1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins season

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1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division4th Norris
Conference7th Wales
1977–78 record25–37–18
Goals for254
Goals against321
Team information
General managerBaz Bastien
CoachJohnny Wilson
CaptainJean Pronovost
Alternate captainsNone
ArenaPittsburgh Civic Arena
Team leaders
GoalsJean Pronovost (40)
AssistsGreg Malone (43)
PointsJean Pronovost (65)
Penalty minutesDave Schultz (378)
WinsDenis Herron (20)
Goals against averageDenis Herron (3.57)

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.

Division standings[]

Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens 80 59 10 11 359 183 129
Detroit Red Wings 80 32 34 14 252 266 78
Los Angeles Kings 80 31 34 15 243 245 77
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 25 37 18 254 321 68
Washington Capitals 80 17 49 14 195 321 48

[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[]

1977–78 Schedule
October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–3–0 ; Road: 1–2–1), 7 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
1 Oct 12 St. Louis Blues 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins The Checkerdome 1–0–0 2
2 Oct 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 1–1–0 2
3 Oct 15 Philadelphia Flyers 8–2 Pittsburgh Penguins The Spectrum 1–2–0 2
4 Oct 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 1–2–1 3
5 Oct 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–11 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 1–3–1 3
6 Oct 22 Atlanta Flames 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Omni Coliseum 2–3–1 5
7 Oct 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Cleveland Barons Coliseum at Richfield 3–3–1 7
8 Oct 26 Detroit Red Wings 4–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Olympia Stadium 3–4–1 7
9 Oct 29 Boston Bruins 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Boston Garden 3–5–1 7
November: 4–6–3 (Home: 4–0–1 ; Road: 0–6–2), 11 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
10 Nov 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium 3–6–1 7
11 Nov 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 Atlanta Flames Omni Coliseum 3–7–1 7
12 Nov 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 3–8–1 7
13 Nov 9 Cleveland Barons 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Coliseum at Richfield 4–8–1 9
14 Nov 12 Chicago Black Hawks 4–7 Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Stadium 5–8–1 11
15 Nov 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 5–8–2 12
16 Nov 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–7 Minnesota North Stars Met Center 5–9–2 12
17 Nov 19 New York Rangers 5–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Madison Square Garden (IV) 5–9–3 13
18 Nov 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum 5–9–4 14
19 Nov 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–5 Los Angeles Kings The Forum 5–10–4 14
20 Nov 26 New York Islanders 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6–10–4 16
21 Nov 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–9 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum 6–11–4 16
22 Nov 30 Detroit Red Wings 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Olympia Stadium 7–11–4 18
December: 4–6–4 (Home: 2–3–2 ; Road: 2–3–2), 12 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
23 Dec 3 Buffalo Sabres 4–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 7–11–5 19
24 Dec 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 8–11–5 21
25 Dec 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Colorado Rockies McNichols Sports Arena 8–11–6 22
26 Dec 8 Los Angeles Kings 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins The Forum 8–12–6 22
27 Dec 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Boston Bruins Boston Garden 8–13–6 22
28 Dec 11 Atlanta Flames 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Omni Coliseum 8–14–6 22
29 Dec 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 St. Louis Blues The Checkerdome 8–15–6 22
30 Dec 17 Montreal Canadiens 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Montreal Forum 9–15–6 24
31 Dec 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 9–15–7 25
32 Dec 23 Toronto Maple Leafs 6–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Maple Leaf Gardens 9–16–7 25
33 Dec 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–4 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens 10–16–7 27
34 Dec 28 Washington Capitals 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Capital Centre 10–16–8 28
35 Dec 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum 10–17–8 28
36 Dec 31 Cleveland Barons 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Coliseum at Richfield 11–17–8 30
January: 5–5–3 (Home: 3–2–2 ; Road: 2–3–1), 13 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
37 Jan 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 11–18–8 30
38 Jan 4 Vancouver Canucks 3–8 Pittsburgh Penguins Pacific Coliseum 12–18–8 32
39 Jan 7 Los Angeles Kings 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins The Forum 12–18–9 33
40 Jan 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 13–18–9 35
41 Jan 11 Montreal Canadiens 8–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Montreal Forum 13–19–9 35
42 Jan 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 13–19–10 36
43 Jan 14 Cleveland Barons 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Coliseum at Richfield 14–19–10 38
44 Jan 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–1 Atlanta Flames Omni Coliseum 14–20–10 38
45 Jan 21 Washington Capitals 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Capital Centre 14–21–10 38
46 Jan 22 New York Rangers 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Madison Square Garden (IV) 15–21–10 40
47 Jan 28 Buffalo Sabres 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 15–21–11 41
48 Jan 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–8 Boston Bruins Boston Garden 15–22–11 41
49 Jan 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium 16–22–11 43
February: 4–2–5 (Home: 2–2–2 ; Road: 2–0–3), 13 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
50 Feb 1 Minnesota North Stars 1–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Met Center 17–22–11 45
51 Feb 4 Boston Bruins 8–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Boston Garden 17–23–11 45
52 Feb 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Colorado Rockies McNichols Sports Arena 18–23–11 47
53 Feb 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Los Angeles Kings The Forum 18–23–12 48
54 Feb 14 Chicago Black Hawks 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Stadium 19–23–12 50
55 Feb 18 Los Angeles Kings 1–1 Pittsburgh Penguins The Forum 19–23–13 51
56 Feb 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium 19–23–14 52
57 Feb 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–4 St. Louis Blues The Checkerdome 20–23–14 54
58 Feb 22 St. Louis Blues 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins The Checkerdome 20–23–15 55
59 Feb 25 Philadelphia Flyers 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins The Spectrum 20–24–15 55
60 Feb 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 20–24–16 56
March: 2–11–2 (Home: 1–4–2 ; Road: 1–7–0), 6 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
61 Mar 1 Montreal Canadiens 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Montreal Forum 20–25–16 56
62 Mar 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 20–26–16 56
63 Mar 5 New York Islanders 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 20–26–17 57
64 Mar 8 Colorado Rockies 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins McNichols Sports Arena 21–26–17 59
65 Mar 11 Vancouver Canucks 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Pacific Coliseum 21–27–17 59
66 Mar 12 Toronto Maple Leafs 7–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Maple Leaf Gardens 21–28–17 59
67 Mar 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Los Angeles Kings The Forum 21–29–17 59
68 Mar 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–7 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum 21–30–17 59
69 Mar 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens 22–30–17 61
70 Mar 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–9 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium 22–31–17 61
71 Mar 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–7 Minnesota North Stars Met Center 22–32–17 61
72 Mar 22 Colorado Rockies 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins McNichols Sports Arena 22–33–17 61
73 Mar 25 Detroit Red Wings 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Olympia Stadium 22–33–18 62
74 Mar 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum 22–34–18 62
75 Mar 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Boston Bruins Boston Garden 22–35–18 62
April: 3–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 1–1–0), 6 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
76 Apr 2 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Maple Leaf Gardens 23–35–18 64
77 Apr 5 Minnesota North Stars 2–7 Pittsburgh Penguins Met Center 24–35–18 66
78 Apr 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–6 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium 24–36–18 66
79 Apr 8 Washington Capitals 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Capital Centre 24–37–18 66
80 Apr 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Cleveland Barons Coliseum at Richfield 25–37–18 68
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

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
Regular Season[3]
Player GP W L T GA SO
Denis Herron 60 20 25 15 210 0
Dunc Wilson 21 5 11 3 95 0
Greg Redquest 1 0 0 0 3 0
Gordon Laxton 2 0 1 0 9 0
Total 25 37 18 317 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[]

  • 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:

Trades[]

September 20, 1977 To Buffalo Sabres

Ron Schock

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Brian Spencer

October 1, 1977 To Washington Capitals

rights to Don Awrey

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Bob Paradise

October 16, 1977 To Washington Capitals

1979 1st round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Hartland Monahan

November 2, 1977 To Los Angeles Kings

Syl Apps Jr.
Hartland Monahan

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Gene Carr
Dave Schultz
1978 4th round pick

November 29, 1977 To Montreal Canadiens

Pierre Larouche
future considerations (rights to Peter Marsh)

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Peter Lee
Pete Mahovlich

December 2, 1977 To Colorado Rockies

Dennis Owchar

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Tom Edur

June 13, 1978 To Toronto Maple Leafs

Dave Burrows
1978 6th round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Randy Carlyle
George Ferguson

Additions and subtractions[]

Additions
Player Former team Via
Tom Cassidy Boston Bruins free agency (1977-10-11)
John Flesch Minnesota North Stars free agency (1978-02-04)
Derek Sanderson Vancouver Canucks free agency (1978-03-14)
Subtractions
Player New team Via
J. Bob Kelly Chicago Black Hawks free agency (1977-08-17)
Peter Marsh Montreal Canadiens to complete trade that sent Pierre Larouche to Canadiens (1977-12-15)

Roster[]

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

Draft picks[]

See also: List of Pittsburgh Penguins 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[]

  1. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
  2. ^ "1977–1978 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  3. ^ "1977–1978 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  4. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.
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