1976–77 Chicago Black Hawks season

Last updated

1976–77 Chicago Black Hawks
Division3rd Smythe
Conference7th Campbell
1976–77 record26–43–11
Home record19–16–5
Road record7–27–6
Goals for240
Goals against298
Team information
General manager Tommy Ivan
Coach Billy Reay (10–19–5)
Bill White (16–24–6)
Captain Keith Magnuson
Pit Martin and
Stan Mikita
Alternate captains None
Arena Chicago Stadium
Team leaders
Goals Darcy Rota and Ivan Boldirev (24)
Assists Ivan Boldirev (38)
Points Ivan Boldirev (62)
Penalty minutes Phil Russell (233)
Plus/minus Bobby Orr (+6)
Wins Tony Esposito (25)
Goals against average Tony Esposito (3.45)
←  1975–76
1977–78  →

The 1976–77 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 51st season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a 32–30–18 record in 1975–76, earning 82 points, and finishing in first place in the Smythe Division. In the playoffs, the Black Hawks were quickly swept out in four games by the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL quarter-finals. [1]

Contents

During the off-season, the Hawks made a big free agent signing, as the club signed eight time Norris Trophy winner Bobby Orr. Orr missed the majority of the 1975–76 due to a knee injury, as he was limited to ten games in his final season with the Boston Bruins. The team also named Keith Magnuson to become a tri-captain, joining Stan Mikita and Pit Martin in that role. The NHL also made a few changes, as the Kansas City Scouts were relocated to Denver, Colorado, and renamed the Colorado Rockies, while the California Seals moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and were renamed the Cleveland Barons.

The Black Hawks got off to a solid start to the season, as in the month of October, they had a 7–5–1 record, however, injuries took a toll on the team, and the Hawks fell into a slump. The Hawks went 3–14–4 in their next 21 games which cost longtime head coach Billy Reay his job. Reay had been with Chicago since 1963, and left the team with a record of 516-335-161 in his fourteen seasons with the club. He was replaced by recently retired Black Hawks defenseman Bill White, who played with the team from 1969 to 1975. Under White, the Hawks played better hockey, as they went 13–12–5 in his first 30 games, however, the team would go on an eight-game losing streak, and find themselves battling the Vancouver Canucks for the final playoff spot in the Smythe Division. The Hawks eventually finished the season with a 26–43–11 record, earning 63 points, and squeaked into the post-season. The 26 victories and 63 points was their fewest total since the team won 24 games and earned 55 points in 1957–58, while their 43 losses was their highest since losing 51 games in 1953–54. [2]

Offensively, the Black Hawks were led by Ivan Boldirev, who had a team high 24 goals, 38 assists and 62 points. Darcy Rota tied Boldirev for the team lead in goals, as he also scored 24 times, while earning 46 points. Pit Martin had 17 goals and 53 points, while Stan Mikita had 19 goals and 49 points while appearing in only 57 games. On defense, Dick Redmond led the way, scoring 22 goals and 47 points, while Phil Russell had 9 goals and 45 points from the blueline, along with a team high 233 penalty minutes. Bobby Orr, limited to only 20 games, earned 23 points, while posting a team best +6 rating.

In goal, Tony Esposito played the majority of the games, winning 25 games, while registering a GAA of 3.45, and earning two shutouts. [3]

The Hawks opened the playoffs in a best of three preliminary series against the New York Islanders, who finished in second place in the Patrick Division with 106 points, which was 43 more than the Hawks. The series opened with two games at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York, and the Islanders made quick work of the Hawks in the first game, easily winning 5–2 to take the series lead. New York would then complete the two-game sweep, narrowly defeating the Hawks 2–1 in the second game, as Chicago was swept out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Black Hawks were originally scheduled as the home team for the second game, but its home rink Chicago Stadium had already been booked that night for the second of three Led Zeppelin concerts. [4]

Season standings

Smythe Division
GPWLTGFGAPts
St. Louis Blues 803239923927673
Minnesota North Stars 8023391824031064
Chicago Black Hawks 8026431124029863
Vancouver Canucks 8025421323529463
Colorado Rockies 8020461422630754

[5] Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Record vs. opponents

Smythe Division record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

Regular season

1976–77 regular season [2]
October
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPoints
1October 7Chicago Black Hawks6–4 St. Louis Blues 1–0–02
2October 9Chicago Black Hawks1–2 New York Islanders 1–1–02
3October 10 Vancouver Canucks 1–5Chicago Black Hawks2–1–04
4October 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4Chicago Black Hawks3–1–06
5October 15Chicago Black Hawks3–5 Colorado Rockies 3–2–06
6October 17 Minnesota North Stars 0–3Chicago Black Hawks4–2–08
7October 19Chicago Black Hawks0–3 Cleveland Barons 4–3–08
8October 21Chicago Black Hawks1–5 Philadelphia Flyers 4–4–08
9October 23Chicago Black Hawks3–4 Minnesota North Stars 4–5–08
10October 24 St. Louis Blues 2–7Chicago Black Hawks5–5–010
11October 27 Montreal Canadiens 4–4Chicago Black Hawks5–5–111
12October 30Chicago Black Hawks6–5 Detroit Red Wings 6–5–113
13October 31 Washington Capitals 4–5Chicago Black Hawks7–5–115
November
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPoints
14November 4Chicago Black Hawks5–7 Boston Bruins 7–6–115
15November 6Chicago Black Hawks3–11 Montreal Canadiens 7–7–115
16November 7 Colorado Rockies 3–2Chicago Black Hawks7–8–115
17November 10 Philadelphia Flyers 2–2Chicago Black Hawks7–8–216
18November 12Chicago Black Hawks5–4 Washington Capitals 8–8–218
19November 14 Los Angeles Kings 4–5Chicago Black Hawks9–8–220
20November 17Chicago Black Hawks2–3 New York Rangers 9–9–220
21November 19Chicago Black Hawks3–5 Atlanta Flames 9–10–220
22November 21Chicago Black Hawks0–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 9–11–220
23November 24Chicago Black Hawks5–4 Los Angeles Kings 10–11–222
24November 27Chicago Black Hawks3–4 Vancouver Canucks 10–12–222
December
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPoints
25December 1 Boston Bruins 5–3Chicago Black Hawks10–13–222
26December 4Chicago Black Hawks2–2 Toronto Maple Leafs 10–13–323
27December 5 Vancouver Canucks 4–2Chicago Black Hawks10–14–323
28December 8 Montreal Canadiens 4–3Chicago Black Hawks10–15–323
29December 11Chicago Black Hawks1–3 Atlanta Flames 10–16–323
30December 12 New York Islanders 6–2Chicago Black Hawks10–17–323
31December 16Chicago Black Hawks1–4 Philadelphia Flyers 10–18–323
32December 18 New York Rangers 3–3Chicago Black Hawks10–18–424
33December 19 St. Louis Blues 6–4Chicago Black Hawks10–19–424
34December 21Chicago Black Hawks3–3 Minnesota North Stars 10–19–525
35December 22 Buffalo Sabres 4–2Chicago Black Hawks10–20–525
36December 26 Colorado Rockies 3–5Chicago Black Hawks11–20–527
37December 29 Detroit Red Wings 3–6Chicago Black Hawks12–20–529
38December 31Chicago Black Hawks2–2 Colorado Rockies 12–20–630
January
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPoints
39January 2 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–6Chicago Black Hawks13–20–632
40January 5 Buffalo Sabres 1–2Chicago Black Hawks14–20–634
41January 8Chicago Black Hawks2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 14–21–634
42January 9 Boston Bruins 4–2Chicago Black Hawks14–22–634
43January 12 New York Islanders 1–2Chicago Black Hawks15–22–636
44January 15Chicago Black Hawks4–1 Toronto Maple Leafs 16–22–638
45January 16 New York Rangers 5–2Chicago Black Hawks16–23–638
46January 18Chicago Black Hawks7–7 Colorado Rockies 16–23–739
47January 19 St. Louis Blues 5–3Chicago Black Hawks16–24–739
48January 22Chicago Black Hawks3–0 Detroit Red Wings 17–24–741
49January 23 Philadelphia Flyers 2–2Chicago Black Hawks17–24–842
50January 27Chicago Black Hawks1–1 Vancouver Canucks 17–24–943
51January 30 Cleveland Barons 3–9Chicago Black Hawks18–24–945
February
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPoints
52February 2 Atlanta Flames 2–4Chicago Black Hawks19–24–947
53February 3Chicago Black Hawks0–6 Philadelphia Flyers 19–25–947
54February 5Chicago Black Hawks3–5 Cleveland Barons 19–26–947
55February 6 Minnesota North Stars 3–0Chicago Black Hawks19–27–947
56February 9 Washington Capitals 4–4Chicago Black Hawks19–27–1048
57February 12 Colorado Rockies 2–4Chicago Black Hawks20–27–1050
58February 13 Atlanta Flames 2–4Chicago Black Hawks21–27–1052
59February 15Chicago Black Hawks1–5 St. Louis Blues 21–28–1052
60February 16Chicago Black Hawks0–3 Buffalo Sabres 21–29–1052
61February 19Chicago Black Hawks2–6 Minnesota North Stars 21–30–1052
62February 20 Toronto Maple Leafs 10–8Chicago Black Hawks21–31–1052
63February 23 Detroit Red Wings 2–5Chicago Black Hawks22–31–1054
64February 26 New York Rangers 1–2Chicago Black Hawks23–31–1056
65February 27 Vancouver Canucks 4–3Chicago Black Hawks23–32–1056
March
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPoints
66March 2Chicago Black Hawks3–6 Buffalo Sabres 23–33–1056
67March 3Chicago Black Hawks4–7 Washington Capitals 23–34–1056
68March 6Chicago Black Hawks2–6 Boston Bruins 23–35–1056
69March 8Chicago Black Hawks1–7 Los Angeles Kings 23–36–1056
70March 10Chicago Black Hawks0–5 Vancouver Canucks 23–37–1056
71March 12Chicago Black Hawks1–5 Montreal Canadiens 23–38–1056
72March 16 New York Islanders 5–0Chicago Black Hawks23–39–1056
73March 19Chicago Black Hawks2–2 New York Islanders 23–39–1157
74March 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3Chicago Black Hawks24–39–1159
75March 23 Los Angeles Kings 3–1Chicago Black Hawks24–40–1159
76March 26 Minnesota North Stars 2–7Chicago Black Hawks25–40–1161
77March 27Chicago Black Hawks5–3 New York Rangers 26–40–1163
78March 30Chicago Black Hawks1–4 St. Louis Blues 26–41–1163
April
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPoints
79April 1Chicago Black Hawks4–6 Atlanta Flames 26–42–1163
80April 3 Cleveland Barons 4–2Chicago Black Hawks26–43–1163

Legend:   Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1977 Stanley Cup playoffs [2]
Preliminary round vs. (1) New York Islanders – Islanders win 2–0
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeSeries
1April 5Chicago Black Hawks2–5 New York Islanders 0–1
2April 7Chicago Black Hawks1–2 New York Islanders 0–2

Legend:   Win  Loss

Season stats

Scoring leaders

PlayerGPGAPtsPIM
Ivan Boldirev 8024386240
Pit Martin 7517365322
Stan Mikita 5719304920
Dick Redmond 8022254730
Darcy Rota 7624224682

Goaltending

PlayerGPTOIWLTGASOGAA
Tony Esposito 6940672536823423.45
Michel Dumas 52410121704.23
Mike Veisor 31801201304.33
Gilles Villemure 63120412805.38

Playoff stats

Scoring leaders

PlayerGPGAPtsPIM
Kirk Bowman 21010
Dennis Hull 21010
Grant Mulvey 21012
Dale Tallon 20110
Bob Murray 20112

Goaltending

PlayerGPTOIWLGASOGAA
Tony Esposito 212002603.00

Draft picks

Chicago's draft picks at the 1976 NHL amateur draft at the NHL Office in Montreal.

Round#PlayerNationalityCollege/junior/club team (league)
19 Réal Cloutier Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada Quebec Nordiques (WHA)
227 Jeff McDill Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada Victoria Cougars (WCHL)
345 Thomas Gradin Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden Modo Hockey (Sweden)
463 Dave Debol Flag of the United States.svg United States University of Michigan (NCAA)
581 Terry McDonald Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)
699John PetersonFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada University of Notre Dame (NCAA)
7115John RothsteinFlag of the United States.svg United States University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)

References

  1. ↑ 1975–76 NHL Season Summary – Hockey-Reference.com
  2. 1 2 3 "1976-77 Chicago Black Hawks Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Chicago Blackhawks goaltending history : Tony Esposito". Archived from the original on February 17, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
  4. ↑ Herman, Robin. "Islanders Get Home Ice for All Hawk Games," The New York Times, Tuesday, April 5, 1977. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  5. ↑ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN   9781894801225.
  6. ↑ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.