The 1975–76 NHL season was the 59th

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. The

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

, defeating the defending champion

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

in the final. This season also marked the final time that

Hockey Night in Canada CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...

on CBC in Canada would air both radio and television broadcasts of games; the show would become exclusive to

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

the next season.

Regular season

The

set records in wins with 58 and points with 127, beginning a four-year stretch where they would dominate the league in the regular season and win four straight

titles. The

tied the record set by the 1929–30 Boston Bruins for most consecutive home ice wins, with 20. During the regular season, between December 28 and January 10, "

Super Series '76 Super Series '76 was the first of the "Super Series" ice hockey exhibitions, which saw club teams from Soviet Championship League touring North America to play against teams from the National Hockey League (NHL). The games were played in late Decem ...

" took place as two teams from the

Soviet Championship League The Soviet Hockey Championship (russian: Чемпионат СССР по хоккею) was the highest level ice hockey league in the Soviet Union, running from 1946 to 1992. Before the 1940s the game of ice hockey was not cultivated in Russia, i ...

played eight exhibitions against NHL teams.

HC CSKA Moscow HC CSKA Moscow (1946–present, russian: ЦСКА Москва, Центральный Спортивный Клуб Армии, ''Central Sports Club of the Army, Moscow'') is a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Moscow. The club i ...

(the "Red Army Club"), defending Soviet champion, played against the New York Rangers, Montreal, Boston and, on January 11, the defending NHL champion, the Philadelphia Flyers, while

Krylya Sovetov Moscow HC Krylya Sovetov (russian: link=no, ХК Крылья Советов; ''Soviet Wings'') is a professional ice hockey team based in Moscow, Russia. The team played in the top divisions of Soviet and Russian hockey. In 2008, the team was expell ...

("the Soviet Wings") played against Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago and the New York Islanders.Super Series site
/ref> The blockbuster trade of the year saw the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

send superstar center

Phil Esposito Philip Anthony Esposito ( , ; born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive, and current broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in ...

and star defenceman

Carol Vadnais Carol Marcel Vadnais (September 25, 1945 – August 31, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1966–67 until 1982–83. Vadnais won the Stanley Cup twice during his ...

to the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

for star center

Jean Ratelle Joseph Gilbert Yvon Jean Ratelle (born October 3, 1940) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. In twenty-one seasons he averaged almost a point a game and won the Lady Byng Trophy twice in ...

and superstar defenceman

Brad Park Douglas Bradford "Brad" Park (born July 6, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A defenceman, Park played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Considered to be on ...

. Both Ratelle and Park would excel for the Bruins for years to come, while Esposito's days as the preeminent scorer in the NHL were behind him. On February 7, 1976,

Darryl Sittler Darryl Glen Sittler (born September 18, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1970 until 1985 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. He was ...

set an NHL record that still stands for most points scored in one game. He recorded ten points (six goals, four assists) against the Boston Bruins.

Final standings

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
''Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold''

Prince of Wales Conference

Clarence Campbell Conference

Playoffs

Playoff seeds

The twelve teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–12 based on regular season points. ''Note: Only teams that qualified for the playoffs are listed here.'' #

, Norris Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 127 points #

, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 118 points #

, Adams Division champions – 113 points #

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

– 105 points # New York Islanders – 101 points #

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

– 85 points #

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

– 83 points #

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

– 82 points (35 wins, 5 points head-to-head vs. Atlanta) #

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

– 82 points (35 wins, 3 points head-to-head vs. Pittsburgh) #

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Smythe Division champions – 82 points (32 wins) #

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

– 81 points #

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

– 72 points

Playoff bracket

* Division winners earned a bye to the Quarterfinals * Teams were re-seeded based on regular season record after the Preliminary and Quarterfinal rounds

Preliminary Round

(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (8) St. Louis Blues

The Buffalo Sabres were the first seed of the preliminary round and fourth overall with 105 points. The St. Louis Blues were the eighth seed of the preliminary round and twelfth overall with 72 points. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The Buffalo Sabres won this year's regular season series earning 5 of 8 points.

(2) New York Islanders vs. (7) Vancouver Canucks

The New York Islanders were the second seed in the preliminary round and fifth overall with 101 points. The Vancouver Canucks were the seventh seed in the preliminary round and eleventh overall with 81 points. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Vancouver won this year's regular season series earning 8 of 10 points.

(3) Los Angeles Kings vs. (6) Atlanta Flames

The Los Angeles Kings were the third seed of the preliminary round and sixth overall 85 points. The Atlanta Flames were the sixth seed of the preliminary round and ninth overall with 82 points. Atlanta tied with Pittsburgh in points and wins, but Pittsburgh earned 5 points in games against the Flames while Atlanta earned 3 points in games against the Penguins. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Los Angeles won this year's regular season series earning 6 of 8 points.

(4) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins

The Toronto Maple Leafs were the fourth seed in the preliminary round and seventh overall with 83 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins were the fifth seed in the preliminary round and eighth overall with 82 points. The Atlanta Flames tied with Pittsburgh in points and wins, but Pittsburgh earned 5 points in games against the Flames while Atlanta earned 3 points in games against the Penguins. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Pittsburgh won this year's regular season series earning 8 of 10 points.

Quarterfinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks

The Montreal Canadiens finished first in the league with 127 points. The Chicago Black Hawks finished as the Smythe Division Champions and eighth seed of the quarterfinals with 82 points. This was the 17th playoff series between these two teams. Montreal lead 11–5 in previous meetings. Their most recent meeting came in the

1973 Stanley Cup Finals The 1973 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1972–73 season, and the culmination of the 1973 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens, a ...

, which Montreal won in six games. Montreal won this year's regular season series earning 5 of 8 points.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Philadelphia Flyers finished as Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions and second seed overall with 118 points. This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, which Philadelphia won in a four-game sweep. Philadelphia won this year's regular season series earning 7 of 8 points.

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

The Boston Bruins finished as the Adams Division regular season champions and third seed overall with 113 points. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Boston won this year's regular season series earning 8 of 10 points.

(4) Buffalo Sabres vs. (5) New York Islanders

This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.

Semifinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) New York Islanders

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (3) Boston Bruins

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. Philadelphia won the only previous meeting in a major upset in the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals in six games.

Stanley Cup Finals

This was the second playoff series (and only Finals) meeting between these two teams. Montreal won the only previous meeting in the 1973 Stanley Cup Semifinals in five games. The two-time defending

Champions, the

, once again made it to the finals, but were swept in four games by the

Awards

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points'' Source: NHL.

Leading goaltenders

''Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts''

Other statistics

* Plus-minus: Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers

Coaches

Patrick Division

*Atlanta Flames:

Fred Creighton Fred Creighton (June 24, 1930 in Port Arthur, Ontario – September 28, 2011) was a Canadian ice hockey centre and coach. Creighton is best known for his time as an NHL head coach. Creighton grew up in rural Manitoba. After completing his journ ...

*New York Islanders:

Al Arbour Alger Joseph Arbour (November 1, 1932 – August 28, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He is third to Joel Quenneville for games coached in National Hockey League history and fifth all-time in wins, behind Scotty Bo ...

*New York Rangers:

Ron Stewart Ronald George Stewart (July 11, 1932 – March 17, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1952 to 1973, as well as a coach. He spent the first half of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ...

*Philadelphia Flyers:

Fred Shero Frederick Alexander Shero, nicknamed The Fog (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). However, he spen ...

Adams Division

*Boston Bruins:

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

*Buffalo Sabres:

Floyd Smith Floyd Robert Donald Smith (born May 16, 1935, in Perth, Ontario) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and coach. Biography Smith grew up in Galt, Ontario, playing junior hockey with the Galt Black Hawks. He made his National Ho ...

*California Golden Seals: Jack Evans *Toronto Maple Leafs: Red Kelly

Norris Division

*Detroit Red Wings:

Alex Delvecchio Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio (born December 4, 1931) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager who spent his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Detroit Red Wings. In a playing caree ...

*Los Angeles Kings:

Bob Pulford Robert Jesse Pulford (born March 31, 1936) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League. He later served as head coach of the Kings before spe ...

*Montreal Canadiens:

Scotty Bowman William Scott Bowman, OC (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) head coach. He holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs and ...

*Pittsburgh Penguins:

Marc Boileau Marc Claude Boileau (September 3, 1932 – December 27, 2000) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach. He played 55 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1961–62 season. The rest of his career, which las ...

*Washington Capitals:

Milt Schmidt Milt is the seminal fluid of fish, mollusks, and certain other water-dwelling animals which reproduce by spraying this fluid, which contains the sperm, onto roe (fish eggs). It can also refer to the sperm sacs or testes that contain the semen. ...

and

Tom McVie Thomas McVie (born June 6, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach in the National Hockey League. McVie grew up in a poor family, and, upon signing his first junior league contract, is said to have left home with a single used st ...

Smythe Division

*Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay *Kansas City Scouts:

Bep Guidolin Armand "Bep" Guidolin (December 9, 1925 – November 24, 2008) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach. He is notable for being the youngest player in National Hockey League history. He was born in Thorold, Ontario. He and Eleanor, his wife of ...

Sid Abel Sidney Gerald Abel (February 22, 1918February 8, 2000) was a Canadian Hall of Fame hockey player, coach and general manager in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Detroit Red Wings, and was a member of three Stanley Cup-winning team ...

and Eddie Bush *Minnesota North Stars: Ted Harris *St. Louis Blues:

Lynn Patrick Joseph Lynn Patrick (February 3, 1912 – January 26, 1980) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. As a player, Patrick played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers. He was twice named to the NHL ...

and

Leo Boivin Leo Joseph Boivin (August 2, 1931 – October 16, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Win ...

*Vancouver Canucks:

Phil Maloney Philip Francis Anthony Maloney (October 6, 1927 – February 21, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs">Boston_Bruins.html" ;"title ...

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1975–76 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): *

Willi Plett Willi Plett (born June 7, 1955) is a Paraguayan-born Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 834 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars and Boston Bruins. H ...

, Atlanta Flames *

Dennis Maruk Dennis John Maruk (born November 17, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player of Ukrainian descent. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1975 to 1989, scoring a career-high 60 goals for the Washington Capitals in 1 ...

, California Golden Seals * Bob Murray, Chicago Blackhawks * Gary Sargent, Los Angeles Kings *

Doug Jarvis Douglas McArthur Jarvis (born March 24, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals and Hartford Whalers in the National Hockey League. He was a four-time Stanley Cup win ...

, Montreal Canadiens *

Doug Risebrough Douglas John Risebrough (born January 29, 1954) is a Canadian former player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League. In his 31 years in the NHL, he has been involved with the Stanley Cup Playoffs 25 times. He is currently a pro s ...

, Montreal Canadiens *

Bryan Trottier Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won four Stanley Cups with the ...

, New York Islanders *

Mel Bridgman Melvin John Bridgman (born April 28, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1975–76 until 1988–89. Bridgman was born in Trenton, Ontario, but grew up in Thund ...

, Philadelphia Flyers

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1975–76 (listed with their last team): *

Gary Bergman Gary Gunnar Bergman (October 7, 1938 – December 8, 2000) was a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey player. A Defenceman (ice hockey), defenceman, Bergman played in the National Hockey League, NHL, mostly for the Detroit Red Wings. He was ...

, Kansas City Scouts * Bryan Hextall Jr., Minnesota North Stars *

Chico Maki Ronald Patrick "Chico" Maki (August 17, 1939 – August 24, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey forward. Maki played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Chicago Black Hawks, starting in the 1960–61 NHL season, and ultimately ret ...

, Chicago Black Hawks *

Bob Nevin Robert Frank Nevin (March 18, 1938 – September 21, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1957–58 and 1975–76. Career Nevin scored 21 goals as a rookie w ...

, Los Angeles Kings *

Noel Price Garry Noel Price (born December 9, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with seven teams between 1957 to 1976. He also spent considerable time in the minor American Hockey League d ...

, Atlanta Flames *

Mickey Redmond Michael Edward Redmond (born December 27, 1947) is a Canadian former professional hockey player. He is currently a color commentator for Detroit Red Wings games on television for Bally Sports Detroit. Playing career Redmond played right win ...

, Detroit Red Wings * Bill White, Chicago Black Hawks *

Terry Crisp Terrance Arthur Crisp (born May 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach and player. Crisp played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers be ...

, Philadelphia Flyers * Andre Boudrias, Vancouver Canucks * Tommy Williams, Washington Capitals ''NOTE: Boudrias finished his major professional career in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

.''

References

* * * * ;Notes

External links

Hockey DatabaseNHL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:1975-76 NHL season 1L 1975–76 in American ice hockey by league

Regular season

Final standings

Prince of Wales Conference

Clarence Campbell Conference

Playoffs

Playoff seeds

Playoff bracket

Preliminary Round

(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (8) St. Louis Blues

(2) New York Islanders vs. (7) Vancouver Canucks

(3) Los Angeles Kings vs. (6) Atlanta Flames

(4) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins

Quarterfinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Toronto Maple Leafs

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

(4) Buffalo Sabres vs. (5) New York Islanders

Semifinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) New York Islanders

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (3) Boston Bruins

Stanley Cup Finals

Awards

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Leading goaltenders

Other statistics

Coaches

Patrick Division

Adams Division

Norris Division

Smythe Division

Debuts

Last games

See also

References

External links