| 1977–78 Boston Bruins | |
| Division | 1st Adams |
|---|---|
| 1977–78 record | 51-18-11 |
| Goals for | 333 (3rd) |
| Goals against | 218 (5th) |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Harry Sinden |
| Coach | Don Cherry |
| Captain | Wayne Cashman |
| Arena | Boston Garden |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Peter McNab (41) |
| Assists | Terry O'Reilly (61) |
| Points | Terry O'Reilly (90) |
| Penalty minutes | Terry O'Reilly (211) |
| Wins | Ron Grahame (26) |
| Goals against average | Gilles Gilbert (2.53) |
The 1977–78 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 54th season in the NHL. The Bruins finished 1st in the Adams Division and lost in the 1978 Stanley Cup Finals to the Montreal Canadiens 4 games to 2.
Off-season[]
Regular Season[]
The 1977-78 Bruins set an NHL record by having 11 different skaters score 20 goals or more in a season.[1] The eleven skaters were Peter McNab, Terry O'Reilly, Bobby Schmautz, Stan Jonathan, Jean Ratelle, Rick Middleton, Wayne Cashman, Gregg Sheppard, Brad Park, Don Marcotte and Bob Miller.
Final Standings[]
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 51 | 18 | 11 | 333 | 218 | 113 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 44 | 19 | 17 | 288 | 215 | 105 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 41 | 29 | 10 | 271 | 237 | 92 |
| Cleveland Barons | 80 | 22 | 45 | 13 | 230 | 325 | 57 |
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.
Game Log[]
 Regular Season Results
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | T | October 13, 1977 | 2–2 | Atlanta Flames (1977–78) | 0–0–1 |
| 2 | L | October 15, 1977 | 1–3 | @ New York Islanders (1977–78) | 0–1–1 |
| 3 | L | October 16, 1977 | 0–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 0–2–1 |
| 4 | W | October 19, 1977 | 7–3 | @ St. Louis Blues (1977–78) | 1–2–1 |
| 5 | W | October 22, 1977 | 4–3 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 2–2–1 |
| 6 | T | October 23, 1977 | 3–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) | 2–2–2 |
| 7 | T | October 25, 1977 | 4–4 | @ Colorado Rockies (1977–78) | 2–2–3 |
| 8 | L | October 26, 1977 | 0–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) | 2–3–3 |
| 9 | W | October 29, 1977 | 5–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 3–3–3 |
| 10 | L | November 3, 1977 | 1–4 | Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 3–4–3 |
| 11 | L | November 5, 1977 | 2–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 3–5–3 |
| 12 | W | November 6, 1977 | 5–3 | New York Islanders (1977–78) | 4–5–3 |
| 13 | W | November 10, 1977 | 5–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 5–5–3 |
| 14 | W | November 12, 1977 | 6–3 | @ Atlanta Flames (1977–78) | 6–5–3 |
| 15 | W | November 13, 1977 | 3–1 | Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 7–5–3 |
| 16 | T | November 17, 1977 | 4–4 | Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) | 7–5–4 |
| 17 | W | November 19, 1977 | 3–1 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 8–5–4 |
| 18 | W | November 20, 1977 | 1–0 | Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) | 9–5–4 |
| 19 | W | November 23, 1977 | 2–0 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 10–5–4 |
| 20 | W | November 24, 1977 | 6–0 | Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 11–5–4 |
| 21 | W | November 26, 1977 | 3–2 | New York Rangers (1977–78) | 12–5–4 |
| 22 | W | November 27, 1977 | 4–1 | St. Louis Blues (1977–78) | 13–5–4 |
| 23 | W | December 1, 1977 | 4–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) | 14–5–4 |
| 24 | T | December 3, 1977 | 4–4 | @ Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 14–5–5 |
| 25 | W | December 4, 1977 | 3–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 15–5–5 |
| 26 | W | December 8, 1977 | 6–4 | Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 16–5–5 |
| 27 | W | December 10, 1977 | 6–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 17–5–5 |
| 28 | W | December 11, 1977 | 8–2 | @ New York Rangers (1977–78) | 18–5–5 |
| 29 | L | December 15, 1977 | 4–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) | 18–6–5 |
| 30 | L | December 17, 1977 | 1–4 | @ New York Islanders (1977–78) | 18–7–5 |
| 31 | W | December 18, 1977 | 2–1 | Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 19–7–5 |
| 32 | W | December 21, 1977 | 6–3 | Colorado Rockies (1977–78) | 20–7–5 |
| 33 | W | December 23, 1977 | 6–1 | Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) | 21–7–5 |
| 34 | W | December 27, 1977 | 6–3 | @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 22–7–5 |
| 35 | T | December 28, 1977 | 5–5 | @ Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 22–7–6 |
| 36 | W | December 31, 1977 | 7–0 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 23–7–6 |
| 37 | W | January 4, 1978 | 3–0 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) | 24–7–6 |
| 38 | W | January 7, 1978 | 3–1 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) | 25–7–6 |
| 39 | L | January 8, 1978 | 3–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 25–8–6 |
| 40 | L | January 10, 1978 | 2–3 | New York Rangers (1977–78) | 25–9–6 |
| 41 | W | January 12, 1978 | 6–1 | Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 26–9–6 |
| 42 | L | January 14, 1978 | 3–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 26–10–6 |
| 43 | W | January 19, 1978 | 4–1 | Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 27–10–6 |
| 44 | W | January 21, 1978 | 7–1 | Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 28–10–6 |
| 45 | L | January 22, 1978 | 2–3 | Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 28–11–6 |
| 46 | W | January 26, 1978 | 4–3 | Colorado Rockies (1977–78) | 29–11–6 |
| 47 | W | January 27, 1978 | 5–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 30–11–6 |
| 48 | W | January 29, 1978 | 8–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 31–11–6 |
| 49 | W | February 1, 1978 | 5–3 | @ St. Louis Blues (1977–78) | 32–11–6 |
| 50 | L | February 2, 1978 | 1–3 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 32–12–6 |
| 51 | W | February 4, 1978 | 8–1 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 33–12–6 |
| 52 | T | February 5, 1978 | 3–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 33–12–7 |
| 53 | W | February 9, 1978 | 5–3 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 34–12–7 |
| 54 | W | February 15, 1978 | 4–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 35–12–7 |
| 55 | L | February 18, 1978 | 2–4 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) | 35–13–7 |
| 56 | W | February 21, 1978 | 3–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1977–78) | 36–13–7 |
| 57 | W | February 22, 1978 | 6–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) | 37–13–7 |
| 58 | W | February 25, 1978 | 4–2 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 38–13–7 |
| 59 | T | February 28, 1978 | 4–4 | Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) | 38–13–8 |
| 60 | W | March 2, 1978 | 4–3 | Atlanta Flames (1977–78) | 39–13–8 |
| 61 | W | March 4, 1978 | 7–3 | Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 40–13–8 |
| 62 | W | March 5, 1978 | 6–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) | 41–13–8 |
| 63 | W | March 7, 1978 | 7–2 | St. Louis Blues (1977–78) | 42–13–8 |
| 64 | T | March 9, 1978 | 2–2 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) | 42–13–9 |
| 65 | L | March 11, 1978 | 2–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) | 42–14–9 |
| 66 | W | March 12, 1978 | 9–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) | 43–14–9 |
| 67 | W | March 16, 1978 | 7–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) | 44–14–9 |
| 68 | W | March 18, 1978 | 6–3 | @ New York Rangers (1977–78) | 45–14–9 |
| 69 | W | March 19, 1978 | 6–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 46–14–9 |
| 70 | W | March 21, 1978 | 5–3 | @ Cleveland Barons (1977–78) | 47–14–9 |
| 71 | W | March 23, 1978 | 7–0 | Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) | 48–14–9 |
| 72 | L | March 25, 1978 | 3–6 | @ Atlanta Flames (1977–78) | 48–15–9 |
| 73 | T | March 26, 1978 | 2–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 48–15–10 |
| 74 | T | March 28, 1978 | 4–4 | @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) | 48–15–11 |
| 75 | W | March 30, 1978 | 6–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–78) | 49–15–11 |
| 76 | L | April 1, 1978 | 1–7 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) | 49–16–11 |
| 77 | W | April 2, 1978 | 8–3 | New York Rangers (1977–78) | 50–16–11 |
| 78 | L | April 6, 1978 | 2–5 | Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) | 50–17–11 |
| 79 | W | April 8, 1978 | 3–1 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) | 51–17–11 |
| 80 | L | April 9, 1978 | 2–5 | New York Islanders (1977–78) | 51–18–11 |
Playoffs[]
Boston Bruins 4, Chicago Black Hawks 0[]
Boston Bruins 4, Philadelphia Flyers 1[]
Montreal Canadiens 4, Boston Bruins 2[]
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13 | Boston | 1 | Montreal | 4 | |
| May 16 | Boston | 2 | Montreal | 3 | OT |
| May 18 | Montreal | 0 | Boston | 4 | |
| May 21 | Montreal | 3 | Boston | 4 | OT |
| May 23 | Boston | 1 | Montreal | 4 | |
| May 25 | Montreal | 4 | Boston | 1 |
Player Stats[]
Regular Season[]
- Scoring
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry O'Reilly | RW | 77 | 29 | 61 | 90 | 211 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Jean Ratelle | C | 80 | 25 | 59 | 84 | 10 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Peter McNab | C | 79 | 41 | 39 | 80 | 4 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Brad Park | D | 80 | 22 | 57 | 79 | 79 | 68 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Wayne Cashman | LW | 76 | 24 | 38 | 62 | 69 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Rick Middleton | RW | 79 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 8 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Gregg Sheppard | C | 54 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 24 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| Bobby Schmautz | RW | 54 | 27 | 27 | 54 | 87 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Don Marcotte | LW | 77 | 20 | 34 | 54 | 16 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Stan Jonathan | LW | 68 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 116 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bob Miller | C | 76 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 41 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Mike Milbury | D | 80 | 8 | 30 | 38 | 151 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Wensink | LW | 80 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 181 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Rick Smith | D | 79 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 69 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Bucyk | LW | 53 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 4 | -2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Doak | D | 61 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 37 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Al Sims | D | 43 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Matti Hagman | C | 15 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | -1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Dennis O'Brien | D | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Forbes | D | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dwight Foster | RW | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Halward | D | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gerry Cheevers | G | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gilles Gilbert | G | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Grahame | G | 40 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darryl Edestrand | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Langdon | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Shanahan | C/RW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clayton Pachal | C/LW | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Pettie | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Grahame | 2328 | 40 | 26 | 6 | 7 | 107 | 2.76 | 3 |
| Gilles Gilbert | 1326 | 25 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 56 | 2.53 | 2 |
| Gerry Cheevers | 1086 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 48 | 2.65 | 1 |
| Jim Pettie | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6.00 | 0 |
| Team: | 4800 | 80 | 51 | 18 | 11 | 217 | 2.71 | 6 |
Playoffs[]
- Scoring
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Park | D | 15 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter McNab | C | 15 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bobby Schmautz | RW | 15 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Terry O'Reilly | RW | 15 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gregg Sheppard | C | 15 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wayne Cashman | LW | 15 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Jean Ratelle | C | 15 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Marcotte | LW | 15 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mike Milbury | D | 15 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Middleton | RW | 15 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rick Smith | D | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Wensink | LW | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Miller | C | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Doak | D | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dennis O'Brien | D | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stan Jonathan | LW | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al Sims | D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Grahame | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gerry Cheevers | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerry Cheevers | 731 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 35 | 2.87 | 1 |
| Ron Grahame | 202 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2.08 | 0 |
| Team: | 933 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 42 | 2.70 | 1 |
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts
Awards and Records[]
- Jack Adams Trophy: Don Cherry, Runner-up[3]
- James Norris Memorial Trophy: Brad Park, Runner-up
- Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Peter McNab, Runner-up
- Brad Park, Defenceman, NHL First Team All-Star
Transactions[]
- Sell Matti Hagman to the Quebec Nordiques on December 1, 1977.
Draft Picks[]
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Dwight Foster (F) |  Canada
|
Kitchener Rangers (OHA) |
Trivia[]
- Bruins who recorded a Hat trick this season include:
- Terry O'Reilly during the 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on November 10, 1977.
- Wayne Cashman had a four goal game during the 8-3 win over the New York Rangers on April 2, 1978.
References[]
- ↑ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p.174, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
- ↑ 1977-78 Boston Bruins Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com. hockey-reference.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
- ↑ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 222, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
| Boston Bruins | |
|---|---|
| The Franchise | Franchise • Original Six • Team History • All-time Roster • Seasons • Players • Records • GMs • Head Coaches |
| Arenas | Boston Arena • Boston Garden • TD Garden |
| Head Coaches | Ross • Denneny • Patrick • Weiland • Clapper • Boucher • Patrick • Schmidt • Watson • Sinden • Johnson • Guidolin • Cherry • Creighton • Cheevers • Goring • O'Reilly • Milbury • Bowness • Sutter • Kasper • Burns • Keenan • Ftorek • O'Connell • Sullivan • Lewis • Julien • Cassidy • Montgomery |
| Retired Numbers | 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 15 • 16 • 22 • 24 • 77 • 99 |
| Affiliates | Providence Bruins • Maine Mariners |
| Rivals | Montreal Canadiens • Toronto Maple Leafs • Philadelphia Flyers • New York Rangers |
| Stanley Cups | 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, 2011 |
| 1977–78 NHL season by team | |
|---|---|
| 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 | 1977 NHL Amateur Draft · All-Star Game · 1978 Stanley Cup Finals |