1975–76 NHL season

1975–76 NHL season
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Duration October 7, 1975 – May 16, 1976
Number of games 80
Number of teams 18
Regular season
Season champions Montreal Canadiens
Season MVP Bobby Clarke (Flyers)
Top scorer Guy Lafleur (Canadiens)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP Reggie Leach (Flyers)
Stanley Cup
Champions Montreal Canadiens
  Runners-up Philadelphia Flyers

The 1975–76 NHL season was the 59th season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, defeating the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers in the final.

Regular season

The Montreal Canadiens set records in wins with 58 and points with 127, beginning a four-year stretch where they would dominate the league in the regular season and win four straight Stanley Cup titles. The Philadelphia Flyers tied the record set by the 1929–30 Boston Bruins for most consecutive home ice wins, with 20.

During the regular season, between December 28 and January 10, "Super Series '76" took place as two teams from the Soviet Championship League played eight exhibitions against NHL teams. HC CSKA Moscow (the "Red Army Club"), defending Soviet champion, played against the New York Rangers, Montreal, Boston and, on January 11, the defending NHL champion, the Philadelphia Flyers, while Krylya Sovetov Moscow ("the Soviet Wings") played against Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago and the New York Islanders.[1]

The blockbuster trade of the year saw the Boston Bruins send superstar center Phil Esposito and star defenceman Carol Vadnais to the New York Rangers for star center Jean Ratelle and superstar defenceman Brad Park. Both Ratelle and Park would excel for the Bruins for years to come, while Esposito's days as the preeminent scorer in the NHL were behind him.

On February 7, 1976, Darryl Sittler set an NHL record that still stands for most points scored in one game. He recorded ten points (six goals, four assists) against the Boston Bruins.

Final standings

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold

Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division
  GP W L T GF GA Pts
Boston Bruins 80 48 15 17 313 237 113
Buffalo Sabres 80 46 21 13 339 240 105
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 34 31 15 294 276 83
California Golden Seals 80 27 42 11 250 278 65

[2]

Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens 80 58 11 11 337 174 127
Los Angeles Kings 80 38 33 9 263 265 85
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 35 33 12 339 303 82
Detroit Red Wings 80 26 44 10 226 300 62
Washington Capitals 80 11 59 10 224 394 32

[2]

Clarence Campbell Conference

Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Philadelphia Flyers 80 51 13 16 348 209 118
New York Islanders 80 42 21 17 297 190 101
Atlanta Flames 80 35 33 12 262 237 82
New York Rangers 80 29 42 9 262 333 67

[2]

Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Chicago Black Hawks 80 32 30 18 254 261 82
Vancouver Canucks 80 33 32 15 271 272 81
St. Louis Blues 80 29 37 14 249 290 72
Minnesota North Stars 80 20 53 7 195 303 47
Kansas City Scouts 80 12 56 12 190 351 36

[2]

Playoffs

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 – 127 points
  2. Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 118 points
  3. Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions – 113 points
  4. Buffalo Sabres – 105 points
  5. New York Islanders – 101 points
  6. Los Angeles Kings – 85 points
  7. Toronto Maple Leafs – 83 points
  8. Pittsburgh Penguins – 82 points (35 wins, 5 points head-to-head vs. Atlanta)
  9. Atlanta Flames – 82 points (35 wins, 3 points head-to-head vs. Pittsburgh)
  10. Chicago Black Hawks, Smythe Division champions – 82 points (32 wins)
  11. Vancouver Canucks – 81 points
  12. St. Louis Blues – 72 points

Playoff bracket

  Preliminary Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals
                                     
       
  1 Montreal 4  
    8 Chicago 0  
     
       
  1 Montreal 4  
  4 NY Islanders 1  
1 Buffalo 2  
8 St. Louis 1  
  4 Buffalo 2
    5 NY Islanders 4  
2 NY Islanders 2
7 Vancouver 0  
  1 Montreal 4
  2 Philadelphia 0
       
       
  2 Philadelphia 4
    7 Toronto 3  
4 Toronto 2
5 Pittsburgh 1  
  2 Philadelphia 4
  3 Boston 1  
       
       
  3 Boston 4
    6 Los Angeles 3  
3 Los Angeles 2
6 Atlanta 0  

Preliminary Round

(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (8) St. Louis Blues

The Buffalo Sabres were the first seed of the preliminary round and fourth overall with 105 points. The St. Louis Blues were the eighth seed of the preliminary round and twelfth overall with 72 points. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The Buffalo Sabres won this year's regular season series earning 5 of 8 points.

Buffalo won series 2–1

(2) New York Islanders vs. (7) Vancouver Canucks

The New York Islanders were the second seed in the preliminary round and fifth overall with 101 points. The Vancouver Canucks were the seventh seed in the preliminary round and eleventh overall with 81 points. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Vancouver won this year's regular season series earning 8 of 10 points.

New York won series 2–0

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

The Los Angeles Kings were the third seed of the preliminary round and sixth overall 85 points. The Atlanta Flames were the sixth seed of the preliminary round and ninth overall with 82 points. Atlanta tied with Pittsburgh in points and wins, but Pittsburgh earned 5 points in games against the Flames while Atlanta earned 3 points in games against the Penguins. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Los Angeles won this year's regular season series earning 6 of 8 points.

Los Angeles won series 2–0

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

The Toronto Maple Leafs were the fourth seed in the preliminary round and seventh overall with 83 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins were the fifth seed in the preliminary round and eighth overall with 82 points. The Atlanta Flames tied with Pittsburgh in points and wins, but Pittsburgh earned 5 points in games against the Flames while Atlanta earned 3 points in games against the Penguins. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Pittsburgh won this year's regular season series earning 8 of 10 points.

Toronto won series 2–1

Quarterfinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks

The Montreal Canadiens finished first in the league with 127 points. The Chicago Black Hawks finished as the Smythe Division Champions and eighth seed of the quarterfinals with 82 points. This was the seventeenth playoff series between these two teams with Montreal winning eleven of the sixteen previous series. Their most recent meeting came in the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals which Montreal won in 6 games. Montreal won this year's regular season series earning 5 of 8 points.

Montreal won series 4–0

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

The Philadelphia Flyers finished as Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions and second seed overall with 118 points. This was the second playoff series between these two teams. Their only previous meeting came in the 1975 quarterfinals which Philadelphia won in 4 games. Philadelphia won this year's regular season series earning 7 of 8 points.

Philadelphia won series 4–3

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

The Boston Bruins finished as the Adams Division regular season champions and third seed overall with 113 points. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Boston won this year's regular season series earning 8 of 10 points.

Boston won series 4–3

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

This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.

New York won series 4–2

Semifinals

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

Montreal won series 4–1

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

Philadelphia won series 4–1

Stanley Cup Finals

The two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, once again made it to the finals, but were swept in four games by the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal won series 4–0

Awards

1976 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) 		Rod Gilbert, New York Rangers
Calder Memorial Trophy:
(Top first-year player) 		Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders
Conn Smythe Trophy:
(Most valuable player, playoffs) 		Reggie Leach, Philadelphia Flyers
Hart Memorial Trophy:
(Most valuable player, regular season) 		Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
Jack Adams Award:
(Best coach) 		Don Cherry, Boston Bruins
James Norris Memorial Trophy:
(Best defenceman) 		Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:
(Excellence and sportsmanship) 		Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers/Boston Bruins
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, Montreal Canadiens
Lester Patrick Trophy:
(Service to hockey in the U.S.) 		Stan Mikita, George A. Leader, Bruce A. Norris

All-Star teams

First Team   Position   Second Team
Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens G Glenn Resch, New York Islanders
Denis Potvin, New York Islanders D Borje Salming, Toronto Maple Leafs
Brad Park, Boston Bruins/New York Rangers D Guy Lapointe, Montreal Canadiens
Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers C Gilbert Perreault, Buffalo Sabres
Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens RW Reggie Leach, Philadelphia Flyers
Bill Barber, Philadelphia Flyers LW Rick Martin, Buffalo Sabres

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens 80 56 69 125 36
Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers 76 30 89 119 136
Gilbert Perreault Buffalo Sabres 80 44 69 113 36
Bill Barber Philadelphia Flyers 80 50 62 112 104
Pierre Larouche Pittsburgh Penguins 76 53 58 111 33
Jean Ratelle New York Rangers/Boston Bruins 80 36 69 105 18
Pete Mahovlich Montreal Canadiens 80 34 71 105 76
Jean Pronovost Pittsburgh Penguins 80 52 52 104 24
Darryl Sittler Toronto Maple Leafs 79 41 59 100 90
Syl Apps, Jr. Pittsburgh Penguins 80 32 67 99 24

Source: NHL.[3]

Leading goaltenders

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
Ken Dryden Montreal Canadiens 62 3580 121 2.03 42 10 8 8
Chico Resch N.Y. Islanders 44 2546 88 2.07 23 11 8 7
Dan Bouchard Atlanta Flames 47 2671 113 2.54 19 17 8 2
Wayne Stephenson Philadelphia Flyers 66 3819 164 2.58 40 10 13 1
Billy Smith N.Y. Islanders 39 2254 98 2.61 19 10 9 3
Gilles Gilbert Boston Bruins 55 3123 151 2.90 33 8 10 3
Tony Esposito Chicago Black Hawks 68 4003 198 2.97 30 23 13 4
Rogatien Vachon L.A. Kings 51 3060 160 3.14 26 20 5 5
Wayne Thomas Toronto Maple Leafs 64 3684 196 3.19 28 24 12 2
Gary Simmons California Seals 40 2360 131 3.33 15 19 5 2

Other statistics

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1975–76 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1975–76 (listed with their last team):

NOTE: Boudrias finished his major professional career in the World Hockey Association.

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Super Series site
  2. 1 2 3 4 Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
  3. ↑ Dinger 2011, p. 150.
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