1978–79 NHL season facts for kids
The 1978–79 NHL season was the 62nd season for the National Hockey League. Seventeen teams played 80 games each. The Montreal Canadiens won their fourth Stanley Cup in a row, beating the New York Rangers in the finals.
Contents
Regular Season Highlights
The 1978–79 NHL season saw teams battle hard to make it to the playoffs. Teams were divided into two main groups: the Prince of Wales Conference and the Clarence Campbell Conference. Each conference had two divisions.
Team Standings: Who Made the Playoffs?
Here's how the teams finished in their divisions. The teams in bold made it to the playoffs!
Prince of Wales Conference Teams
| Adams Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 43 | 23 | 14 | 100 | 316 | 270 | 1222 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 36 | 28 | 16 | 88 | 280 | 263 | 1026 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 34 | 33 | 13 | 81 | 267 | 252 | 1440 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 28 | 40 | 12 | 68 | 257 | 289 | 1102 |
| Norris Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 52 | 17 | 11 | 115 | 337 | 204 | 803 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 85 | 281 | 279 | 1039 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 80 | 292 | 286 | 1134 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 24 | 41 | 15 | 63 | 273 | 338 | 1312 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 23 | 41 | 16 | 62 | 252 | 295 | 1359 |
Clarence Campbell Conference Teams
| Patrick Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Islanders | 80 | 51 | 15 | 14 | 116 | 358 | 214 | 1077 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 95 | 281 | 248 | 1548 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 40 | 29 | 11 | 91 | 316 | 292 | 1214 |
| Atlanta Flames | 80 | 41 | 31 | 8 | 90 | 327 | 280 | 1158 |
| Smythe Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 29 | 36 | 15 | 73 | 244 | 277 | 1254 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 42 | 13 | 63 | 217 | 291 | 1134 |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 18 | 50 | 12 | 48 | 249 | 348 | 1055 |
| Colorado Rockies | 80 | 15 | 53 | 12 | 42 | 210 | 331 | 838 |
Top Scorers of the Season
These players were the best at scoring points during the regular season. Points are given for goals and assists.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Trottier | New York Islanders | 76 | 47 | 87 | 134 | 50 |
| Marcel Dionne | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 59 | 71 | 130 | 30 |
| Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 52 | 77 | 129 | 28 |
| Mike Bossy | New York Islanders | 80 | 69 | 57 | 126 | 25 |
| Bob MacMillan | Atlanta Flames | 79 | 37 | 71 | 108 | 14 |
| Guy Chouinard | Atlanta Flames | 80 | 50 | 57 | 107 | 14 |
| Denis Potvin | New York Islanders | 73 | 31 | 70 | 101 | 58 |
| Bernie Federko | St. Louis Blues | 74 | 31 | 64 | 95 | 14 |
| Dave Taylor | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 43 | 48 | 91 | 124 |
| Clark Gillies | New York Islanders | 75 | 35 | 56 | 91 | 68 |
Stanley Cup Playoffs: The Road to the Championship
The playoffs are an exciting time when the best teams compete for the Stanley Cup. All playoff games happened in 1979.
Playoff Journey
This chart shows how teams battled through the different rounds of the playoffs.
| Preliminary Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Atlanta Flames | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston Bruins | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston Bruins | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Buffalo Sabres | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Rangers | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Islanders | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Rangers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Vancouver Canucks | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Rangers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Rangers | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Los Angeles Kings | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
Preliminary Round: First Battles
The first round of the playoffs saw some exciting matchups.
- The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Vancouver Canucks 2 games to 1.
- The New York Rangers won against the Los Angeles Kings 2 games to 0.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Atlanta Flames 2 games to 0.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins won a close series against the Buffalo Sabres 2 games to 1, with the final game going into overtime.
Quarterfinals: Moving On
In the quarterfinals, teams played best-of-seven series.
- The New York Islanders swept the Chicago Black Hawks, winning 4 games to 0.
- The Montreal Canadiens also swept the Toronto Maple Leafs, winning 4 games to 0.
- The Boston Bruins won their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins 4 games to 0.
- The New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to 1.
Semi-finals: Tough Competitors
The semi-finals brought even tougher competition.
- The New York Rangers faced the New York Islanders in a thrilling series. The Rangers won 4 games to 2.
- The Montreal Canadiens played against the Boston Bruins. This was a very close series, with Montreal winning 4 games to 3 in overtime of the final game.
Stanley Cup Finals: Montreal vs. New York Rangers
The final series was between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens. This was a special final, as it was the last time two "Original Six" teams met for the Cup until 2008.
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13 | New York | 4 | Montreal | 1 | |
| May 15 | New York | 2 | Montreal | 6 | |
| May 17 | Montreal | 4 | New York | 1 | |
| May 19 | Montreal | 4 | New York | 3 | (OT) |
| May 21 | New York | 1 | Montreal | 4 |
The Montreal Canadiens won the series 4 games to 1, taking home their fourth Stanley Cup in a row!
NHL Awards: Recognizing Greatness
At the end of the season, special awards are given to players and teams for their amazing achievements.
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | New York Islanders |
| Art Ross Memorial Trophy: | Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Serge Savard, Montreal Canadiens |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Bobby Smith, Minnesota North Stars |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy: | Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
| Jack Adams Award: | Al Arbour, New York Islanders |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Denis Potvin, New York Islanders |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Bob MacMillan, Atlanta Flames |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: | Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles Kings |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award: | Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders |
| Vezina Trophy: | Ken Dryden & Michel Larocque, Montreal Canadiens |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: | Bobby Orr |
All-Star Teams: The Best of the Best
The NHL also picks two "All-Star" teams, which are like dream teams made up of the best players in each position.
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens | G | Glenn Resch, New York Islanders |
| Denis Potvin, New York Islanders | D | Borje Salming, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Larry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens | D | Serge Savard, Montreal Canadiens |
| Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders | C | Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles Kings |
| Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens | RW | Mike Bossy, New York Islanders |
| Clark Gillies, New York Islanders | LW | Bill Barber, Philadelphia Flyers |
