SEVEN SEASONS: WHA 1976-77
SEASON FIVE: Timeline by Paul
Newberry
The league remains at 12 teams, but
not without more franchise shifts. Toronto becomes
the Birmingham Bulls. Cleveland tries to move to
South Florida but winds up in St. Paul as a second
incarnation of the Minnesota Fighting Saints. It
fares even worse than the original team, folding
after 42 games. Quebec wins its only WHA championship,
beating Winnipeg in the final.
WHA Regular Season
EASTERN
DIVISION |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PTS |
GF |
GA |
PIM |
Quebec Nordiques |
81 |
47 |
31 |
3 |
97 |
353 |
295 |
1485 |
Cincinnati Stingers |
81 |
39 |
37 |
5 |
83 |
354 |
303 |
970 |
Indianapolis Racers |
81 |
36 |
37 |
8 |
80 |
276 |
305 |
880 |
New-England Whalers |
81 |
35 |
40 |
6 |
76 |
275 |
290 |
1254 |
Birmingham Bulls |
81 |
31 |
46 |
4 |
66 |
289 |
309 |
1179 |
Minnesota Fighting Saints* |
42 |
19 |
18 |
5 |
43 |
136 |
129 |
600 |
WESTERN
DIVISION |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PTS |
GF |
GA |
PIM |
Houston Aeros |
80 |
50 |
24 |
6 |
106 |
320 |
241 |
1432 |
Winnipeg Jets |
80 |
46 |
32 |
2 |
94 |
366 |
291 |
991 |
San-Diego Mariners |
81 |
40 |
37 |
4 |
84 |
284 |
283 |
834 |
Edmonton Oilers |
81 |
34 |
43 |
4 |
72 |
243 |
304 |
1319 |
Calgary Cowboys |
81 |
31 |
43 |
7 |
69 |
252 |
296 |
832 |
Phoenix Roadrunners |
80 |
28 |
48 |
4 |
60 |
281 |
383 |
915 |
|
Notes:
* Suspended operations after 42 games
AVCO World Trophy Playoffs
First
Round:
Quebec 4 New England 1
Indianapolis 4 Cincinnati 0
Houston 4 Edmonton 1
Winnipeg 4 San Diego 3
Second Round:
Quebec 4 Indianapolis 1
Winnipeg 4 Houston 2
AVCO Cup:
Quebec over Winnipeg, 4 games to 3
Bill Hunter Trophy Scoring
Leader
Year |
Player |
Gm |
G |
A |
Pts |
1977 |
Real Cloutier, Quebec
Nordiques |
76 |
66 |
75 |
141 |
|
Ben Hatskin Trophy Best
Goaltender
Year
|
Player |
Record
|
GAA |
1977 |
Ron Grahame, Houston
Aeros |
27-10-2 |
2.74 |
|
Dennis A. Murphy Trophy
Best Defenseman
Year
|
Player |
1977 |
Ron Plumb, Cincinnati
Stingers |
|
Lou Kaplan Trophy Rookie
of the Year
Year |
Player |
G |
A |
Pts |
1977 |
George Lyle, LW, New
England Whalers |
39 |
33 |
72 |
|
Paul Deneau Trophy
Most Gentlmenly Player
Year
|
Player |
1977 |
Dave Keon, New England
Whalers |
|
Howard Baldwin Trophy Coach
of the Year
Year |
Coach |
Improvement |
1977 |
Bill Dineen, Houston
Aeros |
53-27-0* |
to |
50-24-6* |
|
Note: *Won Division.
All WHA WHA
All Star Teams
Pos
|
1st
Team |
2nd
Team |
G |
John Garrett
Birmingham |
Joe
Daley
Winnipeg |
D |
Darryl
Maggs
Indianapolis |
Poul
Popiel
Houston |
D |
Ron
Plumb
Cincinnati |
Mark
Howe
Houston |
C |
Robbie
Ftorek
Phoenix |
Ulf
Nilsson
Winnipeg |
LW |
Anders
Hedberg
Winnipeg |
Real
Cloutier
Quebec |
RW |
Marc
Tardif
Quebec
|
Rick
Dudley
Cincinnati |
|
WHA Annual All-Star Game
1/18/77 Hartford, Connecticut
East 4, West 2
Attendance: 10,337
MVPs: Louis Levasseur, Willy Lindstrom
WEST
LINEUP |
EAST
LINEUP |
G Wayne Rutledge Houston
G Joe Daley Winnipeg
D Tommie Bergman Winnipeg
D Paul Shmyr Cleveland
D Kevin Morrison San Diego
D Barry Wilkins Edmonton
D Poul Popiel Houston
D Paul Terbenche Calgary
F Bobby Hull Winnipeg
F Anders Hedberg Winnipeg
F Ulf Nilsson Winnipeg
F Andre Lacroix San Diego
F Robbie Ftorek Phoenix
F Gordie Howe Houston
F Norm Ferguson San Diego
F Danny Lawson Calgary
F Cam Connor Houston
F Del Hall Phoenix
F Willy Lindstrom Winnipeg
F Joe Noris San Diego |
G Lou Levasseur Minnesota/Edmonton
G John Garrett Birmingham
D Pat Stapleton Indianapolis
D JC Tremblay Quebec
D Ron Plumb Cincinnati
D Gordie Roberts New England
D John Hughes Cincinnati
D Tommy Abrahamsson New England
F Serge Bernier Quebec
F Real Cloutier Quebec
F Marc Tardif Quebec
F Michel Parizeau Indianapolis
F Hugh Harris Indianapolis
F Mark Napier Birmingham
F Mike Rogers New England
F Blair MacDonald Indianapolis
F George Lyle New England
F Dennis Sobchuk Cincinnati
F Rich Leduc Cincinnati
F Ralph Backstrom New England |
Coach: Bobby Kromm |
Coach: Jacques Demers |
|
|