1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins season

1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins
1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division	2nd Norris
Conference	4th Wales
1978–79 record	36-31-13
Goals for	281
Goals against	279
Team information
General manager	Baz Bastien
Coach	Johnny Wilson
Captain	Orest Kindrachuk
Alternate captains	None
Arena	Pittsburgh Civic Arena
Team leaders
Goals	Greg Malone (35)
Assists	Orest Kindrachuk (42)
Points	Greg Malone (65)
Penalty minutes	Dave Schultz (157)
Wins	Denis Herron (22)
Goals against average	Denis Herron (3.37)
	← 1977–78 1979–80 →

The 1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their 12th in the National Hockey League. They finished second in the Norris Division, qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1977. Their regular season was a marked improvement over the previous season, from 68 to 85 points.

Regular season

Final standings

Norris Division
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	80	52	17	11	337	204	115
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	36	31	13	281	279	85
Los Angeles Kings	80	34	34	12	292	286	80
Washington Capitals	80	24	41	15	273	338	63
Detroit Red Wings	80	23	41	16	252	295	62

^[1]

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results

1978–79 Schedule

October: 1–6–2 (Home: 1–3–2 ; Road: 0–3–0), 4 Points

November: 5–7–1 (Home: 3–3–0 ; Road: 2–4–1), 11 Points

December: 9–2–4 (Home: 6–0–1 ; Road: 3–2–3), 22 Points

January: 5–7–1 (Home: 4–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–1), 11 Points

February: 6–3–1 (Home: 6–0–0 ; Road: 0–3–1), 13 Points

March: 8–4–4 (Home: 2–1–2 ; Road: 6–3–2), 20 Points

April: 2–2–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 1–1–0), 4 Points

Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie

Playoffs

Preliminary Round vs. Buffalo

April 10

Pittsburgh Penguins

4–3

Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

April 12

Buffalo Sabres

3–1

Pittsburgh Penguins

Civic Arena

April 14

Pittsburgh Penguins

4–3

OT

Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

Pittsburgh won series 2–1

Quarterfinals vs. Boston

April 16	Pittsburgh Penguins		2–6	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period		02:29 – Peter McNab (1) 05:14 – Don Marcotte (1) 15:58 – Mike Milbury (1)
Orest Kindrachuk (2) – 06:07		Second period		04:21 – Don Marcotte (2) 16:02 – pp – Bobby Schmautz (1) 17:27 – sh – Dick Redmond (1)
Gregg Sheppard (1) – pp – 12:14		Third period		No scoring
Denis Herron 27 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Cheevers 19 saves / 21 shots

April 18	Pittsburgh Penguins		1–5	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Jim Hamilton (3) – pp – 14:11		First period		15:10 – pp – Jean Ratelle (1) 16:16 – Dwight Foster (1)
Orest Kindrachuk (3) – 14:52		Second period		14:15 – Peter McNab (2)
Orest Kindrachuck (4) – 19:54		Third period		10:10 – Bob Miller (1)
Denis Herron 21 saves / 25 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Cheevers 24 saves / 27 shots

April 21

Boston Bruins

2–1

Pittsburgh Penguins

Civic Arena

April 22

Boston Bruins

4–1

Pittsburgh Penguins

Civic Arena

Boston won series 4–0

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular Season^[2]
Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Greg Malone	80	35	30	65	6	52
Orest Kindrachuk	79	18	42	60	3	84
Peter Lee	80	32	26	58	–13	24
Peter Mahovlich	60	14	39	53	–11	39
George Ferguson	80	21	29	50	10	37
Randy Carlyle	70	13	34	47	4	78
Ross Lonsberry	80	24	22	46	7	38
Rick Kehoe	57	27	18	45	14	2
Rod Schutt	74	24	21	45	–9	33
Ron Stackhouse	75	10	33	43	21	54
Gregg Sheppard	60	15	22	37	8	9
Dale Tallon	63	5	24	29	–15	35
Tom Bladon	78	4	23	27	–17	64
Colin Campbell	65	2	18	20	14	137
Blair Chapman	71	10	8	18	–12	18
Russ Anderson	72	3	13	16	1	93
Gary McAdam^†	28	5	9	14	4	2
Dave Schultz^‡	47	4	9	13	–2	157
Wayne Bianchin	40	7	4	11	–2	20
Jacques Cossette	38	7	2	9	–1	16
Bob Paradise	14	0	1	1	–4	4
Kim Davis	1	1	0	1	0	0
Tom Price	2	0	0	0	–2	4
Jim Hamilton	2	0	0	0	0	0
Mike Meeker	4	0	0	0	–1	5
Brian Spencer	7	0	0	0	0	0
Lex Hudson	2	0	0	0	0	0
Total		281	427	708	—	1,005

Playoffs^[3]
Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Colin Campbell	7	1	4	5	0	30
Orest Kindrachuk	7	4	1	5	0	7
Tom Bladon	7	0	4	4	0	2
George Ferguson	7	2	1	3	0	0
Jim Hamilton	5	3	0	3	0	0
Gregg Sheppard	7	1	2	3	0	0
Peter Lee	7	0	3	3	0	0
Gary McAdam	7	2	1	3	0	0
Ross Lonsberry	7	0	2	2	0	9
Rick Kehoe	7	0	2	2	0	0
Rod Schutt	7	2	0	2	0	4
Blair Chapman	7	1	0	1	0	2
Greg Malone	7	0	1	1	0	10
Peter Mahovlich	2	0	1	1	0	0
Jacques Cossette	3	0	1	1	0	4
Bob Paradise	2	0	0	0	0	0
Ron Stackhouse	7	0	0	0	0	4
Randy Carlyle	7	0	0	0	0	12
Lex Hudson	2	0	0	0	0	0
Russ Anderson	2	0	0	0	0	0
Total		16	23	39	—	84

Goaltenders

Regular Season^[4]
Player	GP	W	L	T	GA	SO
Denis Herron	56	22	19	12	180	0
Gregory Millen	28	14	11	1	86	2
Gordon Laxton	1	0	1	0	8	0
Total		36	31	13	274	2

Playoffs^[5]
Player	GP	W	L	T	GA	SO
Denis Herron	7	2	5	0	24	0
Total		2	5	0	24	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
^‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1978–79 season:

Trades

September 6, 1978	To Boston Bruins Jean Pronovost	To Pittsburgh Penguins Gregg Sheppard
October 9, 1978	To Chicago Blackhawks 1980 2nd round pick	To Pittsburgh Penguins Dale Tallon
October 18, 1978	To Montreal Canadiens 1981 1st round pick	To Pittsburgh Penguins Rod Schutt
November 17, 1978	To Vancouver Canucks Dunc Wilson	To Pittsburgh Penguins cash
February 6, 1979	To Buffalo Sabres Dave Schultz	To Pittsburgh Penguins Gary McAdam
June 9, 1979	To Winnipeg Jets 1980 7th round pick	To Pittsburgh Penguins Jets promise not to claim Kim Clackson as a priority selection from its WHA franchise
August 3, 1979	To Detroit Red Wings Pete Mahovlich	To Pittsburgh Penguins Nick Libett

Additions and subtractions

Additions
Player	Former team	Via

Subtractions
Player	New team	Via
Gene Carr	Atlanta Flames	free agency (1978-06-06)
Ed Gilbert	Cincinnati Stingers (WHA)	free agency (1978-10)

Roster

#	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	NHL Draft	Birthplace
7	Russell Anderson	D	L	24	1975	Minneapolis, Minnesota
14	Wayne Bianchin	RW	L	25	1973	Nanaimo, British Columbia
2	Thomas Bladon	D	R	26	1972	Edmonton, Alberta
6	Colin Campbell	D	L	26	1973	Toronto, Ontario
25	Randy Carlyle	D	L	23	1976	Sudbury, Ontario
9	Blair Chapman	RW	R	22	1976	Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
27	Jacques Cossette	RW	R	24	1974	Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
16	Kim Davis	C	L	21	1977	Flin Flon, Manitoba
11	George Ferguson	C	R	26	1972	Trenton, Ontario
13	James Hamilton	RW	L	22	1977	Barrie, Ontario
1	Denis Herron	G	L	26	1972	Chambly, Quebec
5	Alexander Hudson	D	L	23	1975	Winnipeg, Manitoba
17	Rick Kehoe	RW	R	27	1971	Windsor, Ontario
26	Orest Kindrachuk (C)	C	L	28	Undrafted	Nanton, Alberta
30	Gordon Laxton	G	L	24	1975	Montreal, Quebec
10	Peter Lee	RW	R	23	1976	Ellesmere, Great Britain
18	David Lonsberry	LW	L	32	Undrafted	Humboldt, Saskatchewan
20	Peter Mahovlich	C	L	32	1963	Timmins, Ontario
12	William Malone	C	L	23	1976	Fredericton, New Brunswick
16	Gary McAdam	RW	L	23	1975	Smiths Falls, Ontario
16	Michael Meeker	RW	—	21	1978	Kingston, Ontario
29	Gregory Millen	G	R	21	1977	Toronto, Ontario
24	Robert Paradise	D	L	35	Undrafted	St. Paul, Minnesota
28	Thomas Price	D	—	24	1974	Toronto, Ontario
23	Rodney Schutt	LW	L	22	1976	Bancroft, Ontario
19	Gregory Sheppard	C	L	30	Undrafted	North Battleford, Saskatchewan
22	Brian Spencer	LW	L	29	1969	Fort St. James, British Columbia
3	Ronald Stackhouse	D	R	29	1969	Haliburton, Ontario
4	Dale Tallon	D	L	28	1970	Noranda, Quebec

Draft picks

The 1978 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 15, 1978 in Montreal, Quebec.^[6]

Round	#	Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
2	25	Michael Meeker	Right Wing	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHA)
4	61	Shane Pearsall	Left Wing	Canada	Ottawa 67's (OHA)
5	75	Robert Garner	Center	Canada	Toronto Marlboros (OHA)

References

Penguins on Hockey Database

^ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 163, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
^ "1978–1979 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
^ "1978–1979 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
^ "1978–1979 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
^ "1978–1979 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.

[guide-stdgs-1] National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 163, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5

[2] "1978–1979 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.

[3] "1978–1979 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.

[4] "1978–1979 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.

[5] "1978–1979 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.

[6] "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.

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v t e Pittsburgh Penguins seasons
1960s	1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
1970s	1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980s	1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990s	1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
2000s	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010s	2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020s	2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Highlighted seasons indicate Stanley Cup championship

v t e 1978–79 NHL season
Patrick	Atlanta NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia
Adams	Boston Buffalo Minnesota Toronto
Norris	Detroit Los Angeles Montreal Pittsburgh Washington
Smythe	Chicago Colorado St. Louis Vancouver
See also	Amateur Draft Dispersal Draft Waiver Draft The Game Challenge Cup Playoffs Stanley Cup Finals

v t e Pittsburgh Penguins
Founded in 1967 Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Franchise	Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Expansion draft Seasons Current season
History	1967 expansion Owners Records Award winners Retired numbers Broadcasters
Personnel	Owner(s) Fenway Sports Group (majority) Ronald Burkle Mario Lemieux General manager Kyle Dubas Head coach Mike Sullivan Team captain Sidney Crosby Current roster
Arenas	Civic Arena PPG Paints Arena
Rivalries	Philadelphia Flyers Washington Capitals
Affiliates	AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ECHL Wheeling Nailers
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Culture and lore	Penguins lore Bob Gessner Vince Lascheid Jeff Jimerson Penguin Pete Iceburgh Russian Penguins YinzCam Foundation Sudden Death She's Out of My League "Black and Yellow" Penguins–Islanders brawl 2008 NHL Winter Classic 2011 NHL Winter Classic 2014 NHL Stadium Series 2017 NHL Stadium Series 2019 NHL Stadium Series Mullet (haircut) 2023 NHL Winter Classic 2024 Big City Greens Classic
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