1978–79 Boston Bruins season

The 1978–79 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 55th season. The Bruins finished 1st in the Adams Division and lost in the Semi-finals to the Montreal Canadiens 4 games to 3.
==Off-season==
==Regular Season==
Al Secord made his NHL debut with the Bruins during the 1978–79 season.
===Final Standings===
===Game Log===
Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results 	Regular Season Results
No. 	R 	Date 	Score 	Opponent 	Record
1 	W 	October 12, 1978 	8–2 	Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) 	1–0–0
2 	T 	October 14, 1978 	4–4 	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) 	1–0–1
3 	W 	October 15, 1978 	4–2 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 	2–0–1
4 	W 	October 18, 1978 	3–2 	@ Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) 	3–0–1
5 	W 	October 20, 1978 	5–1 	@ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) 	4–0–1
6 	L 	October 22, 1978 	5–6 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 	4–1–1
7 	W 	October 24, 1978 	7–2 	@ St. Louis Blues (1978–79) 	5–1–1
8 	T 	October 25, 1978 	2–2 	@ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79)	5–1–2
9 	W 	October 28, 1978 	5–3 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 	6–1–2
10 	W 	November 2, 1978 	4–1 	New York Islanders (1978–79) 	7–1–2
11 	L 	November 4, 1978 	3–7 	Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 	7–2–2
12 	T 	November 5, 1978 	1–1 	Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) 	7–2–3
13 	W 	November 9, 1978 	6–2 	Washington Capitals (1978–79) 	8–2–3
14 	L 	November 11, 1978 	1–7 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) 	8–3–3
15 	T 	November 12, 1978 	4–4 	@ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 	8–3–4
16 	L 	November 16, 1978 	4–6 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 	8–4–4
17 	W 	November 17, 1978 	6–2 	@ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) 	9–4–4
18 	W 	November 19, 1978 	5–2 	St. Louis Blues (1978–79) 	10–4–4
19 	W 	November 23, 1978 	5–2 	Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 	11–4–4
20 	T 	November 25, 1978 	5–5 	@ Washington Capitals (1978–79) 	11–4–5
21 	W 	November 26, 1978 	4–2 	Atlanta Flames (1978–79) 	12–4–5
22 	W 	November 30, 1978 	4–3 	@ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 	13–4–5
23 	W 	December 2, 1978 	5–3 	Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 	14–4–5
24 	W 	December 3, 1978 	3–2 	@ New York Rangers (1978–79) 	15–4–5
25 	W 	December 5, 1978 	5–1 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 	16–4–5
26 	W 	December 7, 1978 	6–5 	Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) 	17–4–5
27 	L 	December 9, 1978 	2–9 	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 	17–5–5
28 	T 	December 10, 1978 	4–4 	Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 	17–5–6
29 	W 	December 12, 1978 	7–3 	Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) 	18–5–6
30 	W 	December 14, 1978 	5–2 	Washington Capitals (1978–79) 	19–5–6
31 	W 	December 16, 1978 	4–1 	New York Rangers (1978–79) 	20–5–6
32 	W 	December 17, 1978 	4–1 	@ New York Rangers (1978–79) 	21–5–6
33 	W 	December 21, 1978 	4–2 	Colorado Rockies (1978–79) 	22–5–6
34 	W 	December 23, 1978 	6–4 	Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 	23–5–6
35 	T 	December 27, 1978 	1–1 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 	23–5–7
36 	L 	December 30, 1978 	1–6 	@ Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) 	23–6–7
37 	W 	December 31, 1978 	7–3 	@ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 	24–6–7
38 	W 	January 3, 1979 	6–3 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 	25–6–7
39 	W 	January 5, 1979 	5–3 	@ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) 	26–6–7
40 	W 	January 6, 1979 	5–2 	@ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79)	27–6–7
41 	W 	January 11, 1979 	6–4 	Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 	28–6–7
42 	L 	January 13, 1979 	3–5 	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) 	28–7–7
43 	L 	January 14, 1979 	3–6 	Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) 	28–8–7
44 	L 	January 16, 1979 	2–5 	@ St. Louis Blues (1978–79) 	28–9–7
45 	W 	January 18, 1979 	4–0 	St. Louis Blues (1978–79) 	29–9–7
46 	L 	January 20, 1979 	1–2 	Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 	29–10–7
47 	W 	January 22, 1979 	3–1 	Atlanta Flames (1978–79) 	30–10–7
48 	L 	January 25, 1979 	2–4 	New York Islanders (1978–79) 	30–11–7
49 	L 	January 27, 1979 	1–3 	@ Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) 	30–12–7
50 	L 	January 28, 1979 	3–5 	Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) 	30–13–7
51 	T 	January 31, 1979 	2–2 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 	30–13–8
52 	W 	February 1, 1979 	6–1 	Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 	31–13–8
53 	T 	February 3, 1979 	4–4 	@ New York Islanders (1978–79) 	31–13–9
54 	W 	February 4, 1979 	6–1 	Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) 	32–13–9
55 	L 	February 14, 1979 	1–5 	@ New York Rangers (1978–79) 	32–14–9
56 	L 	February 15, 1979 	3–5 	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 	32–15–9
57 	T 	February 17, 1979 	3–3 	@ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79)	32–15–10
58 	W 	February 20, 1979 	5–3 	@ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) 	33–15–10
59 	L 	February 21, 1979 	1–3 	@ Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) 	33–16–10
60 	W 	February 24, 1979 	4–3 	@ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) 	34–16–10
61 	L 	February 27, 1979 	2–4 	Colorado Rockies (1978–79) 	34–17–10
62 	T 	March 1, 1979 	4–4 	Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 	34–17–11
63 	W 	March 3, 1979 	5–0 	Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 	35–17–11
64 	W 	March 4, 1979 	6–4 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) 	36–17–11
65 	L 	March 8, 1979 	5–7 	@ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) 	36–18–11
66 	W 	March 10, 1979 	4–3 	@ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79)	37–18–11
67 	T 	March 11, 1979 	4–4 	New York Islanders (1978–79) 	37–18–12
68 	L 	March 13, 1979 	2–7 	@ New York Islanders (1978–79) 	37–19–12
69 	L 	March 15, 1979 	4–7 	New York Rangers (1978–79) 	37–20–12
70 	W 	March 17, 1979 	4–2 	Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 	38–20–12
71 	W 	March 19, 1979 	4–3 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 	39–20–12
72 	L 	March 22, 1979 	1–3 	Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) 	39–21–12
73 	W 	March 24, 1979 	5–2 	Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) 	40–21–12
74 	L 	March 28, 1979 	2–9 	@ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 	40–22–12
75 	W 	March 29, 1979 	7–4 	Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 	41–22–12
76 	W 	March 31, 1979 	4–1 	@ Washington Capitals (1978–79) 	42–22–12
77 	T 	April 1, 1979 	3–3 	Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) 	42–22–13
78 	T 	April 4, 1979 	3–3 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 	42–22–14
79 	L 	April 5, 1979 	3–9 	Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 	42–23–14
80 	W 	April 8, 1979 	6–3 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 	43–23–14
==Playoffs==
===Quarter-finals===
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
April 16	Pittsburgh	2 	Boston 	6 	
April 18	Pittsburgh	3 	Boston 	4 	
April 21	Boston 	2 	Pittsburgh	1 	
April 22	Boston 	4 	Pittsburgh	1 	
Boston wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0
===Semi-finals===
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Game seven of the Montreal-Boston Semi-final is probably one of the most memorable in the history of the NHL. About a minute and a half after Boston's Rick Middleton scored with four minutes remaining in the third period to give the Bruins a 4–3 lead, linesman John D'Amico called a bench minor for too many men on the ice against the Bruins. Montreal's Guy Lafleur scored on the ensuing powerplay, sending the game to overtime where Yvon Lambert gave the Canadiens the win and a trip to their fourth straight Stanley Cup final.
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
April 26	Boston 	2 	Montreal	4 	
April 28	Boston 	2 	Montreal	5 	
May 1 	Montreal	1 	Boston 	2 	
May 3 	Montreal	3 	Boston 	4 	(OT)
May 5 	Boston 	1 	Montreal	5 	
May 8 	Montreal	2 	Boston 	5 	
May 10 	Boston 	4 	Montreal	5 	(OT)
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
* The 1979 NHL Playoffs would mark the end of Don Cherry's tenure with the Bruins. Cherry, who had an uneasy relationship with Bruins General Manager Harry Sinden, was fired by the Bruins after a critical coaching mistake during a 1979 semi-final playoff series against the Canadiens. Up by a goal with less than two minutes left in the seventh game, the Bruins were penalized for having too many men on the ice. The Canadiens' Guy Lafleur scored the tying goal on the subsequent powerplay and ultimately won the game in overtime. Montreal went on to defeat the New York Rangers for their fourth straight Cup title.
==Player Stats==
===Regular Season===
;Scoring
Player	Pos	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
 	RW 	71	38	48	86 	7 	33 	12 	1 	5
 	C 	76	35	45	80 	10 	29 	4 	0 	4
 	RW 	80	26	51	77 	205	7 	3 	0 	5
 	C 	80	27	45	72 	12 	17 	11 	0 	5
 	LW 	75	27	40	67 	63 	16 	10 	0 	4
 	C 	77	15	33	48 	30 	20 	0 	0 	1
 	LW 	79	20	27	47 	10 	6 	2 	4 	5
 	LW 	76	28	18	46 	106	20 	0 	0 	4
 	RW 	65	20	22	42 	77 	-1 	6 	1 	4
 	D 	40	7 	32	39 	10 	28 	3 	0 	0
 	D 	74	1 	34	35 	149	23 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	64	7 	26	33 	21 	0 	4 	0 	1
 	D 	67	9 	20	29 	28 	22 	0 	0 	2
 	D 	65	7 	18	25 	46 	20 	0 	0 	1
 	RW 	44	11	13	24 	14 	-1 	2 	0 	0
 	LW 	71	16	7 	23 	125	7 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	63	6 	11	17 	28 	12 	1 	0 	0
 	LW 	33	6 	9 	15 	96 	8 	0 	0 	1
 	D 	64	2 	8 	10 	107	16 	0 	0 	0
 	C 	14	4 	2 	6 	0 	-1 	0 	0 	1
 	LW 	7 	1 	4 	5 	2 	4 	0 	0 	0
 	RW 	17	3 	1 	4 	0 	-3 	1 	0 	0
 	G 	43	0 	2 	2 	23 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	3 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	19	0 	0 	0 	17 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	23	0 	0 	0 	16 	0 	0 	0 	0
;Goaltending
Player	MIN 	GP	W 	L 	T 	GA 	GAA 	SO
 	2509	43	23	9 	10	132	3.16	1
 	1254	23	12	8 	2 	74 	3.54	0
 	1037	19	8 	6 	2 	62 	3.59	1
Team: 	4800	80	43	23	14	268	3.35	2
===Playoffs===
;Scoring
Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG
 	C 	11	7	6	13 	2 	2 	0 	2
 	RW 	11	4	8	12 	0 	2 	0 	1
 	LW 	10	4	5	9 	8 	1 	0 	1
 	LW 	11	5	3	8 	10 	0 	0 	0
 	C 	11	5	3	8 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	11	1	7	8 	7 	0 	0 	1
 	RW 	11	0	6	6 	25 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	11	4	1	5 	12 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	11	1	4	5 	8 	0 	0 	1
 	RW 	11	2	2	4 	6 	1 	0 	0
 	RW 	11	1	3	4 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	11	1	3	4 	2 	0 	1 	0
 	D 	11	0	4	4 	12 	0 	0 	0
 	C 	11	1	1	2 	8 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	7 	0	2	2 	4 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	11	0	2	2 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	8 	0	1	1 	19 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	4 	0	0	0 	4 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	5 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	6 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
;Goaltending
Player	MIN	GP	W	L	GA	GAA 	SO
 	360	6 	4	2	15	2.50	0
 	314	5 	3	2	16	3.06	0
Team: 	674	11	7	4	31	2.76	0
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals 
MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts 
==Awards and Records==
*Lester Patrick Trophy: Bobby Orr
==Draft Picks==
Round	Overall	Player 	Nationality	Position
1 	16 	Al Secord 	 	Left Wing
2 	35 	Graeme Nicolson	 	Defenseman
3 	52 	Brad Knelson 	 	Defenseman
4 	68 	George Buat 	 	Right Wing
5 	85 	Daryl MacLeod 	 	Left Wing
6 	102 	Jeff Brubaker 	 	Left Wing
7 	119 	Murray Skinner 	 	Goalie
8 	136 	Bobby Hehir 	 	Center
9 	153 	Craig MacTavish	 	Center
==Trivia==
*Bruins who recorded a Hat trick this season include:
**Jean Ratelle during the 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens, Game 4 of the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals, May 3, 1979.
**Stan Jonathan during the 5-2 win over Montreal, Game 6 of the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals, May 8, 1979.
==References==
* Bruins on Hockey Database
Category:Boston Bruins seasons
Boston Bruins season, 1978–79
Boston Bruins season, 1978–79