1978-79 NHL season
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
The 1978-79 NHL season was the 62nd season of the National Hockey League. This season saw the first reduction in the total number of teams since the Brooklyn Americans folded following the 1941-42 season. The financially unstable Cleveland Barons were merged with the also struggling Minnesota North Stars, reducing the number of teams to seventeen, with the North Stars assuming the Barons' place in the Adams Division. The remaining 17 teams played an 80 game season. This reduction would only be temporary, however, as the World Hockey Association would fold following this season and four of its teams, the Edmonton Oilers, Qubec Nordiques, Winnepeg Jets and Hartford Whalers, would be admitted to the NHL as expansion franchises for the 1979-80 season.
The Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals four games to one for their fourth Cup in a row.
For the first time since the NHL All-Star Game became an annual tradition, it was not played. In its stead was the 1979 Challenge Cup, which saw Soviet Union players come over to North America to play against NHL players. The Soviets won the series two games to one.
A sticky situation developed when Montreal left defenceman Pierre Bouchard open in the intra-league draft and the Washington Capitals selected him. Montreal then traded Rod Schutt and another player for Bouchard, but NHL president John Ziegler nullified the deal, ruling that Bouchard had to play for Washington. Bouchard then retired from hockey, vowing not to play for the Capitals.
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Regular season
On October 1rst, Bobby Smith scored the first goal of his National Hockey League career as the Minnesota North Stars walloped the Vancouver Canucks 7-2.
Cooper Smeaton, the National Hockey League’s first referee-in-chief, Stanley Cup trustee and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, died October 3rd at age 88.
On October 14th, the Los Angeles Kings easily beat the St. Louis Blues 6-2, as Butch Goring had two goals, but in defeat, the Blues top line of Bernie Federko Brian Sutter and Wayne Babych was very impressive as Sutter scored two goals. Sutter was leading the NHL in this department at this point.
On October 20th, the St. Louis Blues made a remarkable comeback to tie Colorado 5-5. The Federko- Sutter-Babych line was phenomenal as Federko had two goals. Brian Sutter had a fight with Wilf Paiement at 14:02 of the second period.
After a two game slump, the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens walloped the Los Angeles Kings 8-4 October 22nd. Both Steve Shutt and Rejean Houle had two goals in the win.
An ugly incident marred a Detroit win over Colorado October 25th. Dennis Polonich of Detroit and Wilf Paiement of the Rockies were exchanging heated insults and profanity in a tussle, and then Polonich cross-checked Paiement, to which Paiement gave Polonich a vicious two-hander with his stick to the face and forehead that cut Polonich badly. Paiement received a match penalty for his attack, and Polonich had to be taken to the hospital where it was determined he had suffered a concussion and had to undergo surgery to permit breathing. After National Hockey League president John Ziegler investigated the incident, he suspended Paiement for 15 games, the most since Maurice Richard was suspended in 1954-55 when Richard assaulted Hal Laycoe. Paiement stated to the press that this action was not altogether justified, as Polonich had provoked the attack and that the conduct of Polonich had been quite provocative as a player since he entered the NHL.
The amazing Blues made another comeback as on October 29th, they came from behind to tie Buffalo 7-7. Doug Grant was not sharp in the Blues net and was replaced with Phil Myre. Garry Unger led comeback with two goals and Bob Hess tied it up at 13:31 of the third period.
The Blues returned to reality November 1rst when Minnesota walloped them 9-1. J.P. Parise scored two goals for the North Stars. Gary Sargent was impressive on the Minnesota defence with two assists and two North Stars goals were on the power play. The Blues at this point now led the league in goals given up to the opposition.
On November 18th, the New York Islanders solved Bernie Parent’s goaltending and chased him with three goals in the first period in an 8-2 win. Wayne Stephenson had to come in to replace Parent. Mike Bossy had a pair of goals as well as an assist in the game. Glenn Resch was sharp in goal for the Islanders and made 30 saves. On that same night, the St. Louis Blues were beaten in Toronto 3-1 by the Maple Leafs in a rough game in which fights broke out only 31 seconds into the game.Wayne Babych got into it with Pat Boutette and both were banished with majors. Then at 7:00 of the first period, Rick Bowness and Dan Maloney got into a fight, Bowness picking up a minor for instigating the fight along with his major for fighting, Maloney getting only the major for fighting. When hockey was being played, Darryl Sittler was outstanding with a goal and setting up Lanny McDonald for a goal. Bernie Federko spoiled Paul Harrison’s bid for a shutout at 12:31 of the final period. Also that night, the lowly Colorado Rockies caught the Chicago Black Hawks off guard, pasting them 8-3 as Joe Contini and Gary Croteau each had a pair of goals. John VanBoxmeer was outstanding on defence for the Rockies with a goal and an assist.
On November 23rd, the Stanley Cup champion Canadiens showed their power in an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jacques Lemaire led the way with two goals. That same night, the Vancouver Canucks came alive and walloped the Colorado Rockies 7-2. Glen Hanlon proved to be quite a find in goal, and made 33 saves. Chris Oddleifson and Dennis Ververgaert did most of the damage for the Canucks with a goal and an assist between them as the Canucks turned the third period into a nightmare for the Rockies with five goals.
On November 25th, the slumping St. Louis Blues defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-0 as Phil Myre picked up a shutout. The oddity of the game occurred at 1:34 of the first period as Blues captain Barry Gibbs told the referee about the Red Wings not putting out the proper lineup at the start of the game, and Detroit received a bench minor penalty for starting the wrong lineup. The Blues then capitalized on the power play with a goal by Bernie Federko. Federko then set up Brian Sutter for a goal, and Garry Unger scored a pair in the win. That same night, Chicago caught the Montreal Canadiens off guard and clipped them 8-3 as Bunny Larocque substituted for Ken Dryden in goal. Ivan Boldirev and Darcy Rota did most of the damage with two goals each.
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the St. Louis Blues 6-0 December 12th as Ken Dryden picked up the shutout. Guy Lafleur scored a natural hat trick with two goals in the second period and one in the third. The scrappy Brian Sutter of the Blues proved he would take on anyone, as he decided to fight big Larry Robinson at 3:16 of the second period, but the big defenceman was just too much for the smaller Sutter and prevailed in the fight.
The St. Louis Blues managed a win by beating Atlanta December 19th 7-4 as they scored four goals in the first period to chase Yves Belanger from the Flames net. Daniel Bouchard took over in goal. Brian Sutter had a pair of goals in the win.
On December 23rd, Bryan Trottier set an NHL record with six points in one period in the second period of a game against the New York Rangers. He had the hat trick and three assists, and went on to score five goals and collected eight points on the night as the New York Islanders hammered the Rangers 9-4.
Ted Graham, a former stalwart defenceman for a number of NHL teams in the 1930's, died January 1rst at age 72.
On January 4th, Willi Plett fired home two goals as Atlanta walked right into Maple Leaf Gardens and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1, but the highlight of the game was Dan Maloney being given a penalty shot when he was tripped from behind. Daniel Bouchard made the save on the shot.
It was announced that defenceman Brad Park of Boston was to undergo minor surgery to remove floating particles from his right knee and would be out of action for a few weeks. Dennis O’Brien was recalled to replace him.
Colorado defeated St. Louis 4-1 at the Checkerdome in St. Louis January 6th. During the game, the Rockies defenceman Joe Watson’s career came to an end when Wayne Babych checked him into the boards. Watson lay writhing in great pain and had to be carried off the ice on a stretcher. He was taken to a St. Louis hospital where diagnosis was a compound fracture of the left leg which had been broken in 14 places. After the game, an angry Barclay Plager chastized his team calling his team’s performance against the Rockies a disgrace and going on to say that the veterans on the team weren’t making any effort. The angry Blues coach seemed justified, as the Blues were battling with the Rockies as the NHL’s worst team.
Earl Robertson, an outstanding goaltender with the New York Americans and Brooklyn Americans, died January 19th at age 67.
The Blues got a winning streak of sorts going by beating Chicago 7-2 right at Chicago Stadium
January 28th as Mike Zuke scored a pair of shorthanded goals. The Blues then pummeled the
Los Angeles Kings at home 7-1 as Bernie Federko had two goals and two assists. Garry Unger
also had two goals for the Blues.
Gerry Cheevers, goaltender for the Boston Bruins, caused a flap when he stated that he might not play in the Challenge Cup series for the Russians, stating that the only team he'd play for was Team Florida (referring to a Florida vacation he planned.). NHL president John Ziegler then threatened to fine any player who did not suit up for the NHL in the upcoming game.
Mike Bossy scored his 100th career goal February 19th, his 47th of the season, which was the fastest 100 goals in NHL history, in an 8-3 rout of the Los Angeles Kings by the New York Islanders. His goal came at 1:33 of the second period when Kings defenceman Richard Mulhern made a bad pass. Wayne Merrick and Clark Gillies each had two goals for the Islanders.
A brawl marred a 7-3 win for the New York Rangers over the St. Louis Blues February 21rst. It started when Brian Sutter completed a hat trick, his 30th goal of the season, and the Blues players came off the bench to congratulate him. Behind the celebration, Steve Durbano of the Blues and Nick Fotiu of the Rangers exchanged pushes and in short order were in a fight. Shortly after the fight, Durbano swung his stick and cut Fotiu and they were at it again, joined by players on both teams. Durbano received a major for fighting, a double game misconduct and a match penalty. Fotiu received a minor, a ten minute misconduct and a game misconduct. Durbano then took a backward bow to the fans and left the ice. Then, the players skated near the Madison Square Garden corridor to see what was going on as police were in the area, but referee Bryan Lewis then chased them away. The Rangers outshot the Blues 50-19 and seemed to benefit from the penalties the Blues incurred.
After losing twice to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens crushed the Penguins 12-0 February 22nd as Bunny Larocque got the shutout. Yvon Lambert and Mario Tremblay had a pair of goals in the onslaught.
It was announced that John Davidson, Rangers goaltender, would be sidelined for ten days with a pulled hamstring muscle.
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the St. Louis Blues 6-4 at the Forum February 24th, in a well-played hockey game with lots of skating and hitting. Yvon Lambert and Larry Robinson each had a pair of goals for Montreal. The next night, the Rangers beat the Islanders 3-2, but lost Ulf Nilsson with a fractured ankle.
The St. Louis Blues walked right into the Olympia and beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-5 February 28th. Vaclav Nedomansky had the hat trick in a losing cause for Detroit. The crowd was displeased with Rogie Vachon in goal for Detroit and chanted “We want Rutherford!”, referring to back-up goaler Jim Rutherford on the Detroit bench.
The Philadelphia Flyers won a wild game with Los Angeles March 11th that erupted into a bench-clearing brawl as the first period ended. It all started when Frank Bathe of the Flyers got into a fight with Randy Holt of Los Angeles and there was heavy slugging at close quarters. Then, Mel Bridgman finally got into it with Steve Jensen after some insults by both players. Then, a still angry Holt got into a fight with the big slugger of the Flyers, Paul Holmgren with Holmgren getting in some good shots. Steve Jensen had not had enough and he and Bridgman once again fought. Bob “Hound” Kelly then got into a fight with Mark Heaslip, and then finally a fight between the Kings Bert Wilson and Behn Wilson erupted. When the brawl ended, referee Wally Harris ejected Bert Wilson, Steve Jensen, Mark Heaslip, Dave Taylor and Randy Holt of the Kings and Frank Bathe, Paul Holmgren, Mel Bridgman, Bob Kelly and Behn Wilson of the Flyers all from the game. Randy Holt set an NHL record collecting 67 minutes in penalties this one game. When hockey was being played, Marcel Dionne played an excellent game in a losing cause with two goals as the Flyers beat the Kings 6-3.
At the trading deadline, Atlanta endeavoured to improve its team and they and the Chicago Black Hawks made a mammoth eight player trade, the Flames sending Tom Lysiak, Pat Ribble, Greg Fox, Harold Phillipoff, and Miles Zaharko to Chicago in exchange for Ivan Boldirev, Phil Russell and Darcy Rota.
Pittsburgh walked right into Pacific Coliseum March 13th and walloped the Vancouver Canucks 9-3. Dunc Wilson was not sharp in goal and was replaced by Gary Bromley in the Canucks net. The Canucks were missing Glen Hanlon, out with torn ligaments in his knee. Ross Lonsberry picked up two of the Penguins goals.
The St. Louis Blues managed a 3-3 tie against the Los Angeles Kings March 22nd. Steve Durbano scored the last goal of his NHL career, the opening goal, when he intercepted a pass by Randy Holt and quickly fired it by goaltender Ron Grahame. Phil Myre played exceptionally well for the Blues in the St. Louis net. Charlie Simmer scored two goals for the Kings. That same night, the New York Islanders defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-3 as Denis Potvin became only the second defenceman to score 30 goals. Jacques Lemaire had two goals for the Habs in a losing cause.
Joe Cooper, an outstanding defenceman for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the 1930's and 1940's, died March 30th at age 64.
On April 1rst, the St. Louis Blues, with nothing at stake, decided to start Terry Richardson in goal against the Colorado Rockies. Ron Delorme had the hat trick and Randy Pierce scored a pair of goals as Colorado beat St. Louis handily, 9-5. During the game, a number of Blues goals were not signaled by goal judge Arthur Lippman, and Rockies shots that had only made it near the goal line were signaled as goals that referee Greg Madill disallowed. Finally, when it became obvious that Lippman was giving unjust calls, Madill ordered Lippman replaced.
James "Red" Burnett, Toronto Star hockey writer and considered the dean of hockey writers, died April 1rst at age 68.
For the past three seasons, the Montreal Canadiens had dominated the regular season, but times were changing. The New York Islanders had been steadily improving over the past few seasons and this season saw them beat out the Canadiens by one point for the best record in the league.
Final standings
GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
Prince of Wales Conference
| Adams Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 43 | 23 | 14 | 100 | 316 | 270 | 1222 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 36 | 28 | 16 | 88 | 280 | 263 | 1026 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 34 | 33 | 13 | 81 | 267 | 252 | 1440 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 28 | 40 | 12 | 68 | 257 | 289 | 1102 |
| Norris Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 52 | 17 | 11 | 115 | 337 | 204 | 803 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 85 | 281 | 279 | 1039 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 80 | 292 | 286 | 1134 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 24 | 41 | 15 | 63 | 273 | 338 | 1312 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 23 | 41 | 16 | 62 | 252 | 295 | 1359 |
Clarence Campbell Conference
| Patrick Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Islanders | 80 | 51 | 15 | 14 | 116 | 358 | 214 | 1077 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 95 | 281 | 248 | 1548 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 40 | 29 | 11 | 91 | 316 | 292 | 1214 |
| Atlanta Flames | 80 | 41 | 31 | 8 | 90 | 327 | 280 | 1158 |
| Smythe Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 29 | 36 | 15 | 73 | 244 | 277 | 1254 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 42 | 13 | 63 | 217 | 291 | 1134 |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 18 | 50 | 12 | 48 | 249 | 348 | 1055 |
| Colorado Rockies | 80 | 15 | 53 | 12 | 42 | 210 | 331 | 838 |
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Trottier | New York Islanders | 76 | 47 | 87 | 134 | 50 |
| Marcel Dionne | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 59 | 71 | 130 | 30 |
| Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 52 | 77 | 129 | 28 |
| Mike Bossy | New York Islanders | 80 | 69 | 57 | 126 | 25 |
| Bob MacMillan | Atlanta Flames | 79 | 37 | 71 | 108 | 14 |
| Guy Chouinard | Atlanta Flames | 80 | 50 | 57 | 107 | 14 |
| Denis Potvin | New York Islanders | 73 | 31 | 70 | 101 | 58 |
| Bernie Federko | St. Louis Blues | 74 | 31 | 64 | 95 | 14 |
| Dave Taylor | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 43 | 48 | 91 | 124 |
| Clark Gillies | New York Islanders | 75 | 35 | 56 | 91 | 68 |
Stanley Cup playoffs
All dates in 1979
Playoff bracket
{{4RoundBracket-Byes | RD1=Preliminary Round | RD2=Quarterfinals | RD3=Semifinals | RD4=Finals | RD1-seed03=6 | RD1-team03=Atlanta Flames | RD1-score03=0 | RD1-seed04=9 | RD1-team04=Toronto Maple Leafs | RD1-score04=2 | RD1-seed07=7 | RD1-team07=Buffalo Sabres | RD1-score07=1 | RD1-seed08=8 | RD1-team08=Pittsburgh Penguins | RD1-score08=2 | RD1-seed13=4 | RD1-team13=Philadelphia Flyers | RD1-score13=2 | RD1-seed14=12 | RD1-team14=Vancouver Canucks | RD1-score14=1 | RD1-seed15=5 | RD1-team15=New York Rangers | RD1-score15=2 | RD1-seed16=10 | RD1-team16=Los Angeles Kings | RD1-score16=0 | RD2-seed01=2 | RD2-team01=Montreal Canadiens | RD2-score01=4 | RD2-seed02=9 | RD2-team02=Toronto Maple Leafs | RD2-score02=0 | RD2-seed03=3 | RD2-team03=Boston Bruins | RD2-score03=4 | RD2-seed04=8 | RD2-team04=Pittsburgh Penguins | RD2-score04=0 | RD2-seed05=1 | RD2-team05=New York Islanders | RD2-score05=4 | RD2-seed06=11 | RD2-team06=Chicago Black Hawks | RD2-score06=0 | RD2-seed07=4 | RD2-team07=Philadelphia Flyers | RD2-score07=1 | RD2-seed08=5 | RD2-team08=New York Rangers | RD2-score08=4 | RD3-seed01=2 | RD3-team01=Montreal Canadiens | RD3-score01=4 | RD3-seed02=3 | RD3-team02=Boston Bruins | RD3-score02=3 | RD3-seed03=1 | RD3-team03=New York Islanders | RD3-score03=2 | RD3-seed04=5 | RD3-team04=New York Rangers | RD3-score04=4 | RD4-seed01=2 | RD4-team01=Montreal Canadiens | RD4-score01=4 | RD4-seed02=5 | RD4-team02=New York Rangers | RD4-score02=1 }}
Preliminary Round
Vancouver Canucks vs. Philadelphia Flyers
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 10 | Vancouver Canucks | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2 | |
| April 12 | Philadelphia Flyers | 6 | Vancouver Canucks | 4 | |
| April 14 | Vancouver Canucks | 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 7 |
Philadelphia wins best-of-three series 2 games to 1
Los Angeles Kings vs. New York Rangers
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 10 | Los Angeles Kings | 1 | New York Rangers | 7 | |
| April 12 | New York Rangers | 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 1 | (OT) |
NY Rangers win best-of-three series 2 games to 0
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Atlanta Flames
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | Atlanta Flames | 1 | |
| April 12 | Atlanta Flames | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7 |
Toronto wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | Buffalo Sabres | 3 | |
| April 12 | Buffalo Sabres | 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | |
| April 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | Buffalo Sabres | 3 | (OT) |
Pittsburgh wins best-of-three series 2 games to 1
Quarterfinals
Chicago Black Hawks vs. New York Islanders
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2 | New York Islanders | 6 | |
| April 18 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0 | New York Islanders | 1 | (OT) |
| April 20 | New York Islanders | 4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0 | |
| April 22 | New York Islanders | 3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1 |
NY Islanders win best-of-seven series 4 games to 0
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | |
| April 18 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | |
| April 21 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | |
| April 22 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 | (OT) |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2 | Boston Bruins | 6 | |
| April 18 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3 | Boston Bruins | 4 | |
| April 21 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | |
| April 22 | Boston Bruins | 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 |
Boston wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0
New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 16 | New York Rangers | 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | (OT) |
| April 18 | New York Rangers | 7 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1 | |
| April 20 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1 | New York Rangers | 5 | |
| April 22 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | New York Rangers | 6 | |
| April 24 | New York Rangers | 8 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 |
NY Rangers win best-of-seven series 4 games to 1
Semi-finals
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 26 | New York Rangers | 4 | New York Islanders | 1 | |
| April 28 | New York Rangers | 3 | New York Islanders | 4 | (OT) |
| May 1 | New York Islanders | 1 | New York Rangers | 3 | |
| May 3 | New York Islanders | 3 | New York Rangers | 2 | (OT) |
| May 5 | New York Rangers | 4 | New York Islanders | 3 | |
| May 8 | New York Islanders | 1 | New York Rangers | 2 |
NY Rangers win best-of-seven series 4 games to 2
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Game seven of the Montreal-Boston Semifinal is perhaps one of the most memorable in the history of the NHL. About a minute and a half after Boston's Rick Middleton scored with four minutes remaining in the third period to give the Bruins a 4-3 lead, linesman John D'Amico called a bench minor for too many men on the ice against the Bruins. Montreal's Guy Lafleur scored on the ensuing power play, sending the game to overtime where Yvon Lambert gave the Canadiens the win and a trip to their fourth straight Stanley Cup final.
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 26 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |
| April 28 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | |
| May 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | Boston Bruins | 2 | |
| May 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | Boston Bruins | 4 | (OT) |
| May 5 | Boston Bruins | 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | |
| May 8 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | Boston Bruins | 5 | |
| May 10 | Boston Bruins | 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | (OT) |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
Stanley Cup Finals
New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens
As of 2007. It was the last Stanley Cup Final where two Original Six teams met in a Stanley Cup Final.
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13 | New York Rangers | 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | |
| May 15 | New York Rangers | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 6 | |
| May 17 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | New York Rangers | 1 | |
| May 19 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | New York Rangers | 3 | (OT) |
| May 21 | New York Rangers | 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1
NHL awards
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | New York Islanders |
| Art Ross Memorial Trophy: | Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Serge Savard, Montreal Canadiens |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Bobby Smith, Minnesota North Stars |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy: | Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
| Jack Adams Award: | Al Arbour, New York Islanders |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Denis Potvin, New York Islanders |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Bob MacMillan, Atlanta Flames |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: | Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles Kings |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award: | Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
| Vezina Trophy: | Ken Dryden & Michel Larocque, Montreal Canadiens |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: | Bobby Orr |
All-Star teams
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1978-79 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Brad Marsh, Atlanta Flames
- Reggie Lemelin, Atlanta Flames
- Al Secord, Boston Bruins
- Bobby Smith, Minnesota North Stars
- Steve Payne, Minnesota North Stars
- Rod Langway, Montreal Canadiens
- John Tonelli, New York Islanders
- Anders Hedberg, New York Rangers
- Ulf Nilsson, New York Rangers
- Ken Linseman, Philadelphia Flyers
- Pete Peeters, Philadelphia Flyers
- Greg Millen, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Wayne Babych, St. Louis Blues
- Stan Smyl, Vancouver Canucks
- Ryan Walter, Washington Capitals
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1978-79 (listed with their last team):
- Bobby Orr, Chicago Blackhawks
- Joe Watson, Colorado Rockies
- Danny Grant, Los Angeles Kings
- Jean-Paul Parise, Minnesota North Stars
- Jacques Lemaire, Montreal Canadiens
- Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens
- Yvan Cournoyer, Montreal Canadiens
- Ed Westfall, New York Islanders
- Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers
- Garry Monahan, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Pit Martin, Vancouver Canucks
See also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- 1978 NHL Amateur Draft
- 1979 Challenge Cup
- 1978-79 WHA season
- 1978 in sports
- 1979 in sports
References
- Hockey Database (http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/nhl1927.html)
- NHL.com (http://nhl.com/)
Template:NHL seasonsfr:Saison LNH 1978-1979
| Preceded by: 1977-78 NHL season | NHL seasons | Succeeded by: 1979-80 NHL season |
