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77-78PitPen
1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division 4th Norris
Conference 7th Prince of Wales
1977–78 record 25-37-18
Goals for 254
Goals against 321
Team information
General manager Baz Bastien
Coach Johnny Wilson
Captain Jean Pronovost
Arena Pittsburgh Civic Arena
Team leaders
Goals Jean Pronovost (40)
Assists Greg Malone (43)
Points Jean Pronovost (65)
Penalty minutes Dave Schultz (378)
Wins Denis Herron (20)
Goals against average Denis Herron (3.57)

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.

Final 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

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 W October 12, 1977 4–2 St. Louis Blues (1977–78) 1–0–0
2 L October 14, 1977 1–2 @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) 1–1–0
3 L October 15, 1977 2–8 Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) 1–2–0
4 T October 19, 1977 3–3 @ New York Rangers (1977–78) 1–2–1
5 L October 20, 1977 0–11 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) 1–3–1
6 W October 22, 1977 5–2 Atlanta Flames (1977–78) 2–3–1
7 W October 23, 1977 3–2 @ Cleveland Barons (1977–78) 3–3–1
8 L October 26, 1977 3–4 Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) 3–4–1
9 L October 29, 1977 3–5 Boston Bruins (1977–78) 3–5–1
10 L November 2, 1977 1–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) 3–6–1
11 L November 4, 1977 2–5 @ Atlanta Flames (1977–78) 3–7–1
12 L November 5, 1977 3–4 @ New York Islanders (1977–78) 3–8–1
13 W November 9, 1977 5–3 Cleveland Barons (1977–78) 4–8–1
14 W November 12, 1977 7–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) 5–8–1
15 T November 13, 1977 3–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) 5–8–2
16 L November 16, 1977 4–7 @ Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) 5–9–2
17 T November 19, 1977 5–5 New York Rangers (1977–78) 5–9–3
18 T November 22, 1977 3–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) 5–9–4
19 L November 24, 1977 3–5 @ Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) 5–10–4
20 W November 26, 1977 5–2 New York Islanders (1977–78) 6–10–4
21 L November 29, 1977 1–9 @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) 6–11–4
22 W November 30, 1977 6–4 Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) 7–11–4
23 T December 3, 1977 4–4 Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) 7–11–5
24 W December 4, 1977 4–2 @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) 8–11–5
25 T December 6, 1977 3–3 @ Colorado Rockies (1977–78) 8–11–6
26 L December 8, 1977 3–5 Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) 8–12–6
27 L December 10, 1977 2–6 @ Boston Bruins (1977–78) 8–13–6
28 L December 11, 1977 1–5 Atlanta Flames (1977–78) 8–14–6
29 L December 14, 1977 2–3 @ St. Louis Blues (1977–78) 8–15–6
30 W December 17, 1977 5–3 Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) 9–15–6
31 T December 22, 1977 3–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) 9–15–7
32 L December 23, 1977 2–6 Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) 9–16–7
33 W December 26, 1977 5–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) 10–16–7
34 T December 28, 1977 2–2 Washington Capitals (1977–78) 10–16–8
35 L December 29, 1977 3–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) 10–17–8
36 W December 31, 1977 6–3 Cleveland Barons (1977–78) 11–17–8
37 L January 2, 1978 2–3 @ Washington Capitals (1977–78) 11–18–8
38 W January 4, 1978 8–3 Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) 12–18–8
39 T January 7, 1978 3–3 Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) 12–18–9
40 W January 9, 1978 5–3 @ New York Rangers (1977–78) 13–18–9
41 L January 11, 1978 6–8 Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) 13–19–9
42 T January 12, 1978 4–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) 13–19–10
43 W January 14, 1978 4–2 Cleveland Barons (1977–78) 14–19–10
44 L January 18, 1978 0–1 @ Atlanta Flames (1977–78) 14–20–10
45 L January 21, 1978 2–5 Washington Capitals (1977–78) 14–21–10
46 W January 22, 1978 3–1 New York Rangers (1977–78) 15–21–10
47 T January 28, 1978 3–3 Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) 15–21–11
48 L January 29, 1978 2–8 @ Boston Bruins (1977–78) 15–22–11
49 W January 31, 1978 5–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) 16–22–11
50 W February 1, 1978 6–1 Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) 17–22–11
51 L February 4, 1978 1–8 Boston Bruins (1977–78) 17–23–11
52 W February 7, 1978 4–2 @ Colorado Rockies (1977–78) 18–23–11
53 T February 11, 1978 3–3 @ Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) 18–23–12
54 W February 14, 1978 2–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) 19–23–12
55 T February 18, 1978 1–1 Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) 19–23–13
56 T February 19, 1978 2–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) 19–23–14
57 W February 21, 1978 5–4 @ St. Louis Blues (1977–78) 20–23–14
58 T February 22, 1978 2–2 St. Louis Blues (1977–78) 20–23–15
59 L February 25, 1978 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1977–78) 20–24–15
60 T February 26, 1978 4–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (1977–78) 20–24–16
61 L March 1, 1978 2–5 Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) 20–25–16
62 L March 4, 1978 3–6 @ New York Islanders (1977–78) 20–26–16
63 T March 5, 1978 3–3 New York Islanders (1977–78) 20–26–17
64 W March 8, 1978 5–3 Colorado Rockies (1977–78) 21–26–17
65 L March 11, 1978 1–3 Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) 21–27–17
66 L March 12, 1978 1–7 Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) 21–28–17
67 L March 14, 1978 2–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1977–78) 21–29–17
68 L March 15, 1978 4–7 @ Vancouver Canucks (1977–78) 21–30–17
69 W March 18, 1978 3–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) 22–30–17
70 L March 19, 1978 1–9 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1977–78) 22–31–17
71 L March 21, 1978 1–7 @ Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) 22–32–17
72 L March 22, 1978 2–5 Colorado Rockies (1977–78) 22–33–17
73 T March 25, 1978 2–2 Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) 22–33–18
74 L March 29, 1978 2–6 @ Montreal Canadiens (1977–78) 22–34–18
75 L March 30, 1978 3–6 @ Boston Bruins (1977–78) 22–35–18
76 W April 2, 1978 6–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–78) 23–35–18
77 W April 5, 1978 7–2 Minnesota North Stars (1977–78) 24–35–18
78 L April 6, 1978 4–6 @ Detroit Red Wings (1977–78) 24–36–18
79 L April 8, 1978 4–6 Washington Capitals (1977–78) 24–37–18
80 W April 9, 1978 3–2 @ Cleveland Barons (1977–78) 25–37–18

Playoffs[]

  • The Penguins did not qualify for the post season.

Player Stats[]

Skaters[]

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; A= Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in Minutes

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Player # GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
Jean Pronovost 19 79 40 25 65 50 - - - - -
Peter Mahovlich 26 57 25 36 61 37 - - - - -
Greg Malone 12 78 18 43 61 80 - - - - -
Gene Carr 28 70 17 37 54 76 - - - - -
Rick Kehoe 17 70 29 21 50 10 - - - - -
Blair Chapman 9 75 24 20 44 37 - - - - -
Tom Edur 2 58 5 38 43 18 - - - - -
Dave Schultz 8 66 9 25 34 378 - - - - -
Wayne Bianchin 14 61 20 13 33 40 - - - - -
Brian Spencer 22 79 9 11 20 81 - - - - -
Mike Corrigan 27 25 8 12 20 10 - - - - -
Ron Stackhouse 3 50 5 15 20 36 - - - - -
Dave Burrows 4 67 4 15 19 24 - - - - -
Peter Lee 10 60 5 13 18 19 - - - - -
Russ Anderson 7 74 2 16 18 150 - - - - -
Lowell MacDonald 18 19 5 8 13 2 - - - - -
John Flesch 11 29 7 5 12 19 - - - - -
Bob Paradise 24 64 2 10 12 53 - - - - -
Pierre Larouche 10 20 6 5 11 0 - - - - -
Dennis Owchar 25 22 2 8 10 23 - - - - -
Colin Campbell 6 55 1 9 10 103 - - - - -
Tom Cassidy 11 26 3 4 7 15 - - - - -
Syl Apps, Jr. 26 9 0 7 7 0 - - - - -
Jim Hamilton 23 25 2 4 6 2 - - - - -
Mario Faubert 5 18 0 6 6 11 - - - - -
Derek Sanderson 16 13 3 1 4 0 - - - - -
Jacques Cossette 20 19 1 2 3 4 - - - - -
Hartland Monahan 8 7 2 0 2 2 - - - - -
Lew Morrison 16 8 0 2 2 0 - - - - -
Dunc Wilson 29 21 0 1 1 0 - - - - -
Denis Herron 1 60 0 1 1 6 - - - - -
Greg Redquest 25 1 0 0 0 0 - - - - -
Kim Davis 16 1 0 0 0 0 - - - - -
Gordie Laxton 30 2 0 0 0 0 - - - - -
Tom Price 25 10 0 0 0 0 - - - - -

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

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Player # GP TOI W L T GA SO GAA GP TOI W L GA SO GAA
Denis Herron 1 60 3534 20 25 15 210 0 3.57 - - - - - - -
Dunc Wilson 29 21 1180 5 11 3 95 0 4.83 - - - - - - -
Gordie Laxton 30 2 73 0 1 0 9 0 7.40 - - - - - - -
Greg Redquest 25 1 13 0 0 0 3 0 13.85 - - - - - - -

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:

Trades[]

September 20, 1977 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Brian Spencer
To Buffalo Sabres
Ron Schock
October 1, 1977 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Bob Paradise
To Washington Capitals
rights to Don Awrey
October 17, 1977 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Hartland Monahan
To Washington Capitals
1st round pick in 1979 Draft
(later traded to North StarsTom McCarthy)
November 2, 1977 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Gene Carr
Dave Schultz
4th round pick in 1978 Draft
(Shane Pearsall)
To Los Angeles Kings
Syl Apps, Jr.
Hartland Monahan
November 29, 1977 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Peter Lee
Peter Mahovlich
To Montreal Canadiens
Pierre Larouche
future considerations (Peter Marsh, December 15, 1977)
December 2, 1977 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Tom Edur
To Colorado Rockies
Dennis Owchar

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
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)

Draft Picks[]

Amateur Draft[]

Round Pick Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team
2 30. Jim Hamilton Flag of Canada Canada London Knights (OMJHL)
3 48. Kim Davis Flag of Canada Canada Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL)
4 66. Mark Johnson Flag of the United States United States University of Wisconsin Badgers (WCHA)
6 102. Greg Millen Flag of Canada Canada Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)

Video[]

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

References[]

Pittsburgh Penguins
Team FranchisePlayersCoachesGMsSeasonsRecordsDraft PicksMellon ArenaPPG Paints Arena
Coaches Sullivan • Kelly • Schinkel • Boileau • WilsonJohnston • Angotti • Berry • Creamer • Ubriaco • Patrick • Johnson • Bowman • Constantine • Brooks • Hlinka • Kehoe • Olczyk • Therrien
Seasons 1967-681968-691969-701970-711971-721972-731973-741974-751975-761976-771977-781978-791979-801980-811981-821982-831983-841984-851985-861986-871987-881988-891989-901990-911991-921992-931993-941994-951995-961996-971997-981998-991999-002000-012001-022002-032003-042004-052005-062006-072007-082008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-19
Affiliates Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
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