Congratulations to the Redbirds on making it back-to-back Cups and on being the first to #7!  Your status is set as amateur hockey immortals...yes, Eveleth truly is "Hockey Town!"

And now, the 1977 edition of This Year in Major Pro Hockey.

NHL
Your North Stars had their best season in a while, finishing in second place in the Smythe Division with 64 points to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years.  Unfortunately, their stay was a short one, being swept by the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 in the Preliminary Round.  Meanwhile, he Montreal Canadiens saw what the Redbirds did and decided to join in on the fun, as the Habs won their second consecutive (and 20th overall) Stanley Cup by sweeping their foes the Boston Bruins in four games.

There are no major changes to the league alignment for the 1977-78 season, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs format has been tweaked (top two teams in each division qualify, followed by the next four highest point totals among third and lower-place finishers regardless of division).  Beginning this season, the NHL will mandate that all teams must list the players' last names on the back of their jerseys.

WHA
The defending Avco World Trophy champion Winnipeg Jets had a solid title defence campaign, finishing in second place in the Western Division at 94 points and making it all the way to the Finals once more.  However, the Jets would be grounded by the Quebec Nordiques, whose 4-3 series triumph brought the trophy to La Vielle Capitale. 

For the second straight year, Fighting Saints fans would suffer the heartbreak of losing their favorite team as, despite their winning record, the second incarnation of the Saints folded midseason because of similar financial troubles to their previous incarnation.  With the Fighting Saints gone again, the WHA has officially lost its last market shared with the NHL.  However, there was a silver lining, as the Saints' demise led to another highly-attended and successful Super Series at the St. Paul Civic Center; rumor has it that the arena could be home to an MAHL Hall of Fame someday, but talks are still quite preliminary.

In the offseason, the San Diego Mariners, Phoenix Roadrunners and Calgary Cowboys all ceased operations, leading the WHA to consolidate into a single-table format of its eight remaining teams.  A tentative merger agreement which would have seen the Jets, Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers, Cincinnati Stingers and Houston Aeros join the NHL could not be finalized for the 1977-78 season-nonetheless, people are starting to see a merger between the two leagues as an inevitability, the only question being how many WHA teams will make the cut.

This has been This Year in Major Pro Hockey...I'm Michael Burmy, bidding you good night and looking forward to the 1977 MAHL offseason developments to come.

Updated Champions Banners

Retired Numbers


The Duluth Voyageurs announced the retirement of former Voyageur Henry Heaslip's number 6. Heaslip is widely regarded as one of the best players in Lake Superior Hockey League history, as well as being the Voyageurs all time scoring leader with 612 goals in his 19 year career which came to an end in 1971. Heaslip was instrumental in the Voyageurs last Kellogg Cup win in 1960.

Rivalry Trophies

The Blackduck Mallards of the Northland Hockey League are hoping that a fresh look will turn their luck and bring them out of the basement. The Ducks completely revamped their uniforms, introducing new striping and a bolder look, but keeping the Soaring Mallard on the chest.