# 1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their tenth in the National Hockey League. They finished third in the Norris Division for the third season in a row. In the playoffs, the Penguins were eliminated in the first round. Changes occurred in management and ownership. In December 1976, Baz Bastien replaced Wren Blair as the club's general manager. The club was sold to shopping mall magnate Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. in February 1977.

## Regular season

Despite the fact that Pierre Larouche, Jean Pronovost and Syl Apps were unable to reproduce their franchise record-setting offensive output of the previous season the team finished with a similar regular season record on the strength of improved defensive prowess and the goaltending of Dunc Wilson and Denis Herron, who was re-acquired from the Kansas City Scouts in the off-season.
General Manager Wren Blair, who had been part of the ownership group which bought the club from the NHL in July 1975 until February 1976, was removed from his position December 3, 1976. Aldege 'Baz' Bastien, the man who had coached the American Hockey League's Pittsburgh Hornets to a Calder Cup championship in 1967, was named Blair's replacement.
Co-owners Al Savill and Otto Frenzel sold the club to shopping mall magnate Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. in February 1977, less than two years after having bought the team from the NHL.

### Final standings

Norris Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 60 | 8 | 12 | 387 | 171 | 132 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 34 | 31 | 15 | 271 | 241 | 83 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 34 | 33 | 13 | 240 | 252 | 81 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 24 | 42 | 14 | 221 | 307 | 62 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 16 | 55 | 9 | 183 | 309 | 41 |
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

Norris Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Norris Division
1976–77 NHL records
Team
DET
LAK
MTL
PIT
WSH
Total
Detroit
—0–5–10–5–12–40–3–32–17–5
Los Angeles
5–0–1—0–4–23–2–15–0–113–6–5
Montreal
5–0–14–0–2—4–0–26–019–0–5
Pittsburgh
4–22–3–10–4–2—1–4–17–13–4
Washington
3–0–30–5–10–64–1–1—7–12–5
Vs. Adams Division
1976–77 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
CLE
TOR
Total
Detroit
1–41–43–21–3–16–13–1
Los Angeles
2–2–12–32–1–21–2–27–8–5
Montreal
2–32–2–15–02–1–111–6–2
Pittsburgh
1–3–14–0–13–0–22–1–210–4–6
Washington
0–4–11–40–53–24–15–1
Vs. Patrick Division
1976–77 NHL records
Team
ATL
NYI
NYR
PHI
Total
Detroit
1–2–12–21–31–35–10–1
Los Angeles
2–22–23–0–10–47–8–1
Montreal
3–0–14–03–14–014–1–1
Pittsburgh
0–3–12–22–1–11–35–9–2
Washington
1–30–1–32–20–2–23–8–5
Vs. Smythe Division
1976–77 NHL records
Team
CHI
COL
MIN
STL
VAN
Total
Detroit
0–40–40–3–10–3–13–13–15–2
Los Angeles
2–22–0–21–32–20–2–27–9–4
Montreal
3–0–13–0–13–0–13–14–016–1–3
Pittsburgh
2–22–23–13–12–1–112–7–1
Washington
1–2–13–11–1–23–12–210–7–3 :

## Schedule and results

1976–77 Schedule :
October: 2–6–4 (home: 2–2–2; road: 0–4–2), 8 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
1Oct 6Vancouver Canucks5–9Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena1–0–02
2Oct 7Pittsburgh Penguins1–10Montreal CanadiensMontreal Forum1–1–02
3Oct 9Los Angeles Kings7–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena1–2–02
4Oct 13Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Chicago Black HawksChicago Stadium1–3–02
5Oct 15Pittsburgh Penguins1–2Atlanta FlamesOmni Coliseum1–4–02
6Oct 16Detroit Red Wings3–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena2–4–04
7Oct 20Pittsburgh Penguins4–4Toronto Maple LeafsMaple Leaf Gardens2–4–15
8Oct 23Montreal Canadiens9–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena2–5–15
9Oct 24Atlanta Flames3–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena2–5–26
10Oct 27Pittsburgh Penguins4–4Buffalo SabresBuffalo Memorial Auditorium2–5–37
11Oct 28Pittsburgh Penguins0–3Philadelphia FlyersThe Spectrum2–6–37
12Oct 30New York Rangers2–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena2–6–48 :
November: 6–5–1 (home: 3–3–0; road: 3–2–1), 13 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
13Nov 2Los Angeles Kings1–7Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena3–6–410
14Nov 5Pittsburgh Penguins4–1Colorado RockiesMcNichols Sports Arena4–6–412
15Nov 7Pittsburgh Penguins2–2Cleveland BaronsColiseum at Richfield4–6–513
16Nov 10Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Minnesota North StarsMet Center4–7–513
17Nov 13Philadelphia Flyers0–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena5–7–515
18Nov 14Pittsburgh Penguins5–1New York RangersMadison Square Garden (IV)6–7–517
19Nov 20Colorado Rockies5–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena6–8–517
20Nov 21Chicago Black Hawks0–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena7–8–519
21Nov 24Boston Bruins4–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena7–9–519
22Nov 26Pittsburgh Penguins3–1Cleveland BaronsColiseum at Richfield8–9–521
23Nov 27New York Islanders3–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena8–10–521
24Nov 30Pittsburgh Penguins4–6Washington CapitalsCapital Centre8–11–521 :
December: 7–5–1 (home: 4–1–1; road: 3–4–0), 15 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
25Dec 2Pittsburgh Penguins4–2New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum9–11–523
26Dec 4Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Montreal CanadiensMontreal Forum9–12–523
27Dec 7Minnesota North Stars2–6Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena10–12–525
28Dec 9Pittsburgh Penguins2–1Buffalo SabresBuffalo Memorial Auditorium11–12–527
29Dec 11Pittsburgh Penguins3–6New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum11–13–527
30Dec 12St. Louis Blues3–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena12–13–529
31Dec 16Cleveland Barons4–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena13–13–531
32Dec 18Washington Capitals5–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena13–14–531
33Dec 19Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Boston BruinsBoston Garden13–15–531
34Dec 22Pittsburgh Penguins5–2Toronto Maple LeafsMaple Leaf Gardens14–15–533
35Dec 23Pittsburgh Penguins2–5Detroit Red WingsOlympia Stadium14–16–533
36Dec 26Toronto Maple Leafs2–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena15–16–535
37Dec 29Montreal Canadiens3–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena15–16–636 :
January: 7–4–2 (home: 5–3–1; road: 2–1–1), 16 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
38Jan 1Buffalo Sabres3–6Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena16–16–638
39Jan 4Vancouver Canucks2–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena16–16–739
40Jan 6Pittsburgh Penguins3–3Washington CapitalsCapital Centre16–16–840
41Jan 8Chicago Black Hawks2–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena17–16–842
42Jan 11Toronto Maple Leafs2–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena17–17–842
43Jan 15Buffalo Sabres2–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena18–17–844
44Jan 16Atlanta Flames6–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena18–18–844
45Jan 19Pittsburgh Penguins3–0Vancouver CanucksPacific Coliseum19–18–846
46Jan 20Pittsburgh Penguins3–5Los Angeles KingsThe Forum19–19–846
47Jan 22New York Islanders2–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena20–19–848
48Jan 27Pittsburgh Penguins3–0New York RangersMadison Square Garden (IV)21–19–850
49Jan 29Philadelphia Flyers5–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena21–20–850
50Jan 30Boston Bruins2–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena22–20–852 :
February: 5–5–4 (home: 4–0–2; road: 1–5–2), 14 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
51Feb 2Minnesota North Stars2–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena23–20–854
52Feb 3Pittsburgh Penguins0–0Cleveland BaronsColiseum at Richfield23–20–955
53Feb 5Detroit Red Wings1–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena24–20–957
54Feb 6Pittsburgh Penguins2–5Colorado RockiesMcNichols Sports Arena24–21–957
55Feb 8Pittsburgh Penguins3–6St. Louis BluesSt. Louis Arena24–22–957
56Feb 11Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Vancouver CanucksPacific Coliseum24–23–957
57Feb 12Pittsburgh Penguins3–2Los Angeles KingsThe Forum25–23–959
58Feb 16Montreal Canadiens4–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena25–23–1060
59Feb 19Pittsburgh Penguins6–6Toronto Maple LeafsMaple Leaf Gardens25–23–1161
60Feb 20Cleveland Barons1–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena26–23–1163
61Feb 22Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Washington CapitalsCapital Centre26–24–1163
62Feb 24Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Detroit Red WingsOlympia Stadium26–25–1163
63Feb 26Washington Capitals1–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena27–25–1165
64Feb 27Boston Bruins2–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena27–25–1266 :
March: 5–8–1 (home: 3–3–0; road: 2–5–1), 11 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
65Mar 2Los Angeles Kings5–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena27–26–1266
66Mar 3Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Montreal CanadiensMontreal Forum27–27–1266
67Mar 5Pittsburgh Penguins3–3Los Angeles KingsThe Forum27–27–1367
68Mar 8Pittsburgh Penguins2–1St. Louis BluesSt. Louis Arena28–27–1369
69Mar 9Colorado Rockies0–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena29–27–1371
70Mar 12Buffalo Sabres2–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena30–27–1373
71Mar 13Pittsburgh Penguins0–4Philadelphia FlyersThe Spectrum30–28–1373
72Mar 15Pittsburgh Penguins3–7Atlanta FlamesOmni Coliseum30–29–1373
73Mar 16St. Louis Blues3–7Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena31–29–1375
74Mar 19New York Rangers5–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena31–30–1375
75Mar 20Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Chicago Black HawksChicago Stadium31–31–1375
76Mar 22Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Minnesota North StarsMet Center32–31–1377
77Mar 27Pittsburgh Penguins0–3Boston BruinsBoston Garden32–32–1377
78Mar 30Washington Capitals4–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena32–33–1377 :
April: 2–0–0 (home: 1–0–0; road: 1–0–0), 4 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPoints
79Apr 2Pittsburgh Penguins4–3Detroit Red WingsOlympia Stadium33–33–1379
80Apr 3Detroit Red Wings2–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena34–33–1381 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Playoffs

The Penguins' opponent in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs was once again the Toronto Maple Leafs. While the Penguins' offensive output greatly improved to ten goals scored (compared to 1976's three goals), the Maple Leafs once again dispatched the Penguins in three games.
* Toronto won series 2–1

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jean Pronovost | 79 | 33 | 31 | 64 | 8 | 24 |
| Pierre Larouche | 65 | 29 | 34 | 63 | –10 | 14 |
| Syl Apps Jr. | 72 | 18 | 43 | 61 | 2 | 20 |
| Rick Kehoe | 80 | 30 | 27 | 57 | –5 | 10 |
| Ron Schock | 80 | 17 | 32 | 49 | –6 | 10 |
| Ron Stackhouse | 80 | 7 | 34 | 41 | 11 | 72 |
| Mike Corrigan | 73 | 14 | 27 | 41 | –13 | 36 |
| Greg Malone | 66 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 3 | 43 |
| Blair Chapman | 80 | 14 | 23 | 37 | –12 | 16 |
| Wayne Bianchin | 79 | 28 | 6 | 34 | –1 | 28 |
| J. Bob Kelly | 74 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 13 | 115 |
| Dennis Owchar | 46 | 5 | 18 | 23 | –7 | 37 |
| Stan Gilbertson | 67 | 6 | 9 | 15 | –9 | 13 |
| Mario Faubert | 47 | 2 | 11 | 13 | –4 | 32 |
| Don Awrey | 79 | 1 | 12 | 13 | –2 | 40 |
| Russ Anderson | 66 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 81 |
| Dave Burrows | 69 | 3 | 6 | 9 | –15 | 29 |
| Ed Van Impe | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | –2 | 6 |
| Lew Morrison | 76 | 2 | 1 | 3 | –6 | 0 |
| Lowell MacDonald | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –1 | 0 |
| Vic Hadfield | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Thomas Price$^†$ | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Ed Gilbert | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –3 | 0 |
| Yves Bergeron | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Lyon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 240 | 373 | 613 | — | 632 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jean Pronovost | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Lowell MacDonald | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Ron Stackhouse | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierre Larouche | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Blair Chapman | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Rick Kehoe | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Burrows | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Malone | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Don Awrey | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wayne Bianchin | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Russ Anderson | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Mario Faubert | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| John Kelly | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Ron Schock | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Syl Apps Jr. | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Lew Morrison | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Corrigan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 10 | 17 | 27 | — | 53 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | W | L | T | GA | SO |
| Dunc Wilson | 45 | 18 | 19 | 8 | 129 | 5 |
| Denis Herron | 34 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 94 | 1 |
| Gordon Laxton | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 34 | 33 | 13 | 249 | 6 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | W | L | T | GA | SO |
| Denis Herron | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. $^‡$Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

## Awards and records

* Jean Pronovost became the first player to score 500 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 3–6 loss to New York on December 11.

## Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1976–77 season:

### Trades

| August 11, 1976 | To Montreal Canadiens 1978 3rd round pick (Richard David) future considerations | To Pittsburgh Penguins Don Awrey |
| October 8, 1976 | To New York Rangers 1978 4th round pick (Dave Silk) | To Pittsburgh Penguins Dunc Wilson |
| October 18, 1976 | To Los Angeles Kings 1977 5th round pick (Julian Baretta) | To Pittsburgh Penguins Mike Corrigan |

### Additions and subtractions

Additions :
| Player | Former team | Via |
| Denis Herron | Kansas City Scouts | free agency (1976-08-07) |
| Steve Lyon | Minnesota North Stars | free agency (1976–11) |
| Tom Price | Cleveland Barons | free agency (1977-02-28) |
Subtractions :
| Player | New team | Via |
| Barry Wilkins | Edmonton Oilers (WHA) | free agency |
| Pete Laframboise | Edmonton Oilers (WHA) | free agency (1976-05) |
| Simon Nolet | Colorado Rockies | compensation for signing of Denis Herron (1976-08-07) |
| Michel Plasse | Colorado Rockies | compensation for signing of Denis Herron (1976-08-07) |
| Colin Campbell$^†$ | Colorado Rockies | compensation for signing of Denis Herron (1976-09-01) |
$^†$Colin Campbell was loaned to the Rockies for one season. He was returned to the Penguins in 1977.

## Draft picks

The 1976 NHL Amateur Draft was held on June 1, 1976, in Montreal.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 2 | Blair Chapman | Right wing | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WCHL) |
| 2 | 19 | Greg Malone | Center | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHA) |
| 2 | 29 | Peter Marsh | Right wing | Canada | Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 47 | Morris Lukowich | Left wing | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) |
| 4 | 65 | Greg Redquest | Goaltender | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHA) |
| 5 | 83 | Brendan Lowe | Defense | Canada | Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL) |
| 6 | 101 | Vic Sirko | Defense | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHA) |