1978-79 NHL season | |
---|---|
League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | October 11, 1978 - May 21, 1979 |
Number of games | 80 |
Number of teams | 17 |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Bobby Smith |
Picked by | Minnesota North Stars |
Regular season | |
Season champions | New York Islanders |
Season MVP | Bryan Trottier (Islanders) |
Top scorer | Bryan Trottier (Islanders) |
Playoffs | |
Playoffs MVP | Bob Gainey (Canadiens) |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
Runners-up | New York Rangers |
The 1978-79 NHL season was the 62nd season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals four games to one for their fourth consecutive Cup. The Cleveland Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars (continuing as the North Stars), reducing the NHL membership to 17 teams; the last time that the NHL contracted. In the 1978-79 season, two of the "Original Six" teams met in the Finals, which would not occur again until 2013. The Boston Bruins joined the Canadiens and Rangers in the 1978-79 semifinals and marked the last appearance by three Original Six teams in the final four until 2014.
This season saw the first reduction in the total number of teams since the Brooklyn Americans folded following the 1941-42 season. Fearing that two teams were on the verge of folding, the league approved the merger of the financially unstable Cleveland Barons and Minnesota North Stars franchises, reducing the number of teams to 17. The merged team continued as the Minnesota North Stars, but assumed the Barons' place in the Adams Division.
This reduction would only be temporary, however, as negotiations continued toward an agreement with the World Hockey Association that would see it fold following this season, with four of its teams joining the NHL as expansion franchises for 1979-80.
For the first time since the NHL All-Star Game became an annual tradition, it was not played. In its stead was the 1979 Challenge Cup, which saw Soviet Union players come over to North America to play against NHL players. The Soviets won the series two games to one.
For the past three seasons, the Montreal Canadiens had dominated the regular season, but times were changing. The New York Islanders had been steadily improving over the past few seasons and this season saw them beat out the Canadiens by one point for the best record in the league.
This was the last season until the 2005-06 season that the St. Louis Blues missed the playoffs.
GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Bruins | 80 | 43 | 23 | 14 | 316 | 270 | 100 |
Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 36 | 28 | 16 | 280 | 263 | 88 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 34 | 33 | 13 | 267 | 252 | 81 |
Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 28 | 40 | 12 | 257 | 289 | 68 |
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 |
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.
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Islanders | 80 | 51 | 15 | 14 | 358 | 214 | 116 |
Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 281 | 248 | 95 |
New York Rangers | 80 | 40 | 29 | 11 | 316 | 292 | 91 |
Atlanta Flames | 80 | 41 | 31 | 8 | 327 | 280 | 90 |
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 29 | 36 | 15 | 244 | 277 | 73 |
Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 42 | 13 | 217 | 291 | 63 |
St. Louis Blues | 80 | 18 | 50 | 12 | 249 | 348 | 48 |
Colorado Rockies | 80 | 15 | 53 | 12 | 210 | 331 | 42 |
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.
Preliminary Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | |||||||||||||||
1 | NY Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
8 | Chicago | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | NY Islanders | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | NY Rangers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Philadelphia | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
8 | Vancouver | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Philadelphia | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | NY Rangers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | NY Rangers | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | NY Rangers | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Toronto | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Atlanta | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | Toronto | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Boston | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | Pittsburgh | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Buffalo | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Pittsburgh | 2 |
Prior to 2013, this was the last time two Original Six clubs met in the finals. Both teams would next appear in the Stanley Cup Finals: Canadiens winning in 1986 and 1993, Rangers winning in 1994.
May 13 | New York Rangers | 4-1 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
Steve Vickers (5) - pp - 06:28 Ron Greschner (7) - 14:27 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
Phil Esposito (7) - pp - 09:30 Dave Maloney (3) - sh - 12:32 |
Second period | 07:07 - Guy Lafleur (9) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
John Davidson 31 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 9 saves / 13 shots Michel Larocque 9 saves / 9 shots |
May 15 | New York Rangers | 2-6 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
Anders Hedberg (4) - 01:02 Ron Duguay (4) - 06:21 |
First period | 08:34 - Yvon Lambert (4) 12:24 - Guy Lafleur (10) 16:27 - Bob Gainey (4) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 06:51 - Steve Shutt (3) 17:35 - pp - Jacques Lemaire (8) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 04:38 - Mark Napier (3) | ||||||
John Davidson 27 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 23 saves / 25 shots |
May 17 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
Steve Shutt (4) - pp - 07:27 Doug Risebrough (1) - 15:44 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Mario Tremblay (3) - 14:48 Jacques Lemaire (9) - 17:10 |
Third period | 06:06 - Ron Duguay (5) | ||||||
Ken Dryden 19 saves / 20 shots | Goalie stats | John Davidson 19 saves / 23 shots |
May 19 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-3 | OT | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | ||
Rejean Houle (1) - 02:39 | First period | 01:19 - Pat Hickey (1) 17:03 - Don Murdoch (7) | ||||||
Yvon Lambert (5) - 18:05 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Bob Gainey (5) - 06:27 | Third period | 04:26 - Phil Esposito (8) | ||||||
Serge Savard (2) - 07:25 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
Ken Dryden 18 saves / 21 shots | Goalie stats | John Davidson 38 saves / 42 shots |
May 21 | New York Rangers | 1-4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
Carol Vadnais (2) - 16:52 | First period | 10:36 - Rick Chartraw (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 01:02 - pp - Jacques Lemaire (10) 11:01 - Bob Gainey (6) 18:49 - Jacques Lemaire (11) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
John Davidson 27 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 14 saves / 15 shots |
Montreal won series 4-1 | |
1979 NHL awards | |
---|---|
Prince of Wales Trophy: (Wales Conference regular season champion) |
Montreal Canadiens |
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Campbell Conference regular season champion) |
New York Islanders |
Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season) |
Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) |
Serge Savard, Montreal Canadiens |
Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player) |
Bobby Smith, Minnesota North Stars |
Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs) |
Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens |
Frank J. Selke Trophy: (Best defensive forward) |
Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens |
Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season) |
Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
Jack Adams Award: (Best coach) |
Al Arbour, New York Islanders |
James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman) |
Denis Potvin, New York Islanders |
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) |
Bob MacMillan, Atlanta Flames |
Lester B. Pearson Award: (Outstanding player, regular season) |
Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles Kings |
Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record) |
Ken Dryden & Michel Larocque, Montreal Canadiens |
Lester Patrick Trophy: (Service to hockey in the U.S.) |
Bobby Orr |
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bryan Trottier | New York Islanders | 76 | 47 | 87 | 134 | 50 |
Marcel Dionne | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 59 | 71 | 130 | 30 |
Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 52 | 77 | 129 | 28 |
Mike Bossy | New York Islanders | 80 | 69 | 57 | 126 | 25 |
Bob MacMillan | Atlanta Flames | 79 | 37 | 71 | 108 | 14 |
Guy Chouinard | Atlanta Flames | 80 | 50 | 57 | 107 | 14 |
Denis Potvin | New York Islanders | 73 | 31 | 70 | 101 | 58 |
Bernie Federko | St. Louis Blues | 74 | 31 | 64 | 95 | 14 |
Dave Taylor | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 43 | 48 | 91 | 124 |
Clark Gillies | New York Islanders | 75 | 35 | 56 | 91 | 68 |
Source: NHL.[2]
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 | 47 | 2814 | 108 | 2.30 | 30 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
Chico Resch | N.Y. Islanders | 43 | 2539 | 106 | 2.50 | 26 | 7 | 10 | 2 |
Bernie Parent | Philadelphia Flyers | 36 | 1979 | 89 | 2.70 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 4 |
Michel Larocque | Montreal Canadiens | 34 | 1986 | 94 | 2.84 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
Billy Smith | N.Y. Islanders | 40 | 2261 | 108 | 2.87 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
Mike Palmateer | Toronto Maple Leafs | 58 | 3396 | 167 | 2.95 | 26 | 21 | 10 | 4 |
Don Edwards | Buffalo Sabres | 54 | 3160 | 159 | 3.02 | 26 | 18 | 9 | 2 |
Mario Lessard | L.A. Kings | 49 | 2860 | 148 | 3.10 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 4 |
Glen Hanlon | Vancouver Canucks | 31 | 1821 | 94 | 3.10 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 3 |
Gerry Cheevers | Boston Bruins | 43 | 2509 | 132 | 3.16 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 1 |
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1978-79 (listed with their first team, asterisk (*) marks debut in playoffs):
Players marked with § began their major professional career in the World Hockey Association.
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1978-79 (listed with their last team):