1976–77 NHL season


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

Two teams would relocate: 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 last time a relocation had occurred was when 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.
This season was Clarence Campbell's last as NHL President. He would be succeeded by John Ziegler.

Regular season

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, they had 60 wins and 132 points. Their home record was 33 wins, 1 loss, and 6 ties. Scoring two hundred goals more 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.

Final standings

;Prince of Wales Conference
;Clarence Campbell Conference

Playoffs

The New York Islanders won six consecutive games before the semi-final and were the only team from the preliminary round to make it to the semi-finals, where they lost to the first-ranked, defending champion and eventual champion Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues, 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 quarter-final, before being swept by the third-ranked Boston Bruins in the semi-final.

Playoff structure

For the 1976–77 Stanley Cup playoff tournament, the top three teams in each division were awarded playoff berths. These twelve teams were then ranked 1 through 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 played a preliminary round. For the preliminary round, the top-ranked non-division winner played the twelfth-ranked team, the second top ranked non-division winner played the eleventh-ranked team, the third ranked non-division winner played the third-lowest ranked non-division winner. The remaining two non-division winners formed the final preliminary round pairing. The preliminary round consisted of a best-of-three series with the first game played on the home ice of the higher-ranked team, and the second game on the home ice of the lower-ranked team. If a third and deciding game 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 going to the team with the better regular season record. The other team hosted games 3 and 4, and game 6 if it was necessary. The four preliminary round winners joined the four division winners for the quarterfinals. The matchups were determined according to regular season records regardless to 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 are 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

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 – 132 points
  2. Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 112 points
  3. Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions – 106 points
  4. New York Islanders – 106 points
  5. Buffalo Sabres – 104 points
  6. Los Angeles Kings – 83 points
  7. Pittsburgh Penguins – 81 points
  8. Toronto Maple Leafs – 81 points
  9. Atlanta Flames – 80 points
  10. St. Louis Blues, Smythe Division champions – 73 points
  11. Minnesota North Stars – 64 points
  12. Chicago Black Hawks – 63 points

    Playoff bracket

(1) New York Islanders vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks

(2) Buffalo Sabres vs. (7) Minnesota North Stars

(3) Los Angeles Kings vs. (6) Atlanta Flames

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Toronto Maple Leafs

Quarterfinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) St. Louis Blues

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Toronto Maple Leafs

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

(4) New York Islanders vs. (5) Buffalo Sabres

Semifinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) New York Islanders

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

Stanley Cup Finals

The defending champion Montreal Canadiens took on the "Original Six" rival, the third-ranked Boston Bruins in the Final. 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.

Awards

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
PlayerTeamGPGAPtsPIM
Guy LafleurMontreal Canadiens80568013620
Marcel DionneLos Angeles Kings80536912212
Steve ShuttMontreal Canadiens80604510528
Rick MacLeishPhiladelphia Flyers7949489742
Gilbert PerreaultBuffalo Sabres8039569530
Tim YoungMinnesota North Stars8029669558
Jean RatelleBoston Bruins7833619422
Lanny McDonaldToronto Maple Leafs8046449077
Darryl SittlerToronto Maple Leafs7338529089
Bobby ClarkePhiladelphia Flyers8027639071

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
Michel LarocqueMontreal Canadiens261525532.0919244
Ken DrydenMontreal Canadiens5632751172.14416810
Chico ReschN.Y. Islanders4627111032.28261364
Billy SmithN.Y. Islanders362089982.5021862
Don EdwardsBuffalo Sabres251480622.5116722
Gerry DesjardinsBuffalo Sabres4928711262.63311263
Bernie ParentPhiladelphia Flyers6135251592.713513125
Rogatien VachonL.A. Kings6840591842.723323128
Denis HerronPittsburgh Penguins341920942.94151151
Dunc WilsonPittsburgh Penguins4526271292.95181985

Coaches

Patrick Division

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1976–77 :
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1976–77 :