1976–77 Colorado Rockies (NHL) season
| 1976–77 Colorado Rockies (NHL) | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th Smythe |
| Conference | 9th Campbell |
| 1976–77 record | 20–46–14 |
| Goals for | 226 |
| Goals against | 307 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Ray Miron |
| Coach | Johnny Wilson |
| Captain | Simon Nolet |
| Alternate captains | None |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Wilf Paiement (40) |
| Assists | Wilf Paiement (41) |
| Points | Wilf Paiement (81) |
| Penalties in minutes | Steve Durbano (129) |
| Wins | Michel Plasse (12) |
| Goals against average | Bill McKenzie (2.40) |
The 1976–77 Colorado Rockies season was the Rockies' first season. The former Kansas City Scouts relocated in the off-season to Denver. With the World Hockey Association's Denver Spurs leaving Denver in a midnight move to Ottawa, Ontario just about 10 months earlier, Denver would get a franchise and the team would be anointed the Colorado Rockies. The team moved from Kansas City, which was a two-year NHL franchise that struggled from the beginning.
The team took to the ice for their first regular season against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 6, 1976. Rockies goalie Doug Favell played extremely well stopping 39 of the Toronto 41 shots on net. Wilf Paiement notching one goal, two assists and a fight. Rookie Larry Skinner scored the first NHL regular season goal for the franchise. The final score was 4–2.
The team was competitive in the weak Smythe Division for a major portion of the season. Early in the season, the Rockies picked up wins by either the goon tactics of Steve Durbano, or through the heroic feats of their goalies, Doug Favell and Michel Plasse. Bill McKenzie was also a goalie for the Rockies but only got into five games.
• The draft was held while the franchise was in Kansas City.
On some nights, the Rockies could come back from two and three goal deficits to get ties or the occasional win, but then the next night the team would be overmatched by one of the elite teams in the league.
Goonery was a big part of hockey in 1976 and the Rockies goon at the beginning of the season was Steve Durbano. After losing three in a row, Durbano tried to get the Rockies going with goon tactics. Despite the goonery, Durbano did not last long with the franchise, playing only 18 games; his penalty minute total in that handful of games, however, was sufficient to lead the team for the season.
Teams were launching over 40 and 50 shots on net against Plasse and Favell. After a November game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens, Plasse was noticeably hurt. The Canadiens were blasting the puck towards Plasse all game. One shot off the stick of Canadiens player Murray Wilson put Plasse down in the second period with an arm injury, but the goalie was able to get up and finish the game. The Rockies' forwards were able to come back twice from two-goal deficits to finally tie the game at three a piece with just about nine minutes left in the third. However it was Plasse preserved the tie stand by stopping 47 of 50 shots, 20 in the third period.
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