The 1975-76 NHL season was the 59th season of the National Hockey League. Eighteen teams each played 80 games.
This season also marked the final time that Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television in Canada would air radio broadcasts of games, with HNIC moving exclusively to television the next season.
Regular Season
The Montreal Canadiens set records in wins with 58 and points with 127, beginning a four-year stretch where they dominated the league in the regular season and win four straight Stanley Cup titles. The Philadelphia Flyers tied the record set by the 1929–30 Boston Bruins for most consecutive home ice wins, with 20.
During the regular season, between December 28 and January 10, "Super Series '76" took place as two teams from the Soviet Championship League played eight exhibitions against NHL teams. HC CSKA Moscow (the "Red Army Club"), defending Soviet champion, played against the New York Rangers, Montreal, Boston and, on January 11, the defending NHL champion, the Philadelphia Flyers, while Krylya Sovetov Moscow ("the Soviet Wings") played against Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago and the New York Islanders.
The blockbuster trade of the year saw the Boston Bruins send superstar center Phil Esposito and star defenceman Carol Vadnais to the New York Rangers for star center Jean Ratelle and superstar defenceman Brad Park. Both Ratelle and Park excelled for the Bruins for years to come, while Esposito's days as the preeminent scorer in the NHL were behind him.
On February 7, 1976, Darryl Sittler set an NHL record that still stands for most points scored in one game. He recorded 10 points (six goals, four assists) against the Boston Bruins.
Final Standings
Prince of Wales Conference
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Bruins | 80 | 48 | 15 | 17 | 313 | 237 | 113 |
Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 46 | 21 | 13 | 339 | 240 | 105 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 34 | 31 | 15 | 294 | 276 | 83 |
California Golden Seals | 80 | 27 | 42 | 11 | 250 | 278 | 65 |
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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 58 | 11 | 11 | 337 | 174 | 127 |
Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 38 | 33 | 9 | 263 | 265 | 85 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 35 | 33 | 12 | 339 | 303 | 82 |
Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 26 | 44 | 10 | 226 | 300 | 62 |
Washington Capitals | 80 | 11 | 59 | 10 | 224 | 394 | 32 |
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.
Clarence Campbell Conference
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 51 | 13 | 16 | 348 | 209 | 118 |
New York Islanders | 80 | 42 | 21 | 17 | 297 | 190 | 101 |
Atlanta Flames | 80 | 35 | 33 | 12 | 262 | 237 | 82 |
New York Rangers | 80 | 29 | 42 | 9 | 262 | 333 | 67 |
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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 32 | 30 | 18 | 254 | 261 | 82 |
Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 33 | 32 | 15 | 271 | 272 | 81 |
St. Louis Blues | 80 | 29 | 37 | 14 | 249 | 290 | 72 |
Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 20 | 53 | 7 | 195 | 303 | 47 |
Kansas City Scouts | 80 | 12 | 56 | 12 | 190 | 351 | 36 |
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.
Scoring Leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 56 | 69 | 125 | 36 |
Bobby Clarke | Philadelphia Flyers | 76 | 30 | 89 | 119 | 136 |
Gilbert Perreault | Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 44 | 69 | 113 | 36 |
Bill Barber | Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 50 | 62 | 112 | 104 |
Pierre Larouche | Pittsburgh Penguins | 76 | 53 | 58 | 111 | 33 |
Jean Ratelle | Boston Bruins / New York Rangers | 80 | 36 | 69 | 105 | 18 |
Pete Mahovlich | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 34 | 71 | 105 | 76 |
Jean Pronovost | Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 52 | 52 | 104 | 24 |
Darryl Sittler | Toronto Maple Leafs | 79 | 41 | 59 | 100 | 90 |
Syl Apps, Jr. | Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 32 | 67 | 99 | 24 |
Leading Goaltenders
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 | 62 | 3580 | 121 | 2.03 | 42 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
Chico Resch | N.Y. Islanders | 44 | 2546 | 88 | 2.07 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 7 |
Dan Bouchard | Atlanta Flames | 47 | 2671 | 113 | 2.54 | 19 | 17 | 8 | 2 |
Wayne Stephenson | Philadelphia Flyers | 66 | 3819 | 164 | 2.58 | 40 | 10 | 13 | 1 |
Billy Smith | N.Y. Islanders | 39 | 2254 | 98 | 2.61 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 3 |
Gilles Gilbert | Boston Bruins | 55 | 3123 | 151 | 2.90 | 33 | 8 | 10 | 3 |
Tony Esposito | Chicago Black Hawks | 68 | 4003 | 198 | 2.97 | 30 | 23 | 13 | 4 |
Rogatien Vachon | L.A. Kings | 51 | 3060 | 160 | 3.14 | 26 | 20 | 5 | 5 |
Wayne Thomas | Toronto Maple Leafs | 64 | 3684 | 196 | 3.19 | 28 | 24 | 12 | 2 |
Gary Simmons | California Seals | 40 | 2360 | 131 | 3.33 | 15 | 19 | 5 | 2 |
Stanley Cup Playoffs
Playoff Bracket
Preliminary Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
8 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | New York Islanders | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
8 | St. Louis Blues | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | New York Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | New York Islanders | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Vancouver Canucks | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Boston Bruins | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Boston Bruins | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Los Angeles Kings | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Atlanta Flames | 0 |
Finals
- Stanley Cup Champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, once again made it to the finals, but were swept in four games by the Montreal Canadiens. The two-time defending
Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 9 | Philadelphia | 3 | Montreal | 4 | |
May 11 | Philadelphia | 1 | Montreal | 2 | |
May 13 | Montreal | 3 | Philadelphia | 2 | |
May 16 | Montreal | 5 | Philadelphia | 3 |
NHL Awards
Prince of Wales Trophy: | Montreal Canadiens |
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | Philadelphia Flyers |
Art Ross Memorial Trophy: | Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens |
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Rod Gilbert, New York Rangers |
Calder Memorial Trophy: | Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
Conn Smythe Trophy: | Reggie Leach, Philadelphia Flyers |
Hart Memorial Trophy: | Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers |
Jack Adams Award: | Don Cherry, Boston Bruins |
James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Denis Potvin, New York Islanders |
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers/Boston Bruins |
Lester B. Pearson Award: | Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens |
NHL Plus/Minus Award: | Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers |
Vezina Trophy: | Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens |
Lester Patrick Trophy: | Stan Mikita, George A. Leader, Bruce A. Norris |
All-Star Teams
First Team | Position | Second Team |
---|---|---|
Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens | G | Glenn Resch, New York Islanders |
Denis Potvin, New York Islanders | D | Borje Salming, Toronto Maple Leafs |
Brad Park, Boston Bruins | D | Guy Lapointe, Montreal Canadiens |
Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers | C | Gilbert Perreault, Buffalo Sabres |
Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens | RW | Reggie Leach, Philadelphia Flyers |
Bill Barber, Philadelphia Flyers | LW | Rick Martin, Buffalo Sabres |
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1975-76 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Willi Plett, Atlanta Flames
- Dennis Maruk, California Golden Seals
- Bob Murray, Chicago Black Hawks
- Doug Jarvis, Montreal Canadiens
- Doug Risebrough, Montreal Canadiens
- Mario Tremblay, Montreal Canadiens
- Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders
- Mel Bridgman, Philadelphia Flyers
Last Games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1975-76 (listed with their last team):
- Gary Bergman, Kansas City Scouts
- Bryan Hextall Jr., Minnesota North Stars
- Chico Maki, Chicago Black Hawks
- Bob Nevin, Los Angeles Kings
- Mickey Redmond, Detroit Red Wings
- Bill White, Chicago Black Hawks
- Terry Crisp, Philadelphia Flyers
- Andre Boudrias, Vancouver Canucks
- Tommy Williams, Washington Capitals
See Also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- 1975 NHL Amateur Draft
- 29th National Hockey League All-Star Game
- National Hockey League All-Star Game
- List of WHA seasons
- 1976 Kansas City Scouts–Washington Capitals Japanese tour
Gallery
Video
Over five minutes of game footage from the January 28, 1976 North Stars-Scouts game.
Over ten minutes of the Canadiens-Black Hawks 1976 Quarter-finals Game 4.
References
1975–76 NHL season by team | |
---|---|
Patrick | Atlanta • NY Islanders • NY Rangers • Philadelphia |
Adams | Boston • Buffalo • California • Toronto |
Norris | Detroit • Los Angeles • Montreal • Pittsburgh • Washington |
Smythe | Chicago • Kansas City • Minnesota • St. Louis • Vancouver |
See also | 1975 NHL Amateur Draft • All-Star Game • Stanley Cup Finals |
NHL Seasons |
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1971-72 | 1972-73 | 1973-74 | 1974-75 | 1975-76 | 1976-77 | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 |
National Hockey League | |||||||||
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Structure | Playoffs (Streaks • Droughts • All-time playoff series) • Conference Finals • Finals |
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Annual events | Seasons • Stanley Cup (Champions • Winning players • Traditions and anecdotes) • Presidents' Trophy • All-Star Game • Draft • Awards • All-Star Teams |
Players | List of players • Association • Retired jersey numbers • Captains |
History | Lore • Organizational changes :: • Defunct teams • NHA • Original Six • 1967 Expansion • WHA Merger • Lockouts |
Others | Outdoor games (Winter Classic • Heritage Classic • Stadium Series) • Potential expansion • Hall of Fame (Members) • Rivalries • Arenas • Rules • Fighting • Violence : International games • Kraft Hockeyville • Collective bargaining agreement • Television and radio coverage |
Category • 2020–21 Season • 2021–22 Season • 2022–23 Season |