1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their 12th in the National Hockey League. They finished second in the Norris Division, qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1977. Their regular season was a marked improvement over the previous season, from 68 to 85 points.
1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins | |
---|---|
Division | 2nd Norris |
Conference | 4th Wales |
1978–79 record | 36-31-13 |
Goals for | 281 |
Goals against | 279 |
Team information | |
General manager | Baz Bastien |
Coach | Johnny Wilson |
Captain | Orest Kindrachuk |
Alternate captains | None |
Arena | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Greg Malone (35) |
Assists | Orest Kindrachuk (42) |
Points | Greg Malone (65) |
Penalty minutes | Dave Schultz (157) |
Wins | Denis Herron (22) |
Goals against average | Denis Herron (3.37) |
Regular season
Final standings
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 52 | 17 | 11 | 337 | 204 | 115 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 281 | 279 | 85 |
Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 292 | 286 | 80 |
Washington Capitals | 80 | 24 | 41 | 15 | 273 | 338 | 63 |
Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 23 | 41 | 16 | 252 | 295 | 62 |
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Schedule and results
1978–79 Schedule | ||||||||
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October: 1–6–2 (Home: 1–3–2 ; Road: 0–3–0), 4 Points
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November: 5–7–1 (Home: 3–3–0 ; Road: 2–4–1), 11 Points
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December: 9–2–4 (Home: 6–0–1 ; Road: 3–2–3), 22 Points
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January: 5–7–1 (Home: 4–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–1), 11 Points
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February: 6–3–1 (Home: 6–0–0 ; Road: 0–3–1), 13 Points
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March: 8–4–4 (Home: 2–1–2 ; Road: 6–3–2), 20 Points
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April: 2–2–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 1–1–0), 4 Points
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Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie |
Playoffs
Preliminary Round vs. Buffalo
April 10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4–3 | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
April 12 | Buffalo Sabres | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Civic Arena |
April 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4–3 | OT | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
Pittsburgh won series 2–1 | |
Quarterfinals vs. Boston
April 16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2–6 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 02:29 – Peter McNab (1) 05:14 – Don Marcotte (1) 15:58 – Mike Milbury (1) | ||||||
Orest Kindrachuk (2) – 06:07 | Second period | 04:21 – Don Marcotte (2) 16:02 – pp – Bobby Schmautz (1) 17:27 – sh – Dick Redmond (1) | ||||||
Gregg Sheppard (1) – pp – 12:14 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Denis Herron 27 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 19 saves / 21 shots |
April 18 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1–5 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
Jim Hamilton (3) – pp – 14:11 | First period | 15:10 – pp – Jean Ratelle (1) 16:16 – Dwight Foster (1) | ||||||
Orest Kindrachuk (3) – 14:52 | Second period | 14:15 – Peter McNab (2) | ||||||
Orest Kindrachuck (4) – 19:54 | Third period | 10:10 – Bob Miller (1) | ||||||
Denis Herron 21 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 24 saves / 27 shots |
April 21 | Boston Bruins | 2–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Civic Arena |
April 22 | Boston Bruins | 4–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Civic Arena |
Boston won series 4–0 | |
Player statistics
- Skaters
- Goaltenders
Player | GP | W | L | T | GA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denis Herron | 56 | 22 | 19 | 12 | 180 | 0 |
Gregory Millen | 28 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 86 | 2 |
Gordon Laxton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Total | 36 | 31 | 13 | 274 | 2 |
Player | GP | W | L | T | GA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denis Herron | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
Total | 2 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 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.
Transactions
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1978–79 season:
Trades
September 6, 1978 | To Boston Bruins
Jean Pronovost |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Gregg Sheppard |
October 9, 1978 | To Chicago Blackhawks
1980 2nd round pick |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Dale Tallon |
October 18, 1978 | To Montreal Canadiens
1981 1st round pick |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Rod Schutt |
November 17, 1978 | To Vancouver Canucks
Dunc Wilson |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
cash |
February 6, 1979 | To Buffalo Sabres
Dave Schultz |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Gary McAdam |
June 9, 1979 | To Winnipeg Jets
1980 7th round pick |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Jets promise not to claim Kim Clackson as a priority selection from its WHA franchise |
August 3, 1979 | To Detroit Red Wings
Pete Mahovlich |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Nick Libett |
Additions and subtractions
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Roster
# | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | NHL Draft | Birthplace |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | ![]() |
Russell Anderson | D | L | 24 | 1975 | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
14 | ![]() |
Wayne Bianchin | RW | L | 25 | 1973 | Nanaimo, British Columbia |
2 | ![]() |
Thomas Bladon | D | R | 26 | 1972 | Edmonton, Alberta |
6 | ![]() |
Colin Campbell | D | L | 26 | 1973 | Toronto, Ontario |
25 | ![]() |
Randy Carlyle | D | L | 23 | 1976 | Sudbury, Ontario |
9 | ![]() |
Blair Chapman | RW | R | 22 | 1976 | Lloydminster, Saskatchewan |
27 | ![]() |
Jacques Cossette | RW | R | 24 | 1974 | Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec |
16 | ![]() |
Kim Davis | C | L | 21 | 1977 | Flin Flon, Manitoba |
11 | ![]() |
George Ferguson | C | R | 26 | 1972 | Trenton, Ontario |
13 | ![]() |
James Hamilton | RW | L | 22 | 1977 | Barrie, Ontario |
1 | ![]() |
Denis Herron | G | L | 26 | 1972 | Chambly, Quebec |
5 | ![]() |
Alexander Hudson | D | L | 23 | 1975 | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
17 | ![]() |
Rick Kehoe | RW | R | 27 | 1971 | Windsor, Ontario |
26 | ![]() |
Orest Kindrachuk (C) | C | L | 28 | Undrafted | Nanton, Alberta |
30 | ![]() |
Gordon Laxton | G | L | 24 | 1975 | Montreal, Quebec |
10 | ![]() |
Peter Lee | RW | R | 23 | 1976 | Ellesmere, Great Britain |
18 | ![]() |
David Lonsberry | LW | L | 32 | Undrafted | Humboldt, Saskatchewan |
20 | ![]() |
Peter Mahovlich | C | L | 32 | 1963 | Timmins, Ontario |
12 | ![]() |
William Malone | C | L | 23 | 1976 | Fredericton, New Brunswick |
16 | ![]() |
Gary McAdam | RW | L | 23 | 1975 | Smiths Falls, Ontario |
16 | ![]() |
Michael Meeker | RW | — | 21 | 1978 | Kingston, Ontario |
29 | ![]() |
Gregory Millen | G | R | 21 | 1977 | Toronto, Ontario |
24 | ![]() |
Robert Paradise | D | L | 35 | Undrafted | St. Paul, Minnesota |
28 | ![]() |
Thomas Price | D | — | 24 | 1974 | Toronto, Ontario |
23 | ![]() |
Rodney Schutt | LW | L | 22 | 1976 | Bancroft, Ontario |
19 | ![]() |
Gregory Sheppard | C | L | 30 | Undrafted | North Battleford, Saskatchewan |
22 | ![]() |
Brian Spencer | LW | L | 29 | 1969 | Fort St. James, British Columbia |
3 | ![]() |
Ronald Stackhouse | D | R | 29 | 1969 | Haliburton, Ontario |
4 | ![]() |
Dale Tallon | D | L | 28 | 1970 | Noranda, Quebec |
Draft picks
The 1978 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 15, 1978 in Montreal, Quebec.[6]
Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team (League) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 25 | Michael Meeker | Right Wing | ![]() |
Peterborough Petes (OHA) |
4 | 61 | Shane Pearsall | Left Wing | ![]() |
Ottawa 67's (OHA) |
5 | 75 | Robert Garner | Center | ![]() |
Toronto Marlboros (OHA) |
References
- National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 163, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
- "1978–1979 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- "1978–1979 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- "1978–1979 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- "1978–1979 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.