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1976–77 WHA season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | 1976–77 WHA season |
| league | World Hockey Association |
| sport | Ice hockey |
| duration | October 7, 1976 – May 26, 1977 |
| season | Regular season |
| MVP | Robbie Ftorek (Phoenix) |
| MVP_link | Gordie Howe Trophy |
| top_scorer | Real Cloutier (Quebec) |
| top_scorer_link | Bill Hunter Trophy |
| finals | [Avco Cup Final](1977-wha-playoffs) |
| finals_champ | Quebec Nordiques |
| finals_runner-up | Winnipeg Jets |
| nextseason_year | [1977–78](1977-78-wha-season) |
| prevseason_year | [1975–76](1975-76-wha-season) |
| seasonslistnames | WHA |
| conf1_runner-up = | conf2_runner-up = | finals_runner-up =Winnipeg Jets The 1976–77 WHA season was the fifth season of the World Hockey Association (WHA). Prior to the season, the Toronto Toros moved to Birmingham, Alabama and became the Birmingham Bulls. The Cleveland Crusaders attempted to move to South Florida, but instead became the short-lived second incarnation of the Minnesota Fighting Saints and folded after playing 42 games. With the death of the Saints, the WHA left the last market it had been sharing with the NHL. The remaining 11 teams finished the season, playing 80 or 81 games.
With the reduction of teams before the start of the season, the league returned to a two-division setup, eliminating the Canadian Division.
The Avco World Trophy winners were the Quebec Nordiques, defeating the Winnipeg Jets four games to three; it was the only WHA final series that went the full seven games.
Regular season standings
Player stats
Scoring leaders
Bolded numbers indicate season leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Cloutier | Quebec Nordiques | 76 | 66 | 75 | **141** | 39 |
| Anders Hedberg | Winnipeg Jets | 68 | **70** | 61 | 131 | 48 |
| Ulf Nilsson | Winnipeg Jets | 71 | 39 | **85** | 124 | 89 |
| Robbie Ftorek | Phoenix Roadrunners | 80 | 46 | 71 | 117 | 86 |
| Andre Lacroix | San Diego Mariners | 81 | 32 | 82 | 114 | 79 |
| Marc Tardif | Quebec Nordiques | 62 | 49 | 60 | 109 | 65 |
| Rich Leduc | Cincinnati Stingers | 81 | 52 | 55 | 107 | 75 |
| Chris Bordeleau | Quebec Nordiques | 72 | 32 | 75 | 107 | 34 |
| Blaine Stoughton | Cincinnati Stingers | 81 | 52 | 52 | 104 | 39 |
| Mark Napier | Birmingham Bulls | 80 | 60 | 36 | 96 | 24 |
| Dennis Sobchuk | Cincinnati Stingers | 81 | 44 | 52 | 96 | 38 |
| Serge Bernier | Quebec Nordiques | 74 | 43 | 53 | 96 | 94 |
Leading goaltenders
Bolded numbers indicate season leaders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties, GA = Goals against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Grahame | Houston Aeros | 39 | 2345 | 27 | 10 | 2 | 107 | **4** | 90.1 | **2.74** |
| Ernie Wakely | San Diego Mariners | 46 | 2506 | 22 | 18 | 1 | 129 | 3 | 89.6 | 3.09 |
| Cap Raeder | New England Whalers | 26 | 1328 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 69 | 2 | **90.2** | 3.12 |
| Wayne Rutledge | Houston Aeros | 42 | 2512 | 23 | 14 | 4 | 132 | 3 | 89.8 | 3.15 |
| Joe Daley | Winnipeg Jets | 65 | **3813** | **39** | 21 | 2 | 206 | 3 | 89.2 | 3.24 |
Avco World Trophy Playoffs
Main article: 1977 WHA playoffs
| RD1-group1=Eastern Division | RD1-group2=Western Division | RD1-seed1=E1 | RD1-team1=Quebec Nordiques | RD1-score1=4 | RD1-seed2=E4 | RD1-team2=New England Whalers | RD1-score2=1 | RD1-seed3=E2 | RD1-team3=Cincinnati Stingers | RD1-score3=0 | RD1-seed4=E3 | RD1-team4=Indianapolis Racers | RD1-score4=4 | RD1-seed5=W1 | RD1-team5=Houston Aeros | RD1-score5=4 | RD1-seed6=W4 | RD1-team6=Edmonton Oilers | RD1-score6=1 | RD1-seed7=W2 | RD1-team7=Winnipeg Jets | RD1-score7=4 | RD1-seed8=W3 | RD1-team8=San Diego Mariners | RD1-score8=3 | RD2-seed1=E1 | RD2-team1=Quebec Nordiques | RD2-score1=4 | RD2-seed2=E3 | RD2-team2=Indianapolis Racers | RD2-score2=1 | RD2-seed3=W1 | RD2-team3=Houston Aeros | RD2-score3=2 | RD2-seed4=W2 | RD2-team4=Winnipeg Jets | RD2-score4=4 | RD3-seed1=E1 | RD3-team1=Quebec Nordiques | RD3-score1=4 | RD3-seed2=W2 | RD3-team2=Winnipeg Jets | RD3-score2=3
WHA awards
Trophies
| WHA Playoff MVP: | Serge Bernier, Quebec Nordiques |
|---|
All-Star Team
| **Position** | **First Team** | **Second Team** |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | Robbie Ftorek, Phoenix | Ulf Nilsson, Winnipeg |
| Right Wing | Anders Hedberg, Winnipeg | Real Cloutier, Quebec |
| Left Wing | Marc Tardif, Quebec | Rick Dudley, Cincinnati |
| Defence | Darryl Maggs, Indianapolis | Poul Popiel, Houston |
| Defence | Ron Plumb, Cincinnati | Mark Howe, Houston |
| Goaltender | John Garrett, Birmingham | Joe Daley, Winnipeg |
References
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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