1976–77 NHL season
| 1976–77 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 5, 1976 – May 14, 1977 |
| Number of games | 80 |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, SRC (Canada) NHL Network (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Rick Green |
| Picked by | Washington Capitals |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Season MVP | Guy Lafleur (Canadiens) |
| Top scorer | Guy Lafleur (Canadiens) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Guy Lafleur (Canadiens) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Runners-up | Boston Bruins |
The 1976–77 NHL season was the 60th season of the National Hockey League. The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver, Colorado, and became the Colorado Rockies and the California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and became the Cleveland Barons. The Montreal Canadiens once again dominated the playoffs as, for the second straight year, they swept their opponent four games to none in the final series for the Stanley Cup.
League business
[edit]Two teams relocated: The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver, Colorado, and became the Colorado Rockies and the California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and became the Cleveland Barons. These were the first franchise moves since the original Ottawa Senators had relocated in 1934 to become the St. Louis Eagles. Instability and the poor performances of the Washington Capitals and the Scouts since the 1974 expansion caused the league to shelve an expansion to Denver and Seattle that had been proposed for this season. Seattle would not have a team until the expansion Seattle Kraken in the 2021–22 season.
The 1976 NHL Amateur Draft was held on June 1, at the NHL offices in Montreal, Quebec. Rick Green was selected first overall by the Washington Capitals.
This season was Clarence Campbell's last as NHL President before he was succeeded by John Ziegler.
Arena changes
[edit]- The relocated Cleveland Barons moved from the Oakland Coliseum Arena to Cleveland's Richfield Coliseum.
- The relocated Colorado Rockies moved from Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri to McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Teams
[edit]Map of teams
[edit]
Regular season
[edit]The previous season saw the Montreal Canadiens set new records in wins and points. Both of those records were broken again by the Canadiens this season as, with the highest points percentage in post-expansion NHL history (.825), they had 60 wins and 132 points. Their home record was 33 wins, 1 loss, and 6 ties. Scoring 216 more goals than they allowed, the Canadiens were a full 20 points ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers, however, were swept in four straight games by the third-place Boston Bruins in the semi-finals. The Bruins were in turn swept by the Canadiens in four straight in the finals.
On February 2, 1977, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Ian Turnbull became the first player in NHL history to score five goals on five shots.[1]
Final standings
[edit]- Prince of Wales Conference
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 312 | 240 | 106 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 48 | 24 | 8 | 301 | 220 | 104 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 33 | 32 | 15 | 301 | 285 | 81 |
| Cleveland Barons | 80 | 25 | 42 | 13 | 240 | 292 | 63 |
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 60 | 8 | 12 | 387 | 171 | 132 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 34 | 31 | 15 | 271 | 241 | 83 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 34 | 33 | 13 | 240 | 252 | 81 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 24 | 42 | 14 | 221 | 307 | 62 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 16 | 55 | 9 | 183 | 309 | 41 |
- Clarence Campbell Conference
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 48 | 16 | 16 | 323 | 213 | 112 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 47 | 21 | 12 | 288 | 193 | 106 |
| Atlanta Flames | 80 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 264 | 265 | 80 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 29 | 37 | 14 | 272 | 310 | 72 |
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 32 | 39 | 9 | 239 | 276 | 73 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 23 | 39 | 18 | 240 | 310 | 64 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 240 | 298 | 63 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 42 | 13 | 235 | 294 | 63 |
| Colorado Rockies | 80 | 20 | 46 | 14 | 226 | 307 | 54 |
Playoffs
[edit]The New York Islanders won six consecutive games before the semifinal and were the only team from the preliminary round to make it to the semifinals, where they lost to the first-ranked, defending, and eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues and dispatched the Islanders in six to reach the final. The losses to the Islanders were the Canadiens' only losses of their playoff run. Second-ranked Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the quarterfinals, before being swept by the third-ranked Boston Bruins in the semifinals.
Playoff structure
[edit]For the 1977 playoffs, the top three teams in each division were awarded playoff berths. These twelve teams were then ranked 1–12 according to their regular season records, regardless of divisional affiliation. The four division winners automatically qualified for the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight teams (2nd and 3rd place teams in each division) played a preliminary round. For the preliminary round, the best non-division winner played the twelfth-ranked team, the second-best non-division winner played the eleventh-ranked team, and the third-best non-division winner played the third-lowest ranked non-division winner. (This did not necessarily have to be the tenth-ranked team, as a tenth-ranked team could win its division. St. Louis did win the Smythe Division as the tenth-ranked playoff team.) The remaining two non-division winners formed the final preliminary round pairing. The preliminary round consisted of a best-of-three series with game one played on the home ice of the higher-ranked team, and game two on the home ice of the lower-ranked team. If a deciding game three was necessary, it was played on the home ice of the higher-ranked team.
For the quarterfinal, semifinal, and the Stanley Cup Finals, each series was a best-of-seven, with home-ice advantage in games 1, 2, 5, and 7 (if necessary) going to the team with the better regular season record. The other team hosted games 3, 4, and 6 (if necessary). The four preliminary round winners joined the four division winners for the quarterfinals. The matchups were determined according to regular season records regardless of divisional affiliations. Of the eight remaining teams, the top-ranked team played the lowest-ranked remaining team, the second-highest-ranked remaining team played the second-lowest-ranked remaining team, and so on. The four quarterfinal winners advanced to the semifinals, with the match-ups again being reseeded by regular season records. The highest-ranked remaining team played the lowest-ranked remaining team, and the other two teams formed the second semifinal. The two semifinal winners played each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Playoff seeds
[edit]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.
- Montreal Canadiens, Norris Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 132 points
- Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 112 points
- Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions – 106 points (49 wins)
- New York Islanders – 106 points (47 wins)
- Buffalo Sabres – 104 points
- Los Angeles Kings – 83 points
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 81 points (34 wins)
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 81 points (33 wins)
- Atlanta Flames – 80 points
- St. Louis Blues, Smythe Division champions – 73 points
- Minnesota North Stars – 64 points
- Chicago Black Hawks – 63 points
Playoff bracket
[edit]| Preliminary round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | St. Louis | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | NY Islanders | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Islanders | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | NY Islanders | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Buffalo | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Buffalo | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Toronto | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Pittsburgh | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Toronto | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Los Angeles | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Los Angeles | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Atlanta | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
- Division winners earned a bye to the Quarterfinals
- Teams were re-seeded based on regular season record after the Preliminary and Quarterfinal rounds
Preliminary round
[edit](1) New York Islanders vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks
[edit]This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. The Black Hawks were originally scheduled as the home team for the second game, but its home rink Chicago Stadium had already been booked that night for the second of three Led Zeppelin concerts.[3]
| April 5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–5 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Grant Mulvey (1) – pp – 15:22 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Kirk Bowman (1) – pp – 08:24 | Second period | 02:31 – J.P. Parise (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:18 – pp – Denis Potvin (1) 04:53 – Billy MacMillan (1) 11:56 – Bob Bourne (1) 19:22 – en – J.P. Parise (2) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 32 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 14 saves / 16 shots | ||||||
| April 7 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–2 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Dennis Hull (1) – pp – 11:12 | First period | 13:56 – Jude Drouin (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 14:18 – Clark Gillies (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 33 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 18 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| New York won series 2–0 | |
(2) Buffalo Sabres vs. (7) Minnesota North Stars
[edit]This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams.
| April 5 | Minnesota North Stars | 2–4 | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Recap | |||
| Roland Eriksson (1) – 02:08 | First period | 02:55 – Rene Robert (1) | ||||||
| Tim Young (1) – 7:35 | Second period | 02:47 – Jim Lorentz (1) 04:35 – Jerry Korab (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 19:55 – en – Rene Robert (2) | ||||||
| Pete LoPresti 37 saves / 41 shots | Goalie stats | Don Edwards 23 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| April 7 | Buffalo Sabres | 7–1 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Jim Lorentz (2) – 04:33 Rick Martin (1) – 16:11 Jim Lorentz (3) – 17:07 |
First period | 10:07 – Doug Hicks (1) | ||||||
| Gary McAdam (1) – 16:36 Jocelyn Guevremont (1) – 17:55 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jocelyn Guevremont (2) – pp – 02:09 Jim Lorentz (4) – 15:28 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Don Edwards 24 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Pete LoPresti 5 saves / 8 shots Gary Smith 11 saves / 15 shots | ||||||
| Buffalo won series 2–0 | |
(3) Los Angeles Kings vs. (6) Atlanta Flames
[edit]This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's preliminary round, in which Los Angeles won in a two-game sweep.
| April 5 | Atlanta Flames | 2–5 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| Guy Chouinard (1) – pp – 04:07 | First period | 00:23 – Glenn Goldup (1) 10:33 – pp – Mike Murphy (1) 17:38 – pp – Butch Goring (1) | ||||||
| Willi Plett (1) – 08:06 | Second period | 14:04 – Don Kozak (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 17:57 – Glenn Goldup (2) | ||||||
| Dan Bouchard 20 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 20 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 7 | Los Angeles Kings | 2–3 | Atlanta Flames | Omni Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Marcel Dionne (1) – 15:30 | First period | 15:14 – Guy Chouinard (2) 16:52 – Curt Bennett (1) | ||||||
| Don Kozak (2) – pp – 15:13 | Second period | 08:47 – Eric Vail (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 31 saves / 34 shots | Goalie stats | Phil Myre 22 saves / 24 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Atlanta Flames | 2–4 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| Bill Clement (1) – sh – 14:58 | First period | 03:47 – Butch Goring (2) 05:52 – Marcel Dionne (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 03:06 – Butch Goring (3) | ||||||
| Tom Lysiak (1) – pp – 05:05 | Third period | 19:59 – en – Butch Goring (4) | ||||||
| Phil Myre 19 saves / 22 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 25 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| Los Angeles won series 2–1 | |
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Toronto Maple Leafs
[edit]This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's preliminary round, in which Toronto won the series 2–1.
| April 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Civic Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 13:25 – Bob Kelly (1) | ||||||
| Don Ashby (1) – 04:12 Lanny McDonald (1) – 12:11 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dave Williams (1) – 10:32 Darryl Sittler (1) – en – 19:52 |
Third period | 18:34 – pp – Mario Faubert (1) | ||||||
| Wayne Thomas 29 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Denis Herron 29 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| April 7 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 6–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Jean Pronovost (1) – 01:01 Ron Stackhouse (1) – 06:37 Syl Apps Jr. (1) – pp – 12:30 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Lowell MacDonald (1) – 07:38 | Second period | 06:10 – pp – Darryl Sittler (2) 12:38 – Stan Weir (1) | ||||||
| Greg Malone (1) – 13:57 Ron Stackhouse (2) – en – 19:23 |
Third period | 03:37 – pp – Ian Turnbull (1) 07:52 – Borje Salming (1) | ||||||
| Denis Herron 37 saves / 41 shots | Goalie stats | Wayne Thomas 28 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Civic Arena | Recap | |||
| Borje Salming (2) – pp – 08:34 Ian Turnbull (2) – pp – 14:14 |
First period | 19:40 – pp – Jean Pronovost (2) | ||||||
| Lanny McDonald (2) – 08:46 Lanny McDonald (3) – 14:17 |
Second period | 16:06 – Blair Chapman (1) | ||||||
| Lanny McDonald (4) – en – 19:44 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Mike Palmateer 38 saves / 40 shots | Goalie stats | Denis Herron 37 saves / 41 shots | ||||||
| Toronto won series 2–1 | |
Quarterfinals
[edit](1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) St. Louis Blues
[edit]This was the third, and as of 2023, most recent, playoff series meeting between the two teams. Montreal won both previous meetings in four-game sweeps in both the 1968 & 1969 Stanley Cup Finals.
| April 11 | St. Louis Blues | 2–7 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Bernie Federko (1) – 18:38 | First period | 00:51 – Guy Lafleur (1) 07:54 – pp – Larry Robinson (1) 16:30 – Guy Lafleur (2) 19:35 – Jacques Lemaire (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 11:27 – Guy Lafleur (3) 14:33 – pp – Guy Lapointe (1) | ||||||
| Brian Sutter (1) – 12:32 | Third period | 02:23 – Bill Nyrop (1) | ||||||
| Ed Staniowski 26 saves / 32 shots Eddie Johnston 9 saves / 10 shots |
Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 18 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | St. Louis Blues | 0–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 06:15 – Steve Shutt (1) 13:19 – Bob Gainey (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 18:01 – Guy Lafleur (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Eddie Johnston 38 saves / 41 shots Ed Staniowski 0 saves / 0 shots |
Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 23 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| April 16 | Montreal Canadiens | 5–1 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| Serge Savard (1) – pp – 02:57 Serge Savard (2) – 19:45 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Steve Shutt (2) – 01:35 Rick Chartraw (1) – 08:46 Jacques Lemaire (2) – 13:10 |
Third period | 16:50 – Claude Larose (1) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 36 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Eddie Johnston 30 saves / 35 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–1 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| Steve Shutt (3) – pp – 18:21 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 02:46 – Larry Patey (1) | ||||||
| Guy Lafleur (5) – 02:34 Peter Mahovlich (1) – 14:49 Bob Gainey (2) – sh-en – 19:55 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 24 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Ed Staniowski 27 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–0 | |
(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Toronto Maple Leafs
[edit]This was the third playoff series meeting between these two teams. Philadelphia won both previous meetings in the last two seasons. The latter of which Philadelphia won in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals.
| April 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–2 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Darryl Sittler (3) – pp – 04:10 Tiger Williams (2) – 07:11 Errol Thompson (1) – 8:52 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 13:25 – pp – Rick MacLeish (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 10:27 – pp – Bob Dailey (1) | ||||||
| Mike Palmateer 17 saves / 18 shots Wayne Thomas 10 saves / 11 shots |
Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 21 saves / 24 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–1 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Bob Neely (1) – pp – 06:55 Stan Weir (2) – pp – 11:15 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Tiger Williams (3) – 00:37 Darryl Sittler (4) – 15:08 |
Second period | 06:07 – Bill Barber (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Mike Palmateer 27 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 11 saves / 15 shots Wayne Stephenson 5 saves / 5 shots | ||||||
| April 15 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4–3 | OT | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | 03:48 – pp – Darryl Sittler (5) 18:27 – pp – Ian Turnbull (3) | ||||||
| Ross Lonsberry (1) – 03:18 Orest Kindrachuk (1) – pp – 12:53 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rick MacLeish (2) – 19:22 | Third period | 15:41 – Errol Thompson (2) | ||||||
| Rick MacLeish (3) – 02:55 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Wayne Stephenson 25 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Mike Palmateer 33 saves / 37 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | Philadelphia Flyers | 6–5 | OT | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | ||
| Bobby Clarke (1) – pp – 13:28 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Reggie Leach (1) – 11:21 | Second period | 04:03 – Lanny McDonald (5) 06:16 – pp – Borje Salming (3) 18:45 – pp – Lanny McDonald (6) | ||||||
| Mel Bridgman (1) – sh – 14:11 Tom Bladon (1) – 18:11 Bobby Clarke (2) – 18:27 |
Third period | 06:24 – Lanny McDonald (7) 12:44 – pp – Lanny McDonald (8) | ||||||
| Reggie Leach (2) – 19:10 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Wayne Stephenson 37 saves / 42 shots | Goalie stats | Mike Palmateer 39 saves / 45 shots | ||||||
| April 19 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–2 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 14:12 – Reggie Leach (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 15:07 – Reggie Leach (4) | ||||||
| Mike Palmateer 37 saves / 39 shots | Goalie stats | Wayne Stephenson 21 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| April 21 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 11:43 – pp – Ian Turnbull (4) | ||||||
| Bobby Clarke (3) – 04:10 Bob Dailey (2) – 15:36 |
Second period | 07:17 – Lanny McDonald (9) | ||||||
| Rick MacLeish (4) – pp – 07:37 Jimmy Watson (1) – 17:22 |
Third period | 05:06 – pp – Lanny McDonald (10) | ||||||
| Wayne Stephenson 21 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Wayne Thomas 26 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| Philadelphia won series 4–2 | |
(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings
[edit]This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which Boston won in seven games.
| April 11 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–8 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 01:49 – Bobby Schmautz (1) 02:45 – Brad Park (1) 04:50 – Bobby Schmautz (2) 12:15 – sh – Gregg Sheppard (1) 19:24 – Bobby Schmautz (3) | ||||||
| Don Kozak (3) – 09:45 Vic Venasky (1) – pp – 18:37 |
Second period | 11:30 – Terry O'Reilly (1) | ||||||
| Dave Hutchison (1) – 10:24 | Third period | 02:06 – Stan Jonathan (1) 15:52 – pp – Peter McNab (1) | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 24 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 19 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Los Angeles Kings | 2–6 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 06:14 – Stan Jonathan (2) 07:28 – Terry O'Reilly (2) 09:53 – Bobby Schmautz (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 17:03 – Jean Ratelle (1) 17:59 – Bobby Schmautz (5) | ||||||
| Tom Williams (1) – pp – 14:11 Marcel Dionne (3) – pp – 19:29 |
Third period | 03:09 – Gregg Sheppard (2) | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 11 saves / 16 shots Gary Simmons 6 saves / 7 shots |
Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 15 saves / 17 shots | ||||||
| April 15 | Boston Bruins | 7–6 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| Bobby Schmautz (6) – pp – 05:49 | First period | 03:40 – Mike Murphy (2) 10:51 – pp – Bob Murdoch (1) 19:20 – Butch Goring (5) | ||||||
| Terry O'Reilly (3) – 01:59 Don Marcotte (1) – 03:39 |
Second period | 07:00 – Gary Sargent (1) 16:33 – Tom Williams (2) | ||||||
| Bobby Schmautz (7) – pp – 00:10 Wayne Cashman – 11:27 Don Marcotte (2) – 17:08 Stan Jonathan (3) – 19:47 |
Third period | 18:05 – Marcel Dionne (4) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 18 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 22 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | Boston Bruins | 4–7 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 00:06 – Don Kozak (4) 18:39 – Frank St. Marseille (1) | ||||||
| Peter McNab (2) – 01:30 | Second period | 15:56 – pp – Butch Goring (6) 18:40 – pp – Gary Sargent (2) | ||||||
| Jean Ratelle (2) – pp – 03:26 Bobby Schmautz (8) – 05:51 Rick Middleton (1) – 15:08 |
Third period | 10:08 – Marcel Dionne (5) 10:51 – Mike Murphy (3) 14:45 – Gene Carr (1) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 11 saves / 15 shots Gilles Gilbert 4 saves / 7 shots |
Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 30 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| April 19 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–1 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Dave Schultz (1) – pp – 16:22 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 13:42 – Rick Middleton (2) | ||||||
| Bob Murdoch (2) – 01:00 Mike Murphy (4) – en – 19:59 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 39 saves / 40 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 18 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| April 21 | Boston Bruins | 4–3 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| Rick Middleton (3) – 03:42 Stan Jonathan (4) – 07:35 Rick Middleton (4) – 07:46 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gregg Sheppard (3) – pp – 12:58 | Third period | 00:42 – pp – Gary Sargent (3) 05:39 – Tom Williams (3) 08:51 – pp – Butch Goring (7) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 15 saves / 18 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 34 saves / 38 shots | ||||||
| Boston won series 4–2 | |
(4) New York Islanders vs. (5) Buffalo Sabres
[edit]This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which New York won in six games.
| April 11 | Buffalo Sabres | 2–4 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 12:28 – Garry Howatt (1) 18:44 – Billy Harris (1) | ||||||
| Gilbert Perreault (1) – 09:38 Rene Robert (3) – 11:39 |
Second period | 12:04 – Clark Gillies (2) 18:33 – Jude Drouin (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Don Edwards 24 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 37 saves / 39 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Buffalo Sabres | 2–4 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Don Luce (1) – 11:26 Rene Robert (4) – pp – 15:40 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 13:50 – Bob Bourne (2) 16:31 – Bryan Trottier (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 08:30 – Clark Gillies (3) 11:35 – Dave Lewis (1) | ||||||
| Don Edwards 18 saves / 22 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 24 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| April 15 | New York Islanders | 4–3 | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Recap | |||
| Billy Harris (2) – 17:39 | First period | 02:18 – pp – Rick Martin (2) 06:29 – pp – Jerry Korab (2) | ||||||
| Jude Drouin (3) – 10:55 Jude Drouin (4) – pp – 13:40 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Clark Gillies (4) – 00:09 | Third period | 10:10 – pp – Don Luce (2) | ||||||
| Billy Smith 45 saves / 48 shots | Goalie stats | Don Edwards 19 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | New York Islanders | 4–3 | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Recap | |||
| Billy Harris (3) – pp – 10:29 | First period | 02:49 – Jocelyn Guevremont (3) | ||||||
| Ed Westfall (1) – sh – 09:54 Denis Potvin (2) – 18:51 |
Second period | 06:16 – pp – Don Luce (3) | ||||||
| Billy MacMillan (2) – 07:42 | Third period | 04:57 – Rene Robert (5) | ||||||
| Billy Smith 26 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Desjardins 17 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| New York won series 4–0 | |
Semifinals
[edit](1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) New York Islanders
[edit]This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Semifinals, in which Montreal won in five games.
| April 23 | New York Islanders | 3–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Billy Harris (4) – pp – 08:39 Billy Harris (5) – 12:56 |
First period | 12:14 – Peter Mahovlich (2) | ||||||
| Billy Harris (6) – 00:49 | Second period | 09:40 – Murray Wilson (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 02:25 – Guy Lafleur (6) 04:07 – Steve Shutt (4) | ||||||
| Billy Smith 34 saves / 38 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 16 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| April 26 | New York Islanders | 0–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:46 – sh – Jimmy Roberts (1) 11:31 – Larry Robinson (2) 19:24 – pp – Peter Mahovlich (3) | ||||||
| Billy Smith 30 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 19 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| April 28 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–5 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Guy Lapointe (2) – 11:10 Jimmy Roberts (2) – 17:29 |
First period | 12:49 – pp – Denis Potvin (3) 19:50 – Denis Potvin (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 06:04 – J.P. Parise (3) | ||||||
| Guy Lapointe (3) – 16:20 | Third period | 11:09 – Andre St. Laurent (1) 19:49 – en – Bryan Trottier (2) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 19 saves / 23 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 35 saves / 38 shots | ||||||
| April 30 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–0 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Steve Shutt (5) – 01:04 Guy Lafleur (7) – 02:23 Jimmy Roberts (3) – 08:18 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Steve Shutt (6) – 17:31 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 18 saves / 18 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 18 saves / 22 shots Chico Resch 11 saves / 11 shots | ||||||
| May 3 | New York Islanders | 4–3 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | ||
| J.P. Parise (4) – pp – 08:11 | First period | 09:08 – Jacques Lemaire (3) | ||||||
| Denis Potvin (5) – 18:11 | Second period | 03:27 – Mario Tremblay (1) | ||||||
| Jude Drouin (5) – 13:09 | Third period | 11:38 – Yvon Lambert (1) | ||||||
| Billy Harris (7) – 03:58 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Chico Resch 26 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 15 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| May 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Bob Gainey (3) – 00:07 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bob Gainey (4) – 9:12 | Third period | 19:51 – Denis Potvin (6) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 27 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Chico Resch 18 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–2 | |
(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (3) Boston Bruins
[edit]This was the third playoff series meeting between these two teams. Philadelphia won both previous meetings. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Semifinals, in which Philadelphia won in five games.
| April 24 | Boston Bruins | 4–3 | OT | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | ||
| Jean Ratelle (3) – 11:36 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bobby Schmautz (9) – pp – 06:56 Don Marcotte (3) – sh – 15:31 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 01:45 – pp – Bobby Clarke (4) 16:33 – Bob Dailey (3) 19:31 – Bobby Clarke (5) | ||||||
| Rick Middleton (5) – 02:57 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 35 saves / 38 shots | Goalie stats | Wayne Stephenson 17 saves / 20 shots Bernie Parent 3 saves / 4 shots | ||||||
| April 26 | Boston Bruins | 5–4 | 2OT | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | ||
| Peter McNab (3) – 13:45 | First period | 14:53 – Andre Dupont (1) | ||||||
| Gregg Sheppard (4) – 14:01 Mike Milbury (1) – 15:01 Jean Ratelle (4) – 15:39 |
Second period | 05:35 – Orest Kindrachuk (2) 07:58 – Paul Holmgren (1) 15:16 – Gary Dornhoefer (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Terry O'Reilly (4) – 10:07 | Second overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 43 saves / 47 shots | Goalie stats | Wayne Stephenson 28 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| April 28 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1–2 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Bob Dailey (4) – pp – 08:59 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 12:07 – Peter McNab (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:51 – Mike Milbury (2) | ||||||
| Wayne Stephenson 26 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 14 saves / 15 shots | ||||||
| May 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0–3 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 10:45 – Jean Ratelle (5) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 14:05 – Don Marcotte (4) 19:13 – en – Don Marcotte (5) | ||||||
| Wayne Stephenson 35 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 21 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| Boston won series 4–0 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
[edit]This was the 16th playoff series meeting between these two teams. Montreal lead 13–2 in previous meetings. They last met in the 1971 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which Montreal upset Boston in seven games.
The defending champion Montreal Canadiens took on the "Original Six" rival, the third-ranked Boston Bruins in the Finals. Both teams had swept a series and had lost only two games in the earlier rounds. The Canadiens swept the series in four games to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
| May 7 | Boston Bruins | 3–7 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Brad Park (2) – 05:23 | First period | 01:45 – Doug Risebrough (1) 04:23 – pp – Yvon Lambert (2) 14:35 – Mario Tremblay (2) | ||||||
| Terry O'Reilly (5) – 11:54 Bobby Schmautz (10) – pp – 16:35 |
Second period | 05:08 – Jacques Lemaire (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 00:59 – Rick Chartraw (2) 02:04 – Mario Tremblay (3) 13:58 – Yvon Lambert (3) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 17 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 17 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| May 10 | Boston Bruins | 0–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 07:43 – pp – Peter Mahovlich (4) 12:07 – Doug Risebrough (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 05:40 – Steve Shutt (7) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 16 saves / 19 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 22 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| May 12 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–2 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Guy Lafleur (8) – pp – 04:08 Steve Shutt (8) – pp – 07:58 Jacques Lemaire (5) – pp – 18:29 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 06:32 – Gregg Sheppard (5) | ||||||
| Guy Lafleur (9) – 12:52 | Third period | 18:34 – pp – Peter McNab (5) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 23 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 15 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| May 14 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 | OT | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | 11:38 – Bobby Schmautz (11) | ||||||
| Jacques Lemaire (6) – 01:34 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Lemaire (7) – 04:32 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 25 saves / 26 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–0 | |
Awards
[edit]| 1977 NHL awards | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (Wales Conference regular season champion) |
Montreal Canadiens |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Campbell Conference regular season champion) |
Philadelphia Flyers |
| Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season) |
Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) |
Ed Westfall, New York Islanders |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player) |
Willi Plett, Atlanta Flames |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs) |
Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season) |
Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens |
| Jack Adams Award: (Best coach) |
Scotty Bowman, Montreal Canadiens |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman) |
Larry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) |
Marcel Dionne, 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
[edit]Player statistics
[edit]Scoring leaders
[edit]GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 56 | 80 | 136 | 20 |
| Marcel Dionne | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 53 | 69 | 122 | 12 |
| Steve Shutt | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 60 | 45 | 105 | 28 |
| Rick MacLeish | Philadelphia Flyers | 79 | 49 | 48 | 97 | 42 |
| Gilbert Perreault | Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 39 | 56 | 95 | 30 |
| Tim Young | Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 29 | 66 | 95 | 58 |
| Jean Ratelle | Boston Bruins | 78 | 33 | 61 | 94 | 22 |
| Lanny McDonald | Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 46 | 44 | 90 | 77 |
| Darryl Sittler | Toronto Maple Leafs | 73 | 38 | 52 | 90 | 89 |
| Bobby Clarke | Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 27 | 63 | 90 | 71 |
Source: NHL.[4]
Leading goaltenders
[edit]Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts
| Player | Team | GP | MIN | GA | GAA | W | L | T | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michel Larocque | Montreal Canadiens | 26 | 1525 | 53 | 2.09 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Ken Dryden | Montreal Canadiens | 56 | 3275 | 117 | 2.14 | 41 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Chico Resch | N.Y. Islanders | 46 | 2711 | 103 | 2.28 | 26 | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| Billy Smith | N.Y. Islanders | 36 | 2089 | 98 | 2.50 | 21 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| Don Edwards | Buffalo Sabres | 25 | 1480 | 62 | 2.51 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Gerry Desjardins | Buffalo Sabres | 49 | 2871 | 126 | 2.63 | 31 | 12 | 6 | 3 |
| Bernie Parent | Philadelphia Flyers | 61 | 3525 | 159 | 2.71 | 35 | 13 | 12 | 5 |
| Rogatien Vachon | Los Angeles Kings | 68 | 4059 | 184 | 2.72 | 33 | 23 | 12 | 8 |
| Denis Herron | Pittsburgh Penguins | 34 | 1920 | 94 | 2.94 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 1 |
| Dunc Wilson | Pittsburgh Penguins | 45 | 2627 | 129 | 2.95 | 18 | 19 | 8 | 5 |
Coaches
[edit]Patrick Division
[edit]- Atlanta Flames: Fred Creighton
- New York Islanders: Al Arbour
- New York Rangers: John Ferguson Sr.
- Philadelphia Flyers: Fred Shero
Adams Division
[edit]- Boston Bruins: Don Cherry
- Buffalo Sabres: Floyd Smith
- Cleveland Barons: Jack Evans
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Red Kelly
Norris Division
[edit]- Detroit Red Wings: Larry Wilson
- Los Angeles Kings: Bob Pulford
- Montreal Canadiens: Scotty Bowman
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Ken Schinkel
- Washington Capitals: Tom McVie
Smythe Division
[edit]- Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay and Bill White
- Colorado Rockies: Johnny Wilson
- Minnesota North Stars: Ted Harris
- St. Louis Blues: Emile Francis
- Vancouver Canucks: Phil Maloney and Orland Kurtenbach
Debuts
[edit]The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1976–77 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Mike Palmateer, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Don Edwards, Buffalo Sabres
- Bob Sauve, Buffalo Sabres
- Reed Larson, Detroit Red Wings
- Brian Engblom*, Montreal Canadiens
- Don Murdoch, New York Rangers
- Bernie Federko, St. Louis Blues
- Brian Sutter, St. Louis Blues
- Randy Carlyle, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Rick Green, Washington Capitals
Last games
[edit]The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1976–77 (listed with their last team):
- Pat Quinn, Atlanta Flames
- Gilles Villemure, Chicago Black Hawks
- Jim Pappin, Cleveland Barons
- Simon Nolet, Colorado Rockies
- Bob Berry, Los Angeles Kings
- Ed Van Impe, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Vic Hadfield, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Barclay Plager, St. Louis Blues
- Roger Crozier, Washington Capitals
Broadcasting
[edit]Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. CTV stopped regularly airing HNIC-produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts, and started to give the rights to these midweek games back to local stations.
In the U.S., this was the second season that NHL games aired in national broadcast syndication under the NHL Network package.
See also
[edit]- List of Stanley Cup champions
- 1976 NHL Amateur Draft
- 1976–77 NHL transactions
- 1976 Canada Cup
- 30th National Hockey League All-Star Game
- National Hockey League All-Star Game
- 1976–77 WHA season
- Lester Patrick Trophy
- 1976 in sports
- 1977 in sports
References
[edit]- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, New York: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
- Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
- Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
- Notes
- ^ Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
- ^ a b c d Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
- ^ Herman, Robin. "Islanders Get Home Ice for All Hawk Games," The New York Times, Tuesday, April 5, 1977. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Dinger 2011, p. 150.