1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their 11th in the National Hockey League. They finished fourth in the Norris Division, thus did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. This was their worst regular season since 1974, with only 68 points, and the first time since 1974 that the Penguins did not qualify for the playoffs.

Off-season

In the off-season head coach Ken Schinkel was replaced by former Kings, Red Wings and Rockies head coach Johnny Wilson. Veterans Vic Hadfield and Ed Van Impe retired. Defensive forward J. Bob Kelly's contract ended and he took his services to Chicago, while Captain Ron Schock was traded to the Sabres (Jean Pronovost was named captain in his place).

Regular season

In an attempt to replace Kelly general manager Baz Bastien acquired former Flyer enforcer Dave Schultz early in the season, but the price was high: Syl Apps, Jr., one of the team's all-time leading scorers. Schultz was traded the following season.

Frustrated with the performance of talented winger Pierre Larouche, Bastien dealt the 22-year-old to the Montreal Canadiens for veteran Pete Mahovlich and prospect Peter Lee on November 29, 1977. Larouche would go on to win two Stanley Cup championships with the Canadiens, while Mahovlich was traded to the Red Wings less than two years later. Lee would fail to live up to his promise, scoring an average of only 0.57 points per game over the course of six seasons with the Penguins.

The high roster turnover, particularly from three of the previous season's top five scorers, contributed to the Penguins missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

Schedule and results

Playoffs

The Penguins failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1973–74 season, ending their three season playoff streak.

Player statistics

Skaters

Goaltenders

^†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

• Ron Stackhouse became the first defenseman to score 200 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 7–4 win over Chicago on November 12th.
• Jean Pronovost became the first person to play 700 games for the Penguins. He did so in a 3–5 loss to Los Angeles on December 8th.
• Jean Pronovost became the first player to score 300 goals for the Penguins. He did so in a 3–1 win over New York on January 22nd.
• Jean Pronovost became the first player to score 600 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 6–3 win over Toronto on April 2nd.
• Jean Pronovost established a career franchise record for games (753), goals (316) and points (603). He had led in goals since 1972 and games and points since 1973.
• Syl Apps, Jr. established a career franchise record for assists (349). He had led the category since 1972.
• Dave Schultz established a franchise record for penalty minutes in a season with 378. He was also the first to record 300 PIMs in a season, beating the previous high of 212 held by Bryan Watson.

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1977–78 season:

Roster

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	NHL Draft	Birthplace
7000700000000000000♠7		Russell Anderson	D	L	23	1975	Minneapolis, Minnesota
7001140000000000000♠14		Wayne Bianchin	RW	L	24	1973	Nanaimo, British Columbia
7000400000000000000♠4		David Burrows	D	L	29	Undrafted	Toronto, Ontario
7000600000000000000♠6		Colin Campbell	D	L	25	1973	Toronto, Ontario
7001260000000000000♠26		Gene Carr	C	L	26	1971	Nanaimo, British Columbia
7001280000000000000♠28		Tom Cassidy	C	L	26	1972	Blind River, Ontario
7000900000000000000♠9		Blair Chapman	RW	R	21	1976	Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
7001270000000000000♠27		Mike Corrigan	LW	L	32	Undrafted	Ottawa, Ontario
7001200000000000000♠20		Jacques Cossette	RW	R	23	1974	Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
7001160000000000000♠16		Kim Davis	C	L	20	1977	Flin Flon, Manitoba
7000200000000000000♠2		Thomas Edur	D	R	23	1974	Toronto, Ontario
7000500000000000000♠5		Mario Faubert	D	R	23	1974	Valleyfield, Quebec
7001110000000000000♠11		John Flesch	RW	L	24	1973	Sudbury, Ontario
7001230000000000000♠23		James Hamilton	RW	L	21	1977	Barrie, Ontario
7000100000000000000♠1		Denis Herron	G	L	25	1972	Chambly, Quebec
7001170000000000000♠17		Rick Kehoe	RW	R	26	1971	Windsor, Ontario
7001300000000000000♠30		Gordon Laxton	G	L	23	1975	Montreal, Quebec
7001100000000000000♠10		Peter Lee	RW	R	22	1976	Ellesmere, Great Britain
7001180000000000000♠18		Lowell MacDonald	LW	R	36	Undrafted	New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
7001200000000000000♠20		Peter Mahovlich	C	L	31	1963	Timmins, Ontario
7001120000000000000♠12		William Malone	C	L	22	1976	Fredericton, New Brunswick
7001160000000000000♠16		Lew Morrison	RW	R	30	1968	Gainsborough, Saskatchewan
7001240000000000000♠24		Robert Paradise	D	L	34	Undrafted	St. Paul, Minnesota
7001250000000000000♠25		Thomas Price	D	—	23	1974	Toronto, Ontario
7001190000000000000♠19		Jean Pronovost (C)	RW	R	32	Undrafted	Shawinigan Falls, Quebec
7001250000000000000♠25		Greg Redquest	G	L	21	1976	Toronto, Ontario
7001160000000000000♠16		Derek Sanderson	C	L	31	Undrafted	Niagara Falls, Ontario
7000800000000000000♠8		Dave Schultz	LW	L	28	1969	Waldheim, Saskatchewan
7001220000000000000♠22		Brian Spencer	LW	L	28	1969	Fort St. James, British Columbia
7000300000000000000♠3		Ronald Stackhouse	D	R	28	1969	Haliburton, Ontario
7001290000000000000♠29		Dunc Wilson	G	L	30	Undrafted	Toronto, Ontario

Draft picks

The 1977 NHL Amateur Draft was held in Montreal, Quebec.^[4]

Round	#	Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
2	30	James Hamilton	Right Wing	Canada	London Knights (OHA)
3	48	Kim Davis	Center	Canada	Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL)
4	66	Mark Johnson	Center	United States	U. of Wisconsin (NCAA)
6	102	Gregory Millen	Goaltender	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHA)

References

• Penguins on Hockey Database