1976–77 WHA season
Sports season
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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.
| 1976–77 WHA season | |
|---|---|
| League | World Hockey Association |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 7, 1976 – May 26, 1977 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Blair Chapman |
| Picked by | Edmonton Oilers |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Houston Aeros |
| Season MVP | Robbie Ftorek (Phoenix) |
| Top scorer | Real Cloutier (Quebec) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Serge Bernier (Nordiques) |
| Avco Cup Final | |
| Champions | Quebec Nordiques |
| Runners-up | Winnipeg Jets |
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
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West Division 
East DivisionNote: The Minnesota Fighting Saints folded mid-way in the season.
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec Nordiques | 81 | 47 | 31 | 3 | 353 | 295 | 97 |
| Cincinnati Stingers | 81 | 39 | 37 | 5 | 354 | 303 | 83 |
| Indianapolis Racers | 81 | 36 | 37 | 8 | 276 | 305 | 80 |
| New England Whalers | 81 | 35 | 40 | 6 | 275 | 290 | 76 |
| Birmingham Bulls | 81 | 31 | 46 | 4 | 289 | 309 | 66 |
| Minnesota Fighting Saints | 42 | 19 | 18 | 5 | 136 | 129 | 43 |
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Aeros | 80 | 50 | 24 | 6 | 320 | 241 | 106 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 46 | 32 | 2 | 366 | 291 | 94 |
| San Diego Mariners | 81 | 40 | 37 | 4 | 284 | 283 | 85 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 81 | 34 | 43 | 4 | 243 | 304 | 72 |
| Calgary Cowboys | 81 | 31 | 43 | 7 | 252 | 296 | 69 |
| Phoenix Roadrunners | 80 | 28 | 48 | 4 | 281 | 383 | 60 |
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
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Quebec Nordiques | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | New England Whalers | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Quebec Nordiques | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| E3 | Indianapolis Racers | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Cincinnati Stingers | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indianapolis Racers | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Quebec Nordiques | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Winnipeg Jets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Houston Aeros | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Edmonton Oilers | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Houston Aeros | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Winnipeg Jets | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Winnipeg Jets | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | San Diego Mariners | 3 | ||||||||||||
WHA awards
Trophies
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 |