1975–76 AHL season
The 1975–76 AHL season was the 40th season of the American Hockey League. The league begins to give out three James H. Ellery Memorial Awards to the media, one each for outstanding newspaper, radio and television coverage of the AHL.
Eight teams played 76 games each in the schedule. The Nova Scotia Voyageurs finished first overall in the regular season, and won their second Calder Cup championship.
Team changes
- The Syracuse Eagles cease operations.
- The Virginia Wings cease operations.
- The New Haven Nighthawks switch divisions from North to South.
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points;
| North | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 76 | 48 | 20 | 8 | 104 | 326 | 209 |
| Rochester Americans | 76 | 42 | 25 | 9 | 93 | 304 | 243 |
| Providence Reds | 76 | 34 | 34 | 8 | 76 | 294 | 300 |
| Springfield Indians | 76 | 33 | 39 | 4 | 70 | 267 | 321 |
| South | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Bears | 76 | 39 | 31 | 6 | 84 | 304 | 275 |
| Richmond Robins | 76 | 29 | 39 | 8 | 66 | 262 | 297 |
| New Haven Nighthawks | 76 | 29 | 39 | 8 | 66 | 261 | 295 |
| Baltimore Clippers | 76 | 21 | 48 | 7 | 49 | 238 | 316 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jean-Guy Gratton | Hershey Bears | 73 | 35 | 58 | 93 | 38 |
| Ron Andruff | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 74 | 42 | 46 | 88 | 58 |
| Greg Holst | Providence Reds | 69 | 37 | 44 | 81 | 77 |
| Guy Chouinard | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 70 | 40 | 40 | 80 | 14 |
| Gordie Clark | Rochester Americans | 72 | 30 | 49 | 79 | 7 |
| Pierre Mondou | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | 74 | 34 | 43 | 77 | 30 |
| Fred Speck | Baltimore Clippers | 76 | 23 | 52 | 75 | 93 |
| Larry Fullan | Richmond Robins | 76 | 18 | 57 | 75 | 26 |
| Wayne Schaab | Richmond Robins | 75 | 36 | 36 | 72 | 31 |
Calder Cup playoffs
Main article: 1976 Calder Cup playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Calder Cup Final | |||||||||||
| North Division | 1 | Nova Scotia | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Rochester | 3 | 2 | Rochester | 0 | ||||||||
| 3 | Providence | 0 | N1 | Nova Scotia | 4 | ||||||||
| S1 | Hershey | 1 | |||||||||||
| South Division | 1 | Hershey | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Richmond | 3 | 2 | Richmond | 1 | ||||||||
| 3 | New Haven | 0 | |||||||||||
Trophy and award winners
- Team awards
| Calder Cup Playoff champions: | Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy Regular Season champions, North Division: | Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| John D. Chick Trophy Regular Season champions, South Division: | Hershey Bears |
- Individual awards
| Les Cunningham Award Most valuable player: | Ron Andruff - Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| John B. Sollenberger Trophy Top point scorer: | Jean-Guy Gratton - Hershey Bears |
| Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award Rookie of the year: | Greg Holst - Providence Reds & Pierre Mondou - Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| Eddie Shore Award Defenceman of the year: | Noel Price - Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award Lowest goals against average: | Ed Walsh & Dave Elenbaas - Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Coach of the year: | Chuck Hamilton - Hershey Bears |
- Other awards
| James C. Hendy Memorial Award Most outstanding executive: | Macgregor Kilpatrick |
| James H. Ellery Memorial Awards Outstanding media coverage: | Clayton Campbell, Nova Scotia, (newspaper) Arnie Patterson, Nova Scotia, (radio) Dick Galiette, New Haven, (television) |
See also
References
| Preceded by 1974–75 AHL season |
AHL seasons | Succeeded by 1976–77 AHL season |
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