1976–77 Quebec Nordiques season

The 1976–77 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques fifth season, as they were coming off their best season to date in 1975–76, earning a team record 50 victories and 104 points, as they finished in second place in the Canadian Division. In the post-season, Quebec win their first Avco Cup in team history. Serge Bernier would win the WHA Playoff MVP trophy, as he earned 36 points for the Nordiques in 17 post-season games.

1976–77 Quebec Nordiques
Avco Cup champions
Eastern Division champions
Division1st Eastern
1976–77 record47–31–3
Home record29–10–1
Road record18–21–2
Goals for353
Goals against295
Team information
General managerMaurice Filion
CoachMarc Boileau
CaptainMarc Tardif
ArenaColisée de Québec
Team leaders
GoalsReal Cloutier (66)
AssistsReal Cloutier & Christian Bordeleau (75)
PointsReal Cloutier (141)
Penalty minutesPaul Baxter (244)
Plus/minusReal Cloutier (+47)
WinsRichard Brodeur (29)
Goals against averageRichard Brodeur (3.45)

Offseason

During the off-season, the league saw the Toronto Toros move to Birmingham, Alabama, and be renamed the Birmingham Bulls, while the Cleveland Crusaders moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to become the second version of the Minnesota Fighting Saints. The league was back to twelve teams from fourteen the previous season, as the original Fighting Saints and Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics franchise folded midway through the 1975–76 season. The Nordiques would move from the Canadian Division to the Eastern Division, joining the Birmingham Bulls, Cincinnati Stingers, Indianapolis Racers, Minnesota Fighting Saints and New England Whalers in the division.

The Nordiques also made a head coaching change after their disappointing playoff appearance, as head coach Jean-Guy Gendron was relieved of his duties, and former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Marc Boileau was his replacement.

Regular season

Quebec would have a very strong start to the season, winning eight of their first nine games to take a lead in the Eastern Division. The Nordiques would cool off, as they had a record of 8–11–1 in their next twenty games, however, Quebec snapped out of their slump and won nine games in a row to take control of the Division. The Nordiques would finish the season on top of the Eastern Division with a 47–31–3 record, earning 97 points, which was fourteen points higher than the second place Cincinnati Stingers.

Offensively, Quebec was led by Real Cloutier, who won the Bill Hunter Trophy awarded to the player who leads the league in scoring. Cloutier scored 66 goals and 75 assists for a league best 141 points. Marc Tardif scored 49 goals and 109 points despite missing 19 games, while Christian Bordeleau 32 goals and tied Cloutier with a team high 75 assists to earn 107 points for the season. Serge Bernier narrowly missed out on the 100 point club, as he scored 43 goals and 96 points in 74 games. On defense, newly acquired Jim Dorey led the blueline with 47 points in 73 games, while J. C. Tremblay had another productive season, earning 35 points in 53 games. Paul Baxter had a team high 244 penalty minutes, which was the second highest total in the league.

In goal, Richard Brodeur had the majority of playing time, winning 29 games, while posting a team best 3.45 GAA, along with 2 shutouts. Ed Humphreys and Serge Aubry split the backup duties, with Humphreys winning twelve games and a 3.58 GAA, while Aubry won six games with a 3.98 GAA.

Season standings
Eastern Division
GP W L T GF GA PTS
Quebec Nordiques814731335329597
Cincinnati Stingers813937535430383
Indianapolis Racers813637827630580
New England Whalers813540627529076
Birmingham Bulls813146428930966
Minnesota Fighting Saints421918513612943

Schedule and results
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPts
1October 9Calgary Cowboys2–5Quebec Nordiques1–0–02
2October 10Birmingham Bulls3–4Quebec Nordiques2–0–04
3October 12San Diego Mariners4–6Quebec Nordiques3–0–06
4October 16Quebec Nordiques8–2New England Whalers4–0–08
5October 17Cincinnati Stingers5–2Quebec Nordiques4–1–08
6October 19Quebec Nordiques6–5Birmingham Bulls5–1–010
7October 21Quebec Nordiques4–2Calgary Cowboys6–1–012
8October 23Houston Aeros2–6Quebec Nordiques7–1–014
9October 26Phoenix Roadrunners3–11Quebec Nordiques8–1–016
10October 29Quebec Nordiques4–6Indianapolis Racers8–2–016
11October 30Minnesota Fighting Saints1–5Quebec Nordiques9–2–018
12November 2Phoenix Roadrunners5–3Quebec Nordiques9–3–018
13November 6Birmingham Bulls5–6Quebec Nordiques10–3–020
14November 9Birmingham Bulls3–4Quebec Nordiques11–3–022
15November 13Minnesota Fighting Saints4–2Quebec Nordiques11–4–022
16November 14Indianapolis Racers3–1Quebec Nordiques11–5–022
17November 16Quebec Nordiques4–8Winnipeg Jets11–6–022
18November 18Quebec Nordiques9–5Minnesota Fighting Saints12–6–024
19November 19Quebec Nordiques1–4Calgary Cowboys12–7–024
20November 21Quebec Nordiques5–8Edmonton Oilers12–8–024
21November 23Winnipeg Jets4–7Quebec Nordiques13–8–026
22November 25Quebec Nordiques5–0Indianapolis Racers14–8–028
23November 26Quebec Nordiques2–4Minnesota Fighting Saints14–9–028
24November 27Indianapolis Racers8–2Quebec Nordiques14–10–028
25November 30New England Whalers1–2Quebec Nordiques15–10–030
26December 3Quebec Nordiques5–5New England Whalers15–10–131
27December 5Winnipeg Jets4–6Quebec Nordiques16–10–133
28December 7Edmonton Oilers4–2Quebec Nordiques16–11–133
29December 9Quebec Nordiques5–4Phoenix Roadrunners17–11–135
30December 11Houston Aeros1–4Quebec Nordiques18–11–137
31December 12New England Whalers1–5Quebec Nordiques19–11–139
32December 14New England Whalers3–1Quebec Nordiques19–12–139
33December 18Quebec Nordiques2–4Calgary Cowboys19–13–139
34December 19Quebec Nordiques3–5San Diego Mariners19–14–139
35December 21Quebec Nordiques2–3Birmingham Bulls19–15–139
36December 22Quebec Nordiques4–3Minnesota Fighting Saints20–15–141
37December 26Quebec Nordiques12–3Winnipeg Jets21–15–143
38December 28Quebec Nordiques3–2Edmonton Oilers22–15–145
39January 4New England Whalers3–5Quebec Nordiques23–15–147
40January 7Quebec Nordiques7–3New England Whalers24–15–149
41January 9San Diego Mariners2–5Quebec Nordiques25–15–151
42January 20Quebec Nordiques5–4New England Whalers26–15–153
43January 22Calgary Cowboys3–5Quebec Nordiques27–15–155
44January 25Indianapolis Racers1–3Quebec Nordiques28–15–157
45January 26Edmonton Oilers5–4Quebec Nordiques28–16–157
46January 28Quebec Nordiques6–5Indianapolis Racers29–16–159
47January 29Cincinnati Stingers2–7Quebec Nordiques30–16–161
48February 1Indianapolis Racers4–5Quebec Nordiques31–16–163
49February 2Quebec Nordiques5–6Indianapolis Racers31–17–163
50February 4Quebec Nordiques0–7Birmingham Bulls31–18–163
51February 6Cincinnati Stingers1–6Quebec Nordiques32–18–165
52February 8Winnipeg Jets7–2Quebec Nordiques32–19–165
53February 11Quebec Nordiques5–1Indianapolis Racers33–19–167
54February 12Quebec Nordiques3–7Houston Aeros33–20–167
55February 15Quebec Nordiques2–4Houston Aeros33–21–167
56February 16Quebec Nordiques4–2San Diego Mariners34–21–169
57February 19Quebec Nordiques1–3Cincinnati Stingers34–22–169
58February 22Indianapolis Racers2–4Quebec Nordiques35–22–171
59February 24Quebec Nordiques6–10Birmingham Bulls35–23–171
60February 25Quebec Nordiques2–5Cincinnati Stingers35–24–171
61February 26Birmingham Bulls3–5Quebec Nordiques36–24–173
62March 1Quebec Nordiques5–4Edmonton Oilers37–24–175
63March 2Quebec Nordiques3–4Winnipeg Jets37–25–175
64March 5San Diego Mariners0–6Quebec Nordiques38–25–177
65March 6Quebec Nordiques2–6New England Whalers38–26–177
66March 8Phoenix Roadrunners2–9Quebec Nordiques39–26–179
67March 12Edmonton Oilers3–3Quebec Nordiques39–26–280
68March 13New England Whalers3–5Quebec Nordiques40–26–282
69March 15Quebec Nordiques3–4Houston Aeros40–27–282
70March 17Quebec Nordiques4–3Phoenix Roadrunners41–27–284
71March 18Quebec Nordiques3–7Cincinnati Stingers41–28–284
72March 19Calgary Cowboys0–8Quebec Nordiques42–28–286
73March 22Houston Aeros2–6Quebec Nordiques43–28–288
74March 23Quebec Nordiques6–4Cincinnati Stingers44–28–290
75March 24Quebec Nordiques3–4Indianapolis Racers44–29–290
76March 26Cincinnati Stingers6–4Quebec Nordiques44–30–290
77March 27Cincinnati Stingers0–4Quebec Nordiques45–30–292
78April 2Quebec Nordiques6–5Phoenix Roadrunners46–30–294
79April 3Quebec Nordiques0–7San Diego Mariners46–31–294
80April 5New England Whalers2–7Quebec Nordiques47–31–296
81April 6Quebec Nordiques2–2Cincinnati Stingers47–31–397

Playoffs

In the opening round of the playoffs, Quebec would face the New England Whalers in a best of seven series. The Whalers finished the year with a record of 35–40–6, earning 76 points, which was 21 fewer than the Nordiques. The series opened with two games at Le Colisée, with Quebec winning them both, by scores of 5–2 and 7–3, to take the series lead. The series moved over to New England for the next two games, however, Quebec stayed hot and defeated the Whalers 4–3 in overtime in the third game to take a 3–0 lead in the series. New England fought off elimination in the fourth game, defeating the Nordiques 6–4, however, in the fifth game played back in Quebec, the Nordiques shutout New England 3–0 to win the series.

In the Eastern Division finals, the Nordiques faced off against the Indianapolis Racers, who finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern Division with a 36–37–8 record. The Racers swept the second place Cincinnati Stingers in the opening round to advance to the division finals. The series opened with two games in Quebec, and the Nordiques stayed unbeaten on home ice during the post-season, as they defeated Indianapolis 3–1 and 8–3 to take the early series lead. The series shifted over to Indianapolis for the next two games, but the Nordiques won the third game, defeating the Racers 6–5 in overtime to put them on the brink of elimination. Indianapolis finally managed to win a game in the fourth game of the series, shutting out the Nordiques 2–0, however, with the series back in Quebec for the fifth game, the Nordiques remained hot on home ice, easily winning the game 8–3, and advancing to the Avco Cup finals.

The Nordiques opponents in the Avco Cup finals was the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg was the defending champions, as they won the 1976 Avco Cup. The Jets had a record of 46–32–2, finishing with 94 points, and in second place in the Western Division. Winnipeg defeated the Edmonton Oilers and Houston Aeros to earn a spot in the finals. The series opened with two games in Quebec, and the Jets ended the Nordiques home ice winning streak with a 2–1 victory in the first game. Quebec evened the series with a 6–1 thumping in the second game. The series moved to Winnipeg for the next two games, and the Jets used their home ice to their advantage, as they took the third game by a 6–1 score, however, the Nordiques would once again even the series up, defeating Winnipeg 4–2 in the fourth game. The series was back in Quebec for the fifth game, and the Nordiques destroyed the Jets 8–3 to take their first lead in the series, and were now only one win away from the championship. The Jets responded in the sixth game played back in Winnipeg, crushing the Nordiques 12–3, to set up a seventh and deciding game in Quebec. The Nordiques would take control of the seventh game early, coasting their way to an 8–2 victory, and winning their first Avco Cup in team history. Serge Bernier would win the WHA Playoff MVP trophy, as he earned 36 points for the Nordiques in 17 post-season games.

Quebec Nordiques 4, New England Whalers 1 – Division Quarterfinals
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecord
1April 9New England Whalers2–5Quebec Nordiques1–0
2April 12New England Whalers3–7Quebec Nordiques2–0
3April 14Quebec Nordiques4–3New England Whalers3–0
4April 16Quebec Nordiques4–6New England Whalers3–1
5April 19New England Whalers0–3Quebec Nordiques4–1

Quebec Nordiques 4, Indianapolis Racers 1 – Division Semifinals
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecord
1April 23Indianapolis Racers1–3Quebec Nordiques1–0
2April 25Indianapolis Racers3–8Quebec Nordiques2–0
3April 28Quebec Nordiques6–5Indianapolis Racers3–0
4April 30Quebec Nordiques0–2Indianapolis Racers3–1
5May 2Indianapolis Racers3–8Quebec Nordiques4–1

Quebec Nordiques 4, Winnipeg Jets 3 – Avco Cup Finals
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecord
1May 11Winnipeg Jets2–1Quebec Nordiques0–1
2May 15Winnipeg Jets1–6Quebec Nordiques1–1
3May 18Quebec Nordiques1–6Winnipeg Jets1–2
4May 20Quebec Nordiques4–2Winnipeg Jets2–2
5May 22Winnipeg Jets3–8Quebec Nordiques3–2
6May 24Quebec Nordiques3–12Winnipeg Jets3–3
7May 26Winnipeg Jets2–8Quebec Nordiques4–3

Season stats

Scoring leaders
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Real Cloutier76667514139
Marc Tardif62496010965
Chris Bordeleau72327510734
Serge Bernier7443539694
Paulin Bordeleau8042418352

Goaltending
PlayerGPTOIWLTGASOGAASave %
Richard Brodeur5329062918216723.45.880
Ed Humphreys22124012817413.58.880
Serge Aubry217696505113.98.862

Playoff stats

Scoring leaders
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Serge Bernier1714223610
Real Cloutier1714132710
Paulin Bordeleau161292112
Norm Dube143121511
Andre Boudrias17312156

Goaltending
PlayerGPTOIWLGASOGAASave %
Serge Aubry31800000.001.000
Richard Brodeur1710071255513.28.882

Draft picks

Quebec's draft picks at the 1976 WHA Amateur Draft.[1]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
110Rick Green CanadaLondon Knights (OMJHL)
219Bob Manno CanadaSt. Catharines Black Hawks (OMJHL)
332Al Glendinning CanadaCalgary Centennials (WCHL)
444Maurice Barrette CanadaQuebec Remparts (QMJHL)
556Garth MacGuigan CanadaMontreal Juniors (QMJHL)
668Claude Periard CanadaTrois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL)
780Denis Charbonneau CanadaLaval National (QMJHL)
10114Pierre Brassard CanadaCornwall Royals (QMJHL)

References
  1. "1976 WHA Amateur Draft". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
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