1977-78 WCHL season
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The 1977-78 WCHL season was the 12th season for the Western Canada Hockey League, known in the present day as the Western Hockey League. Twelve teams completed a 72 game season. The New Westminster Bruins won their fourth consecutive President's Cup and second consecutive Memorial Cup.
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[edit] League notes
- The Calgary Centennials relocated to Billings, Montana to become the Billings Bighorns.
- The Winnipeg Monarchs relocated to Calgary, Alberta to become the Calgary Wranglers.
- The Kamloops Chiefs relocated to Seattle, Washington to become the Seattle Breakers.
[edit] Regular season
[edit] Final standings
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 46 | 12 | 14 | 106 | 424 | 299 |
| x Flin Flon Bombers | 72 | 33 | 30 | 9 | 75 | 396 | 380 |
| x Regina Pats | 72 | 29 | 38 | 5 | 63 | 363 | 405 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 20 | 50 | 2 | 42 | 340 | 460 |
| Central Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Lethbridge Broncos | 72 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 79 | 341 | 328 |
| x Billings Bighorns | 72 | 32 | 31 | 9 | 73 | 342 | 336 |
| x Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 22 | 41 | 9 | 53 | 293 | 365 |
| Calgary Wranglers | 72 | 18 | 40 | 14 | 50 | 303 | 404 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 41 | 20 | 11 | 93 | 361 | 296 |
| x Victoria Cougars | 72 | 34 | 29 | 9 | 77 | 365 | 333 |
| x New Westminster Bruins | 72 | 33 | 28 | 11 | 77 | 345 | 310 |
| Seattle Breakers | 72 | 32 | 28 | 12 | 76 | 359 | 316 |
[edit] Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Propp | Brandon Wheat Kings | 70 | 70 | 112 | 182 | 200 |
| Ray Allison | Brandon Wheat Kings | 71 | 73 | 86 | 160 | 254 |
| Steve Tambellini | Lethbridge Broncos | 66 | 75 | 80 | 155 | 32 |
| Errol Rause | Seattle Breakers | 72 | 62 | 92 | 154 | 60 |
| Bill Derlago | Brandon Wheat Kings | 52 | 89 | 63 | 152 | 105 |
| Geordie Robertson | Victoria Cougars | 61 | 64 | 72 | 136 | 85 |
| Gerald Minor | Regina Pats | 66 | 54 | 75 | 129 | 236 |
| Merlin Malinowski | Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 48 | 78 | 126 | 131 |
| Ryan Walter | Seattle Breakers | 62 | 54 | 71 | 125 | 148 |
| Wayne Babych | Portland Winter Hawks | 68 | 50 | 71 | 121 | 218 |
[edit] WHL Playoffs
[edit] Division Semi-finals
Round Robin format
- Flin Flon (4-4) advanced
- Regina (4-4) advanced
- Brandon (4-4) eliminated
- Billings (6-2) advanced
- Medicine Hat (3-5) advanced
- Lethbridge (3-5) eliminated
- New Westminster (7-1) advanced
- Victoria (4-4) advanced
- Portland (1-7) eliminated
[edit] Division Finals
- Flin Flon defeated Regina 4 games to 1
- Billings defeated Medicine Hat 4 games to 0
- New Westminster defeated Victoria 4 games to 1
[edit] League semi-finals
Round Robin format
- Billings (3-1) advanced
- New Westminster (3-1) advanced
- Flin Flon (0-4) eliminated
[edit] WHL Championship
- New Westminster defeated Billings 4 games to 0
[edit] All-Star Game
On January 18, the West all-stars defeated the East all-stars 2-1 at Regina, Saskatchewan before a crowd of 2,814.
[edit] WHL awards
[edit] See also
- 1978 Memorial Cup
- 1978 NHL Entry Draft
- 1977 in sports
- 1978 in sports
[edit] References
- whl.ca
- 2005-06 WHL Guide
| Preceded by: 1976-77 WCHL season |
WHL seasons | Succeeded by: 1978-79 WHL season |
