1976 – 77 Chicago Black Hawks season The 1976 – 77 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks ' fifty - first season in the NHL , and the club was coming off a 32 - 30 - 18 record in 1975 - 76 , earning 82 point s , and finishing in first place in the Smythe Division . In the playoffs , the Black Hawks were quickly swept out in four games by the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL quarter - finals . During the off - season , the Hawks made a big free agent signing , as the club signed eight time Norris Trophy winner Bobby Orr . Orr missed the majority of the 1975 - 76 due to a knee injury , as he was limited to ten games in his final season with the Boston Bruins . The team also named Keith Magnuson to become a co - captain , joining Stan Mikita and Pit Martin in that role . The NHL also made a few changes , as the Kansas City Scouts were relocated to Denver , Colorado , and renamed the Colorado Rockies , while the California Seals moved to Cleveland , Ohio , and were renamed the Cleveland Barons . The Black Hawks got off to a solid start to the season , as in the month of October , they had a 7 - 5 - 1 record , however , injuries took a toll on the team , and the Hawks fell into a slump . The Hawks went 3 - 14 - 4 in their next 21 games which cost long time head coach Billy Reay his job . Reay had been with Chicago since 1963 , and left the team with a record of 516 - 335 - 161 in his fourteen seasons with the club . He was replaced by recently retired Black Hawks defenseman Bill White , who played with the team from 1969 - 1975 . Under White , the Hawks played better hockey , as they went 13 - 12 - 5 in his first 30 games , however , the team would go on an eight game losing streak , and find themselves battling the Vancouver Canucks for the final playoff spot in the Smythe Division . The Hawks eventually finished the season with a 26 - 43 - 11 record , earning 63 points , and squeaked into the post - season . The 26 victories and 63 points was their fewest total since the team won 24 games and earned 55 points in 1957 - 58 , while their 43 losses was their highest since losing 51 games in 1953 - 54 . Offensively , the Black Hawks were led by Ivan Boldirev , who had a team high 24 goals , 38 assists and 62 points . Darcy Rota tied Boldirev for the team lead in goals , as he also scored 24 times , while earning 46 points . Pit Martin had 17 goals and 53 points , while Stan Mikita had 19 goals and 49 points while appearing in only 57 games . On defense , Dick Redmond led the way , scoring 22 goals and 47 points , while Phil Russell had 9 goals and 45 points from the blueline , along with a team high 233 penalty minutes . Bobby Orr , limited to only 20 games , earned 23 points , while posting a team best + 6 rating . In goal , Tony Esposito played the majority of the games , winning 25 games , while registering a GAA of 3 . 45 , and earning two shutouts . The Hawks opened the playoffs in a best of three preliminary series against the New York Islanders , who finished in second place in the Patrick Division with 106 points , which was 43 more than the Hawks . The series opened with two games at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York , and the Islanders made quick work of the Hawks in the first game , easily winning 5 - 2 to take the series lead . New York would then complete the two game sweep , narrowly defeating the Hawks 2 - 1 in the second game , as Chicago was swept out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season . Draft picks . Chicago ' s draft picks at the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft at the NHL Office in Montreal , Quebec .