1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins season

1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division	3rd Norris
Conference	5th Wales
1976–77 record	34–33–13
Goals for	240
Goals against	252
Team information
General Manager	Wren Blair (Oct–Dec) ; Baz Bastien (Dec–Apr)
Coach	Ken Schinkel
Captain	Ron Schock
Alternate captains	None
Arena	Pittsburgh Civic Arena
Team leaders
Goals	Jean Pronovost (33)
Assists	Syl Apps, Jr. (43)
Points	Jean Pronovost (64)
Penalties in minutes	Bob Kelly (115)
Wins	Dunc Wilson (18)
Goals against average	Denis Herron (2.94)

The 1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their tenth in the National Hockey League. They finished third in the Norris Division for the third season in a row. In the playoffs, the Penguins were eliminated in the first round. Changes occurred in management and ownership. In December 1976, Baz Bastien replaced Wren Blair as the club's general manager. The club was sold to shopping mall magnate Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. in February 1977.

Regular season

Despite the fact that Pierre Larouche, Jean Pronovost and Syl Apps were unable to reproduce their franchise record-setting offensive output of the previous season the team finished with a similar regular season record on the strength of improved defensive prowess and the goaltending of Dunc Wilson and Denis Herron, who was re-acquired from the Kansas City Scouts in the off-season.

General Manager Wren Blair, who had been part of the ownership group which bought the club from the NHL in July 1975 until February 1976, was removed from his position December 3, 1976. Aldege 'Baz' Bastien, the man who had coached the American Hockey League's Pittsburgh Hornets to a Calder Cup championship in 1967, was named Blair's replacement.

Co-owners Al Savill and Otto Frenzel sold the club to shopping mall magnate Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. in February 1977, less than two years after having bought the team from the NHL.

Final standings

Norris Division
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	80	60	8	12	387	171	132
Los Angeles Kings	80	34	31	15	271	241	83
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	34	33	13	240	252	81
Washington Capitals	80	24	42	14	221	307	62
Detroit Red Wings	80	16	55	9	183	309	41

^[1]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results

1976–77 Schedule

October: 2–6–4 (Home: 2–2–2 ; Road: 0–4–2), 8 Points

November: 6–5–1 (Home: 3–3–0 ; Road: 3–2–1), 13 Points

December: 7–5–1 (Home: 4–1–1 ; Road: 3–4–0), 15 Points

January: 7–4–2 (Home: 5–3–1 ; Road: 2–1–1), 16 Points

February: 5–5–4 (Home: 4–0–2 ; Road: 1–5–2), 14 Points

March: 5–8–1 (Home: 3–3–0 ; Road: 2–5–1), 11 Points

April: 2–0–0 (Home: 1–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–0), 4 Points

Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie

Playoffs

The Penguins' opponent in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs was once again the Toronto Maple Leafs. While the Penguins' offensive output greatly improved to ten goals scored (compared to 1976's three goals), the Maple Leafs once again dispatched the Penguins in three games.

April 5	Toronto Maple Leafs		4–2	Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period		13:25 – Bob Kelly (1)
Don Ashby (1) – 04:12 Lanny McDonald (1) – 12:11		Second period		No scoring
Dave Williams (1) – 10:32 Darryl Sittler (1) – en – 19:52		Third period		18:34 – pp – Mario Faubert (1)
Wayne Thomas 29 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats		Denis Herron 29 saves / 32 shots

April 7	Pittsburgh Penguins		6–4	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
Jean Pronovost (1) – 01:01 Ron Stackhouse (1) – 06:37 Syl Apps Jr. (1) – pp – 12:30		First period		No scoring
Lowell MacDonald (1) – 07:38		Second period		06:10 – pp – Darryl Sittler (2) 12:38 – Stan Weir (1)
Greg Malone (1) – 13:57 Ron Stackhouse (2) – en – 19:23		Third period		03:37 – pp – Ian Turnbull (1) 07:52 – Borje Salming (1)
Denis Herron 37 saves / 41 shots		Goalie stats		Wayne Thomas 28 saves / 33 shots

April 9	Toronto Maple Leafs		5–2	Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
Borje Salming (2) – pp – 08:34 Ian Turnbull (2) – pp – 14:14		First period		19:40 – pp – Jean Pronovost (2)
Lanny McDonald (2) – 08:46 Lanny McDonald (3) – 14:17		Second period		16:06 – Blair Chapman (1)
Lanny McDonald (4) – en – 19:44		Third period		No scoring
Mike Palmateer 38 saves / 40 shots		Goalie stats		Denis Herron 37 saves / 41 shots

Toronto won series 2–1

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular Season^[2]
Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Jean Pronovost	79	33	31	64	8	24
Pierre Larouche	65	29	34	63	–10	14
Syl Apps Jr.	72	18	43	61	2	20
Rick Kehoe	80	30	27	57	–5	10
Ron Schock	80	17	32	49	–6	10
Ron Stackhouse	80	7	34	41	11	72
Mike Corrigan	73	14	27	41	–13	36
Greg Malone	66	18	19	37	3	43
Blair Chapman	80	14	23	37	–12	16
Wayne Bianchin	79	28	6	34	–1	28
J. Bob Kelly	74	10	21	31	13	115
Dennis Owchar	46	5	18	23	–7	37
Stan Gilbertson	67	6	9	15	–9	13
Mario Faubert	47	2	11	13	–4	32
Don Awrey	79	1	12	13	–2	40
Russ Anderson	66	2	11	13	5	81
Dave Burrows	69	3	6	9	–15	29
Ed Van Impe	10	0	3	3	–2	6
Lew Morrison	76	2	1	3	–6	0
Lowell MacDonald	3	1	1	2	–1	0
Vic Hadfield	9	0	2	2	1	0
Thomas Price^†	7	0	2	2	0	4
Ed Gilbert	7	0	0	0	–3	0
Yves Bergeron	1	0	0	0	0	0
Steve Lyon	3	0	0	0	0	2
Total		240	373	613	—	632

Playoffs^[3]
Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Jean Pronovost	3	2	1	3	0	2
Lowell MacDonald	3	1	2	3	0	4
Ron Stackhouse	3	2	1	3	0	0
Pierre Larouche	3	0	3	3	0	0
Blair Chapman	3	1	1	2	0	7
Rick Kehoe	3	0	2	2	0	0
Dave Burrows	3	0	2	2	0	0
Greg Malone	3	1	1	2	0	2
Don Awrey	3	0	1	1	0	0
Wayne Bianchin	3	0	1	1	0	6
Russ Anderson	3	0	1	1	0	14
Mario Faubert	3	1	0	1	0	2
John Kelly	3	1	0	1	0	4
Ron Schock	3	0	1	1	0	0
Syl Apps, Jr.	3	1	0	1	0	12
Lew Morrison	1	0	0	0	0	0
Mike Corrigan	2	0	0	0	0	0
Total		10	17	27	—	53

Goaltenders

Regular Season^[4]
Player	GP	W	L	T	GA	SO
Dunc Wilson	45	18	19	8	129	5
Denis Herron	34	15	11	5	94	1
Gordon Laxton	6	1	3	0	26	0
Total		34	33	13	249	6

Playoffs^[5]
Player	GP	W	L	T	GA	SO
Denis Herron	3	1	2	0	11	0
Total		1	2	0	11	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
^‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

Awards and records

Syl Apps, Jr. became the first player to record 300 assists for the Penguins. He did so in a 9–5 win over Vancouver on October 6th.
Jean Pronovost became the first person to play 600 games for the Penguins. He did so in a 1–2 loss to Atlanta on October 15th.
Jean Pronovost became the first player to score 500 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 3–6 loss to New York on December 11th.

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1976–77 season:

Trades

August 11, 1976	To Montreal Canadiens 1978 3rd round pick future considerations	To Pittsburgh Penguins Don Awrey
October 8, 1976	To New York Rangers 1978 4th round pick	To Pittsburgh Penguins Dunc Wilson
October 18, 1976	To Los Angeles Kings 1977 5th round pick	To Pittsburgh Penguins Mike Corrigan

Additions and subtractions

Additions
Player	Former team	Via
Denis Herron	Kansas City Scouts	free agency (1976-08-07)
Steve Lyon	Minnesota North Stars	free agency (1976–11)
Tom Price	Cleveland Barons	free agency (1977-02-28)

Subtractions
Player	New team	Via
Barry Wilkins	Edmonton Oilers (WHA)	free agency
Pete Laframboise	Edmonton Oilers (WHA)	free agency (1976-05)
Simon Nolet	Colorado Rockies	compensation for signing of Denis Herron (1976-08-07)
Michel Plasse	Colorado Rockies	compensation for signing of Denis Herron (1976-08-07)
Colin Campbell^†	Colorado Rockies	compensation for signing of Denis Herron (1976-09-01)

^†Colin Campbell was loaned to the Rockies for one season. He was returned to the Penguins in 1977.

This sports-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Roster

#	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	NHL Draft	Birthplace
7000700000000000000♠7	Russell Anderson	D	L	22	1975	Minneapolis, Minnesota
7001260000000000000♠26	Syl Apps Jr.	C	R	29	1964	Toronto, Ontario
7001240000000000000♠24	Don Awrey	D	L	33	Undrafted	Kitchener, Ontario
7001200000000000000♠20	Yves Bergeron	RW	R	25	1972	Malartic, Quebec
7001140000000000000♠14	Wayne Bianchin	RW	L	23	1973	Nanaimo, British Columbia
7000400000000000000♠4	David Burrows	D	L	28	Undrafted	Toronto, Ontario
7000900000000000000♠9	Blair Chapman	RW	R	20	1976	Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
7001270000000000000♠27	Mike Corrigan	LW	L	31	Undrafted	Ottawa, Ontario
7000500000000000000♠5	Mario Faubert	D	R	22	1974	Valleyfield, Quebec
7001230000000000000♠23	Ed Gilbert	C	L	25	1972	Hamilton, Ontario
7001150000000000000♠15	Stan Gilbertson	LW	L	32	Undrafted	Duluth, Minnesota
7001110000000000000♠11	Vic Hadfield	LW	L	36	Undrafted	Oakville, Ontario
7000100000000000000♠1	Denis Herron	G	L	24	1972	Chambly, Quebec
7000800000000000000♠8	Rick Kehoe	RW	R	25	1971	Windsor, Ontario
7001220000000000000♠22	John Kelly	RW	L	30	1967	Fort William, Ontario
7001100000000000000♠10	Pierre Larouche	C	R	21	1974	Taschereau, Quebec
7001300000000000000♠30	Gordon Laxton	G	L	22	1975	Montreal, Quebec
7000500000000000000♠5	Steve Lyon	D	R	24	1972	Toronto, Ontario
7001180000000000000♠18	Lowell MacDonald	LW	R	35	Undrafted	New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
7001120000000000000♠12	William Malone	C	L	21	1976	Fredericton, New Brunswick
7001160000000000000♠16	Lew Morrison	RW	R	29	1968	Gainsborough, Saskatchewan
7001250000000000000♠25	Dennis Owchar	D	R	24	1973	Dryden, Ontario
7000600000000000000♠6	Thomas Price	D	—	22	1974	Toronto, Ontario
7001190000000000000♠19	Jean Pronovost	RW	R	31	Undrafted	Shawinigan Falls, Quebec
7001170000000000000♠17	Ron Schock (C)	C	L	33	Undrafted	Chapleau, Ontario
7000300000000000000♠3	Ronald Stackhouse	D	R	27	1969	Haliburton, Ontario
7000200000000000000♠2	Ed Van Impe	D	L	36	Undrafted	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
7001290000000000000♠29	Dunc Wilson	G	L	29	Undrafted	Toronto, Ontario

Draft picks

The 1976 NHL Amateur Draft was held on June 1, 1976 in Montreal, Quebec.^[6]

Round	#	Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	2	Blair Chapman	Right Wing	Canada	Saskatoon Blades (WCHL)
2	19	Greg Malone	Center	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OHA)
2	29	Peter Marsh	Right Wing	Canada	Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL)
3	47	Morris Lukowich	Left Wing	Canada	Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL)
4	65	Greg Redquest	Goaltender	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OHA)
5	83	Brendan Lowe	Defense	Canada	Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL)
6	101	Vic Sirko	Defense	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OHA)

References

Penguins on Hockey Database

↑ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
↑ "1976–1977 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
↑ "1976–1977 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
↑ "1976–1977 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
↑ "1976–1977 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
↑ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[nhl-gd-standings-1] Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.

[2] "1976–1977 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.

[3] "1976–1977 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.

[4] "1976–1977 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.

[5] "1976–1977 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.

[6] "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.

Pittsburgh Penguins seasons
1960s	1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
1970s	1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980s	1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990s	1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
2000s	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010s	2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19
Highlighted seasons indicate Stanley Cup championship

1976–77 NHL season
Patrick	Atlanta NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia
Adams	Boston Buffalo Cleveland Toronto
Norris	Detroit Los Angeles Montreal Pittsburgh Washington
Smythe	Chicago Colorado Minnesota St. Louis Vancouver
See also	Draft All-Star Game Stanley Cup Finals