1975–76 NHL season
The 1975–76 NHL season was the 59th season of the National Hockey League. Eighteen teams each played 80 games. The Montreal Canadiens set records in wins with 58 and points with 127, beginning a four-year stretch where they would dominate the league in the regular season and win four straight Stanley Cup titles.
Regular season
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
Prince of Wales Conference
| Adams Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 48 | 15 | 17 | 113 | 313 | 237 | 1195 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 46 | 21 | 13 | 105 | 339 | 240 | 943 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 34 | 31 | 15 | 83 | 294 | 276 | 1368 |
| California Golden Seals | 80 | 27 | 42 | 11 | 65 | 250 | 278 | 1058 |
| Norris Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 58 | 11 | 11 | 127 | 337 | 174 | 977 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 38 | 33 | 9 | 85 | 263 | 265 | 1022 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 35 | 33 | 12 | 82 | 339 | 303 | 1004 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 26 | 44 | 10 | 62 | 226 | 300 | 1922 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 11 | 59 | 10 | 32 | 224 | 394 | 951 |
Clarence Campbell Conference
| Patrick Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 51 | 13 | 16 | 118 | 348 | 209 | 1980 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 42 | 21 | 17 | 101 | 297 | 190 | 1277 |
| Atlanta Flames | 80 | 35 | 33 | 12 | 82 | 262 | 237 | 928 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 29 | 42 | 9 | 67 | 262 | 333 | 911 |
| Smythe Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 32 | 30 | 18 | 82 | 254 | 261 | 944 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 33 | 32 | 15 | 81 | 271 | 272 | 1122 |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 29 | 37 | 14 | 72 | 249 | 290 | 1274 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 20 | 53 | 7 | 47 | 195 | 303 | 1191 |
| Kansas City Scouts | 80 | 12 | 56 | 12 | 36 | 190 | 351 | 984 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 56 | 69 | 125 | 36 |
| Bobby Clarke | Philadelphia Flyers | 76 | 30 | 89 | 119 | 136 |
| Gilbert Perreault | Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 44 | 69 | 113 | 36 |
| Bill Barber | Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 50 | 62 | 112 | 104 |
| Pierre Larouche | Pittsburgh Penguins | 76 | 53 | 58 | 111 | 33 |
| Jean Ratelle | Boston Bruins / New York Rangers | 80 | 36 | 69 | 105 | 18 |
| Pete Mahovlich | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 34 | 71 | 105 | 76 |
| Jean Pronovost | Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 52 | 52 | 104 | 24 |
| Darryl Sittler | Toronto Maple Leafs | 79 | 41 | 59 | 100 | 90 |
| Syl Apps, Jr. | Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 32 | 67 | 99 | 24 |
Stanley Cup playoffs
Playoff bracket
| Preliminary Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Islanders | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 12 | St. Louis Blues | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Islanders | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Vancouver Canucks | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston Bruins | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston Bruins | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Los Angeles Kings | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Atlanta Flames | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
Finals
The two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, once again made it to the finals, but lost in four games to the Montreal Canadiens.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9 | Philadelphia | 3 | Montreal | 4 | |
| May 11 | Philadelphia | 1 | Montreal | 2 | |
| May 13 | Montreal | 3 | Philadelphia | 2 | |
| May 16 | Montreal | 5 | Philadelphia | 3 |
NHL awards
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Art Ross Memorial Trophy: | Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Rod Gilbert, New York Rangers |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | Reggie Leach, Philadelphia Flyers |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers |
| Jack Adams Award: | Don Cherry, Boston Bruins |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Denis Potvin, New York Islanders |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers/Boston Bruins |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: | Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award: | Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers |
| Vezina Trophy: | Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: | Stan Mikita, George A. Leader, Bruce A. Norris |