1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins season



The 1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their 11th in the National Hockey League. The Penguins finished 4th in the Norris Division, their worst performance in four years and 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 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.

Playoffs

 * The Penguins did not qualify for the post season.

Skaters
Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; A= Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in Minutes †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. ‡Traded mid-season

Goaltenders
Note: GP= Games played; TOI= Time on ice (minutes); W= Wins; L= Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals Against Average

Awards and Records

 * The Penguins did not receive any awards this season.

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

Video
Over 30 minutes of the October 23, 1977 Pittsburgh-Cleveland game.