1976–77 St. Louis Blues season
The 1976–77 St. Louis Blues season was the tenth for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. The Blues won the Smythe Division title with a record of 32 wins, 39 losses and nine ties, good for 73 points, and received a first-round bye in the 1977 NHL Playoffs. However, the Blues were no match for the eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens, as the Montrealers swept the Blues in the quarter-finals.
| 1976–77 St. Louis Blues | |
|---|---|
Smythe Division champions | |
| Division | 1st Smythe |
| Conference | Campbell |
| 1976–77 record | 32–39–9 |
| Goals for | 239 |
| Goals against | 276 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Emile Francis |
| Coach | Emile Francis |
| Captain | Garry Unger |
| Alternate captains | None |
| Arena | St. Louis Arena |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Garry Unger (30) |
| Assists | Bob MacMillan (39) |
| Points | Bob MacMillan (58) |
| Penalty minutes | Bob Gassoff (254) |
| Wins | Eddie Johnston (13) |
| Goals against average | Yves Belanger (3.00) |
Offseason
Regular season
Final standings
| 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 |
[1]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
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Vs. Campbell Conference |
Vs. Wales Conference |
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Vs. Smythe Division
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Vs. Patrick Division
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Vs. Adams Division
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Vs. Norris Division
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Schedule and results
| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L | October 7, 1976 | 4–6 | Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77) | 0–1–0 |
| 2 | W | October 9, 1976 | 2–1 | New York Rangers (1976–77) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | W | October 13, 1976 | 3–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1976–77) | 2–1–0 |
| 4 | W | October 16, 1976 | 6–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1976–77) | 3–1–0 |
| 5 | L | October 17, 1976 | 2–6 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1976–77) | 3–2–0 |
| 6 | W | October 19, 1976 | 6–5 | Boston Bruins (1976–77) | 4–2–0 |
| 7 | L | October 21, 1976 | 2–6 | @ Cleveland Barons (1976–77) | 4–3–0 |
| 8 | W | October 23, 1976 | 4–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1976–77) | 5–3–0 |
| 9 | L | October 24, 1976 | 2–7 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77) | 5–4–0 |
| 10 | W | October 26, 1976 | 5–2 | Vancouver Canucks (1976–77) | 6–4–0 |
| 11 | L | October 28, 1976 | 2–5 | @ New York Islanders (1976–77) | 6–5–0 |
| 12 | W | October 30, 1976 | 3–1 | Colorado Rockies (1976–77) | 7–5–0 |
| 13 | W | November 3, 1976 | 6–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77) | 8–5–0 |
| 14 | W | November 6, 1976 | 3–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77) | 9–5–0 |
| 15 | L | November 9, 1976 | 1–8 | Montreal Canadiens (1976–77) | 9–6–0 |
| 16 | L | November 10, 1976 | 0–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1976–77) | 9–7–0 |
| 17 | L | November 13, 1976 | 3–5 | Atlanta Flames (1976–77) | 9–8–0 |
| 18 | L | November 15, 1976 | 2–4 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1976–77) | 9–9–0 |
| 19 | T | November 17, 1976 | 5–5 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1976–77) | 9–9–1 |
| 20 | W | November 20, 1976 | 3–1 | New York Rangers (1976–77) | 10–9–1 |
| 21 | W | November 24, 1976 | 4–2 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1976–77) | 11–9–1 |
| 22 | L | November 26, 1976 | 2–5 | @ Atlanta Flames (1976–77) | 11–10–1 |
| 23 | W | November 27, 1976 | 3–2 | Buffalo Sabres (1976–77) | 12–10–1 |
| 24 | L | November 30, 1976 | 3–5 | Colorado Rockies (1976–77) | 12–11–1 |
| 25 | T | December 3, 1976 | 2–2 | @ Cleveland Barons (1976–77) | 12–11–2 |
| 26 | L | December 4, 1976 | 0–1 | Atlanta Flames (1976–77) | 12–12–2 |
| 27 | L | December 7, 1976 | 2–4 | @ New York Islanders (1976–77) | 12–13–2 |
| 28 | T | December 8, 1976 | 4–4 | @ New York Rangers (1976–77) | 12–13–3 |
| 29 | T | December 11, 1976 | 1–1 | Minnesota North Stars (1976–77) | 12–13–4 |
| 30 | L | December 12, 1976 | 3–5 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77) | 12–14–4 |
| 31 | L | December 15, 1976 | 1–4 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77) | 12–15–4 |
| 32 | L | December 16, 1976 | 2–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1976–77) | 12–16–4 |
| 33 | L | December 18, 1976 | 0–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77) | 12–17–4 |
| 34 | W | December 19, 1976 | 6–4 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77) | 13–17–4 |
| 35 | W | December 22, 1976 | 2–1 | @ Colorado Rockies (1976–77) | 14–17–4 |
| 36 | W | December 23, 1976 | 4–2 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1976–77) | 15–17–4 |
| 37 | T | December 28, 1976 | 4–4 | New York Islanders (1976–77) | 15–17–5 |
| 38 | W | January 1, 1977 | 3–1 | Minnesota North Stars (1976–77) | 16–17–5 |
| 39 | L | January 2, 1977 | 1–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1976–77) | 16–18–5 |
| 40 | W | January 4, 1977 | 4–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1976–77) | 17–18–5 |
| 41 | L | January 6, 1977 | 1–7 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77) | 17–19–5 |
| 42 | L | January 8, 1977 | 2–5 | Vancouver Canucks (1976–77) | 17–20–5 |
| 43 | W | January 12, 1977 | 7–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1976–77) | 18–20–5 |
| 44 | L | January 14, 1977 | 2–3 | @ Atlanta Flames (1976–77) | 18–21–5 |
| 45 | W | January 15, 1977 | 4–0 | Detroit Red Wings (1976–77) | 19–21–5 |
| 46 | W | January 19, 1977 | 5–3 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77) | 20–21–5 |
| 47 | W | January 22, 1977 | 2–1 | Colorado Rockies (1976–77) | 21–21–5 |
| 48 | L | January 23, 1977 | 3–6 | @ Washington Capitals (1976–77) | 21–22–5 |
| 49 | L | January 27, 1977 | 0–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77) | 21–23–5 |
| 50 | L | January 29, 1977 | 2–5 | Washington Capitals (1976–77) | 21–24–5 |
| 51 | L | January 30, 1977 | 2–5 | @ New York Rangers (1976–77) | 21–25–5 |
| 52 | T | February 1, 1977 | 3–3 | Boston Bruins (1976–77) | 21–25–6 |
| 53 | L | February 3, 1977 | 4–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1976–77) | 21–26–6 |
| 54 | W | February 5, 1977 | 6–5 | Buffalo Sabres (1976–77) | 22–26–6 |
| 55 | W | February 8, 1977 | 6–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77) | 23–26–6 |
| 56 | W | February 12, 1977 | 3–1 | Atlanta Flames (1976–77) | 24–26–6 |
| 57 | L | February 14, 1977 | 4–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77) | 24–27–6 |
| 58 | W | February 15, 1977 | 5–1 | Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77) | 25–27–6 |
| 59 | W | February 19, 1977 | 4–1 | Washington Capitals (1976–77) | 26–27–6 |
| 60 | W | February 21, 1977 | 4–0 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1976–77) | 27–27–6 |
| 61 | L | February 22, 1977 | 0–4 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1976–77) | 27–28–6 |
| 62 | L | February 26, 1977 | 1–5 | Philadelphia Flyers (1976–77) | 27–29–6 |
| 63 | L | February 28, 1977 | 2–5 | Cleveland Barons (1976–77) | 27–30–6 |
| 64 | T | March 2, 1977 | 2–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1976–77) | 27–30–7 |
| 65 | W | March 5, 1977 | 2–1 | New York Islanders (1976–77) | 28–30–7 |
| 66 | L | March 6, 1977 | 2–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1976–77) | 28–31–7 |
| 67 | L | March 8, 1977 | 1–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77) | 28–32–7 |
| 68 | W | March 10, 1977 | 4–2 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1976–77) | 29–32–7 |
| 69 | T | March 12, 1977 | 3–3 | Minnesota North Stars (1976–77) | 29–32–8 |
| 70 | L | March 15, 1977 | 1–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1976–77) | 29–33–8 |
| 71 | L | March 16, 1977 | 3–7 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1976–77) | 29–34–8 |
| 72 | T | March 19, 1977 | 4–4 | Vancouver Canucks (1976–77) | 29–34–9 |
| 73 | L | March 20, 1977 | 3–5 | @ New York Rangers (1976–77) | 29–35–9 |
| 74 | W | March 22, 1977 | 4–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1976–77) | 30–35–9 |
| 75 | L | March 24, 1977 | 1–6 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1976–77) | 30–36–9 |
| 76 | L | March 26, 1977 | 2–5 | @ New York Islanders (1976–77) | 30–37–9 |
| 77 | L | March 28, 1977 | 4–5 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1976–77) | 30–38–9 |
| 78 | W | March 30, 1977 | 4–1 | Chicago Black Hawks (1976–77) | 31–38–9 |
| 79 | W | April 2, 1977 | 9–2 | Cleveland Barons (1976–77) | 32–38–9 |
| 80 | L | April 3, 1977 | 3–7 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1976–77) | 32–39–9 |
Playoffs
The Blues lost to the Montreal Canadiens 4 – 0 in the quarter-finals.
Player statistics
Regular season
- Scoring
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob MacMillan | RW | 80 | 19 | 39 | 58 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| Garry Unger | C | 80 | 30 | 27 | 57 | 56 | −12 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| Larry Patey | C | 80 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 41 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Red Berenson | C | 80 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 8 | −28 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Claude Larose | RW | 80 | 29 | 19 | 48 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Chuck Lefley | LW | 71 | 11 | 30 | 41 | 12 | −15 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Pierre Plante | RW | 76 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 77 | −4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Jerry Butler | RW | 80 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 65 | −31 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rod Seiling | D | 79 | 3 | 26 | 29 | 36 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Ted Irvine | LW | 69 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 38 | −16 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Bruce Affleck | D | 80 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 24 | −22 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Gassoff | D | 77 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 254 | −2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bernie Federko | C | 31 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 15 | −6 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Bob Hess | D | 53 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 14 | −2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Sanderson | C | 32 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 26 | −8 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Floyd Thomson | LW | 58 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Rick Bourbonnais | RW | 33 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 10 | −6 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Brian Sutter | LW | 35 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 82 | −8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Plager | D | 54 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 23 | −9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Masters | D | 16 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | −7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gilles Marotte | D | 47 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 26 | −13 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dave Hrechkosy | LW | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Zanussi | D | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | −6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Palazzari | C | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | −3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yves Belanger | G | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barclay Plager | D | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Smith | D | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | −3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Grant | G | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Johnston | G | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Ogilvie | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Staniowski | G | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Johnston | 2111 | 38 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 108 | 3.07 | 1 |
| Ed Staniowski | 1589 | 29 | 10 | 16 | 1 | 108 | 4.08 | 0 |
| Doug Grant | 960 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 50 | 3.12 | 1 |
| Yves Belanger | 140 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3.00 | 0 |
| Team: | 4800 | 80 | 32 | 39 | 9 | 273 | 3.41 | 2 |
Playoffs
- Scoring
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernie Federko | C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Claude Larose | RW | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Patey | C | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Sutter | LW | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Bourbonnais | RW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Gassoff | D | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chuck Lefley | LW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob MacMillan | RW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garry Unger | C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruce Affleck | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red Berenson | C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerry Butler | RW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Hess | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ted Irvine | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Johnston | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gilles Marotte | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Masters | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Plager | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierre Plante | RW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rod Seiling | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Staniowski | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Floyd Thomson | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Johnston | 138 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 3.91 | 0 |
| Ed Staniowski | 102 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5.29 | 0 |
| Team: | 240 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 4.50 | 0 |
- Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
- Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;
Draft picks
St. Louis's draft picks at the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft held in Montreal, Quebec.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Bernie Federko | Saskatoon Blades (WCHL) | |
| 2 | 20 | Brian Sutter | Lethbridge Broncos (WCHL) | |
| 2 | 25 | John Smrke | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) | |
| 3 | 43 | Jim Kirkpatrick | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) | |
| 4 | 56 | Mike Liut | Bowling Green University (CCHA) | |
| 4 | 61 | Paul Skidmore | Boston College (ECAC) | |
| 6 | 97 | Nels Goddard | Michigan Tech University (WCHA) | |
| 7 | 113 | Mike Eaves | University of Wisconsin (WCHA) | |
| 8 | 121 | Jacques Soguel | Davos (Switzerland) | |
| 9 | 124 | Dave Dornseif | Providence College (ECAC) | |
| 10 | 126 | Brad Wilson | Providence College (ECAC) | |
| 11 | 128 | Dan Hoene | University of Michigan (WCHA) | |
| 12 | 130 | Goran Lindblom | Skelleftea (Sweden) | |
| 13 | 132 | Jim Bales | University of Denver (WCHA) | |
| 14 | 134 | Anders Hakansson | Solna (Sweden) | |
| 15 | 135 | Juhani Wallenius | Rauma (Finland) |
See also
References
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
- "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- "1976-77 St. Louis Blues Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
- "1976–77 St. Louis Blues Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 6, 2009.