1976–77 Chicago Black Hawks season

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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 managerTommy Ivan
CoachBilly Reay (10–19–5)
Bill White (16–24–6)
CaptainKeith Magnuson
Pit Martin and
Stan Mikita
Alternate captainsNone
ArenaChicago Stadium
Team leaders
GoalsDarcy Rota and Ivan Boldirev (24)
AssistsIvan Boldirev (38)
PointsIvan Boldirev (62)
Penalty minutesPhil Russell (233)
Plus/minusBobby Orr (+6)
WinsTony Esposito (25)
Goals against averageTony Esposito (3.45)

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]

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

[edit]
Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
St. Louis Blues 80 32 39 9 239 276 73
Minnesota North Stars 80 23 39 18 240 310 64
Chicago Black Hawks 80 26 43 11 240 298 63
Vancouver Canucks 80 25 42 13 235 294 63
Colorado Rockies 80 20 46 14 226 307 54

[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

[edit]
Smythe Division record vs. opponents


Game log

[edit]

Regular season

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

New York Islanders 2, Chicago Black Hawks 0

[edit]
# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 5 Chicago Black Hawks 2–5 New York Islanders 0–1
2 April 7 Chicago Black Hawks 1–2 New York Islanders 0–2

Season stats

[edit]

Scoring leaders

[edit]
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Ivan Boldirev 80 24 38 62 40
Pit Martin 75 17 36 53 22
Stan Mikita 57 19 30 49 20
Dick Redmond 80 22 25 47 30
Darcy Rota 76 24 22 46 82

Goaltending

[edit]
Player GP TOI W L T GA SO GAA
Tony Esposito 69 4067 25 36 8 234 2 3.45
Michel Dumas 5 241 0 1 2 17 0 4.23
Mike Veisor 3 180 1 2 0 13 0 4.33
Gilles Villemure 6 312 0 4 1 28 0 5.38

Playoff stats

[edit]

Scoring leaders

[edit]
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Kirk Bowman 2 1 0 1 0
Dennis Hull 2 1 0 1 0
Grant Mulvey 2 1 0 1 2
Dale Tallon 2 0 1 1 0
Bob Murray 2 0 1 1 2

Goaltending

[edit]
Player GP TOI W L GA SO GAA
Tony Esposito 2 120 0 2 6 0 3.00

Draft picks

[edit]

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

Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team (league)
1 9 Réal Cloutier  Canada Quebec Nordiques (WHA)
2 27 Jeff McDill  Canada Victoria Cougars (WCHL)
3 45 Thomas Gradin  Sweden Modo Hockey (Sweden)
4 63 Dave Debol  United States University of Michigan (NCAA)
5 81 Terry McDonald  Canada Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)
6 99 John Peterson  Canada University of Notre Dame (NCAA)
7 115 John Rothstein  United States University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 1975–76 NHL Season Summary – Hockey-Reference.com
  2. ^ 1975–76 Chicago Black Hawks Games – Hockey-Reference.com
  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

[edit]
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