40 | 26 | 6 | 7 | 107 | 2.76 | 3 |
Gilles Gilbert | 1326 | 25 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 56 | 2.53 | 2 |
Gerry Cheevers | 1086 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 48 | 2.65 | 1 |
Jim Pettie | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6.00 | 0 |
Team: | 4800 | 80 | 51 | 18 | 11 | 217 | 2.71 | 6 |
Playoffs
- Scoring
Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brad Park | D | 15 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Peter McNab | C | 15 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Bobby Schmautz | RW | 15 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Terry O'Reilly | RW | 15 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Gregg Sheppard | C | 15 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wayne Cashman | LW | 15 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
Jean Ratelle | C | 15 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Don Marcotte | LW | 15 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Mike Milbury | D | 15 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rick Middleton | RW | 15 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Rick Smith | D | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
John Wensink | LW | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bob Miller | C | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gary Doak | D | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Stan Jonathan | LW | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dennis O'Brien | D | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gerry Cheevers | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ron Grahame | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Al Sims | D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gerry Cheevers | 731 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 35 | 2.87 | 1 |
Ron Grahame | 202 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2.08 | 0 |
Team: | 933 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 42 | 2.70 | 1 |
Note:
- Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
- Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;
Playoffs
Stanley Cup finals
Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 13 | Boston | 1 | Montreal | 4 | |
May 16 | Boston | 2 | Montreal | 3 | OT |
May 18 | Montreal | 0 | Boston | 4 | |
May 21 | Montreal | 3 | Boston | 4 | OT |
May 23 | Boston | 1 | Montreal | 4 | |
May 25 | Montreal | 4 | Boston | 1 |
Montreal wins the series 4–2.
Larry Robinson won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Awards and records
- Don Cherry, Runner-Up, Jack Adams Trophy[6]
- Brad Park, Defenceman, NHL First Team All-Star
References
- ^ "1977-78 Bruins Are a Group to Remember".
- ^ "Bruins honor 11 20-goal scorers from 1977-78 season".
- ^ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p.174, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
- ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
- ^ "1977-78 Boston Bruins Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 222, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5