1977–78 NHL season
| 1977–78 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 12, 1977 – May 25, 1978 |
| Number of games | 80 |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Season MVP | Guy Lafleur (Canadiens) |
| Top scorer | Guy Lafleur (Canadiens) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs Playoffs MVP | Larry Robinson (Canadiens) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Runners-up | Boston Bruins |
The 1977–78 NHL season was the 61st season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won their third Stanley Cup in a row, defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Clarence Campbell retired as NHL President, prior to this season. John Ziegler succeeded him.
A trophy for the top defensive forward, the Frank J. Selke Trophy, made its debut this season and went to Bob Gainey, who played left wing for Montreal.
On June 14, 1978, the league approved the merger of the financially struggling Cleveland Barons and Minnesota North Stars franchises, reducing the number of teams to seventeen, with the North Stars (now the Dallas Stars) assuming the Barons' place in the Adams Division. It was the only instance of a league franchise to dissolve since the Brooklyn Americans ceased operations in 1942. The next time the NHL had a team in Ohio would be the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2000–01 season.
The league changed the playoff qualification format for this season. Whereas before the first through third-place teams in every division qualified, the format was changed to only guarantee the first and second-place finisher in each division a playoff spot. The last four qualifiers were from the next-best four regular-season records from third and lower place finishers.
Teams were required to place the last names of players on the back of all jerseys starting with this season. Toronto owner Harold Ballard, believing that the move would cut into sales of programs, briefly attempted to render the names in white to blend in with the Maple Leafs white home jerseys, a plan quickly forbidden by the league.
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