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78-79BosBru
1978–79 Boston Bruins
Division 1st Adams
Conference 2nd Prince of Wales
1978–79 record 43–23–14
Goals for 316 (3rd)
Goals against 270 (6th)
Team information
General manager Harry Sinden
Coach Don Cherry
Captain Wayne Cashman
Arena Boston Garden
Team leaders
Goals Rick Middleton (38)
Assists Terry O'Reilly (51)
Points Rick Middleton (86)
Penalty minutes Terry O'Reilly (205)
Wins Gerry Cheevers (23)
Goals against average Gerry Cheevers (3.16)

The 1978–79 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 55th season. The Bruins finished 1st in the Adams Division and lost in the Semi-finals to the Montreal Canadiens 4 games to 3.

Off-season[]

Regular Season[]

Al Secord made his NHL debut with the Bruins during the 1978–79 season.

Final Standings[]

Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA PTS
Boston Bruins 80 43 23 14 316 270 100
Buffalo Sabres 80 36 28 16 280 263 88
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 34 33 13 267 252 81
Minnesota North Stars 80 28 40 12 257 289 68

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.


Game Log[]

1980s Bruins logo Regular Season Results 1980s Bruins logo
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 W October 12, 1978 8–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) 1–0–0
2 T October 14, 1978 4–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) 1–0–1
3 W October 15, 1978 4–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 2–0–1
4 W October 18, 1978 3–2 @ Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) 3–0–1
5 W October 20, 1978 5–1 @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) 4–0–1
6 L October 22, 1978 5–6 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 4–1–1
7 W October 24, 1978 7–2 @ St. Louis Blues (1978–79) 5–1–1
8 T October 25, 1978 2–2 @ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 5–1–2
9 W October 28, 1978 5–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 6–1–2
10 W November 2, 1978 4–1 New York Islanders (1978–79) 7–1–2
11 L November 4, 1978 3–7 Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 7–2–2
12 T November 5, 1978 1–1 Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) 7–2–3
13 W November 9, 1978 6–2 Washington Capitals (1978–79) 8–2–3
14 L November 11, 1978 1–7 @ Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) 8–3–3
15 T November 12, 1978 4–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 8–3–4
16 L November 16, 1978 4–6 Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 8–4–4
17 W November 17, 1978 6–2 @ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) 9–4–4
18 W November 19, 1978 5–2 St. Louis Blues (1978–79) 10–4–4
19 W November 23, 1978 5–2 Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 11–4–4
20 T November 25, 1978 5–5 @ Washington Capitals (1978–79) 11–4–5
21 W November 26, 1978 4–2 Atlanta Flames (1978–79) 12–4–5
22 W November 30, 1978 4–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 13–4–5
23 W December 2, 1978 5–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 14–4–5
24 W December 3, 1978 3–2 @ New York Rangers (1978–79) 15–4–5
25 W December 5, 1978 5–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 16–4–5
26 W December 7, 1978 6–5 Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) 17–4–5
27 L December 9, 1978 2–9 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 17–5–5
28 T December 10, 1978 4–4 Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 17–5–6
29 W December 12, 1978 7–3 Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) 18–5–6
30 W December 14, 1978 5–2 Washington Capitals (1978–79) 19–5–6
31 W December 16, 1978 4–1 New York Rangers (1978–79) 20–5–6
32 W December 17, 1978 4–1 @ New York Rangers (1978–79) 21–5–6
33 W December 21, 1978 4–2 Colorado Rockies (1978–79) 22–5–6
34 W December 23, 1978 6–4 Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 23–5–6
35 T December 27, 1978 1–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 23–5–7
36 L December 30, 1978 1–6 @ Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) 23–6–7
37 W December 31, 1978 7–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 24–6–7
38 W January 3, 1979 6–3 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 25–6–7
39 W January 5, 1979 5–3 @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) 26–6–7
40 W January 6, 1979 5–2 @ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 27–6–7
41 W January 11, 1979 6–4 Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 28–6–7
42 L January 13, 1979 3–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) 28–7–7
43 L January 14, 1979 3–6 Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) 28–8–7
44 L January 16, 1979 2–5 @ St. Louis Blues (1978–79) 28–9–7
45 W January 18, 1979 4–0 St. Louis Blues (1978–79) 29–9–7
46 L January 20, 1979 1–2 Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 29–10–7
47 W January 22, 1979 3–1 Atlanta Flames (1978–79) 30–10–7
48 L January 25, 1979 2–4 New York Islanders (1978–79) 30–11–7
49 L January 27, 1979 1–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) 30–12–7
50 L January 28, 1979 3–5 Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) 30–13–7
51 T January 31, 1979 2–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 30–13–8
52 W February 1, 1979 6–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 31–13–8
53 T February 3, 1979 4–4 @ New York Islanders (1978–79) 31–13–9
54 W February 4, 1979 6–1 Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) 32–13–9
55 L February 14, 1979 1–5 @ New York Rangers (1978–79) 32–14–9
56 L February 15, 1979 3–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 32–15–9
57 T February 17, 1979 3–3 @ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 32–15–10
58 W February 20, 1979 5–3 @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) 33–15–10
59 L February 21, 1979 1–3 @ Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) 33–16–10
60 W February 24, 1979 4–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) 34–16–10
61 L February 27, 1979 2–4 Colorado Rockies (1978–79) 34–17–10
62 T March 1, 1979 4–4 Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) 34–17–11
63 W March 3, 1979 5–0 Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 35–17–11
64 W March 4, 1979 6–4 @ Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) 36–17–11
65 L March 8, 1979 5–7 @ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) 36–18–11
66 W March 10, 1979 4–3 @ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 37–18–11
67 T March 11, 1979 4–4 New York Islanders (1978–79) 37–18–12
68 L March 13, 1979 2–7 @ New York Islanders (1978–79) 37–19–12
69 L March 15, 1979 4–7 New York Rangers (1978–79) 37–20–12
70 W March 17, 1979 4–2 Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) 38–20–12
71 W March 19, 1979 4–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 39–20–12
72 L March 22, 1979 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) 39–21–12
73 W March 24, 1979 5–2 Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) 40–21–12
74 L March 28, 1979 2–9 @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 40–22–12
75 W March 29, 1979 7–4 Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) 41–22–12
76 W March 31, 1979 4–1 @ Washington Capitals (1978–79) 42–22–12
77 T April 1, 1979 3–3 Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) 42–22–13
78 T April 4, 1979 3–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 42–22–14
79 L April 5, 1979 3–9 Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) 42–23–14
80 W April 8, 1979 6–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) 43–23–14

Playoffs[]

Quarter-finals[]

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins

Date Away Score Home Score Notes
April 16 Pittsburgh 2 Boston 6
April 18 Pittsburgh 3 Boston 4
April 21 Boston 2 Pittsburgh 1
April 22 Boston 4 Pittsburgh 1

Boston wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0

Semi-finals[]

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

Game seven of the Montreal-Boston Semi-final is probably one of the most memorable in the history of the NHL. About a minute and a half after Boston's Rick Middleton scored with four minutes remaining in the third period to give the Bruins a 4–3 lead, linesman John D'Amico called a bench minor for too many men on the ice against the Bruins. Montreal's Guy Lafleur scored on the ensuing powerplay, sending the game to overtime where Yvon Lambert gave the Canadiens the win and a trip to their fourth straight Stanley Cup final.

Date Away Score Home Score Notes
April 26 Boston 2 Montreal 4
April 28 Boston 2 Montreal 5
May 1 Montreal 1 Boston 2
May 3 Montreal 3 Boston 4 (OT)
May 5 Boston 1 Montreal 5
May 8 Montreal 2 Boston 5
May 10 Boston 4 Montreal 5 (OT)

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3

  • The 1979 NHL Playoffs would mark the end of Don Cherry's tenure with the Bruins. Cherry, who had an uneasy relationship with Bruins General Manager Harry Sinden, was fired by the Bruins after a critical coaching mistake during a 1979 semi-final playoff series against the Canadiens. Up by a goal with less than two minutes left in the seventh game, the Bruins were penalized for having too many men on the ice. The Canadiens' Guy Lafleur scored the tying goal on the subsequent powerplay and ultimately won the game in overtime. Montreal went on to defeat the New York Rangers for their fourth straight Cup title.

Player Stats[]

Regular Season[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Middleton, RickRick Middleton RW 71 38 48 86 7 33 12 1 5
McNab, PeterPeter McNab C 76 35 45 80 10 29 4 0 4
O'Reilly, TerryTerry O'Reilly RW 80 26 51 77 205 7 3 0 5
Ratelle, JeanJean Ratelle C 80 27 45 72 12 17 11 0 5
Cashman, WayneWayne Cashman LW 75 27 40 67 63 16 10 0 4
Miller, BobBob Miller C 77 15 33 48 30 20 0 0 1
Marcotte, DonDon Marcotte LW 79 20 27 47 10 6 2 4 5
Wensink, JohnJohn Wensink LW 76 28 18 46 106 20 0 0 4
Schmautz, BobbyBobby Schmautz RW 65 20 22 42 77 -1 6 1 4
Park, BradBrad Park D 40 7 32 39 10 28 3 0 0
Milbury, MikeMike Milbury D 74 1 34 35 149 23 0 0 0
Redmond, DickDick Redmond D 64 7 26 33 21 0 4 0 1
Sims, AlAl Sims D 67 9 20 29 28 22 0 0 2
Smith, RickRick Smith D 65 7 18 25 46 20 0 0 1
Foster, DwightDwight Foster RW 44 11 13 24 14 -1 2 0 0
Secord, AlAl Secord LW 71 16 7 23 125 7 0 0 0
Doak, GaryGary Doak D 63 6 11 17 28 12 1 0 0
Jonathan, StanStan Jonathan LW 33 6 9 15 96 8 0 0 1
O'Brien, DennisDennis O'Brien D 64 2 8 10 107 16 0 0 0
Walton, MikeMike Walton C 14 4 2 6 0 -1 0 0 1
Bennett, BillBill Bennett LW 7 1 4 5 2 4 0 0 0
Songin, TomTom Songin RW 17 3 1 4 0 -3 1 0 0
Cheevers, GerryGerry Cheevers G 43 0 2 2 23 0 0 0 0
Nicolson, GraemeGraeme Nicolson D 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DeMarco, AbAb DeMarco D 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pettie, JimJim Pettie G 19 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 0
Gilbert, GillesGilles Gilbert G 23 0 0 0 16 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Cheevers, GerryGerry Cheevers 2509 43 23 9 10 132 3.16 1
Gilbert, GillesGilles Gilbert 1254 23 12 8 2 74 3.54 0
Pettie, JimJim Pettie 1037 19 8 6 2 62 3.59 1
Team: 4800 80 43 23 14 268 3.35 2

Playoffs[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Ratelle, JeanJean Ratelle C 11 7 6 13 2 2 0 2
Middleton, RickRick Middleton RW 11 4 8 12 0 2 0 1
Cashman, WayneWayne Cashman LW 10 4 5 9 8 1 0 1
Marcotte, DonDon Marcotte LW 11 5 3 8 10 0 0 0
McNab, PeterPeter McNab C 11 5 3 8 0 0 0 0
Milbury, MikeMike Milbury D 11 1 7 8 7 0 0 1
O'Reilly, TerryTerry O'Reilly RW 11 0 6 6 25 0 0 0
Jonathan, StanStan Jonathan LW 11 4 1 5 12 0 0 0
Park, BradBrad Park D 11 1 4 5 8 0 0 1
Schmautz, BobbyBobby Schmautz RW 11 2 2 4 6 1 0 0
Foster, DwightDwight Foster RW 11 1 3 4 0 0 0 0
Redmond, DickDick Redmond D 11 1 3 4 2 0 1 0
Smith, RickRick Smith D 11 0 4 4 12 0 0 0
Miller, BobBob Miller C 11 1 1 2 8 0 0 0
Doak, GaryGary Doak D 7 0 2 2 4 0 0 0
Sims, AlAl Sims D 11 0 2 2 0 0 0 0
Wensink, JohnJohn Wensink LW 8 0 1 1 19 0 0 0
Secord, AlAl Secord LW 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Gilbert, GillesGilles Gilbert G 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cheevers, GerryGerry Cheevers G 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Cheevers, GerryGerry Cheevers 360 6 4 2 15 2.50 0
Gilbert, GillesGilles Gilbert 314 5 3 2 16 3.06 0
Team: 674 11 7 4 31 2.76 0

[1]

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts

Awards and Records[]

Draft Picks[]

See also: 1978 NHL Amateur Draft
Round Overall Player Nationality Position
1 16 Al Secord Flag of Canada Canada Left Wing
2 35 Graeme Nicolson Flag of Canada Canada Defenseman
3 52 Brad Knelson Flag of Canada Canada Defenseman
4 68 George Buat Flag of Canada Canada Right Wing
5 85 Daryl MacLeod Flag of the United States United States Left Wing
6 102 Jeff Brubaker Flag of the United States United States Left Wing
7 119 Murray Skinner Flag of Canada Canada Goalie
8 136 Bobby Hehir Flag of the United States United States Center
9 153 Craig MacTavish Flag of Canada Canada Center

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. 1978-79 Boston Bruins Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com. hockey-reference.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
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