1977–78 AHL season

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Sports season

1977–78 AHL season

League| American Hockey League
Sport| Ice hockey
Regular season
F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy| Maine Mariners
Season MVP| Blake Dunlop
Top scorer| Rick Adduono
Gord Brooks
Playoffs
Champions| Maine Mariners
Runners-up| New Haven Nighthawks
AHL seasons

← 1976–77

1978–79 →

The 1977–78 AHL season was the 42nd season of the American Hockey League. The season was in jeopardy when the last of the original eight franchises of the "International-American Hockey League", the Rhode Island Reds (previously Providence Reds) folded in the offseason, and the AHL was left with five teams. The league increased its member teams by four, when the North American Hockey League and Southern Hockey Leagues both folded before the 1977–78 season. Two teams joined from the NAHL, and another from the SHL, along with one expansion team.

North and south divisions were resumed. The F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy resumes as the regular season championship trophy for the north division, and the John D. Chick Trophy resumes as the regular season championship trophy for the south division. The Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award is first awarded to the player best exemplifying sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.

Nine teams were scheduled to play 80 games each, however the Hampton Gulls folded on February 10, 1978, playing 46 games. The Maine Mariners finished first overall in the regular season, and won the Calder Cup championship as a first year expansion team.

## Team changes

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* The Maine Mariners join the AHL as an expansion team, based in Portland, Maine, playing in the North Division.
* The Broome Dusters, of the defunct North American Hockey League, acquire and merge with the Rhode Island Reds. The Reds are relocated to Binghamton, New York, and play as the Binghamton Dusters in the North Division.
* The Philadelphia Firebirds, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, transfer to the AHL as an expansion team, from the defunct North American Hockey League, and play in the South Division.
* The Hampton Gulls, based in Hampton, Virginia, transfer to the AHL as an expansion team, from the defunct Southern Hockey League, and play in the South Division.

## Final standings

[edit]

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points;

North  | GP  | W  | L  | T  | Pts  | GF  | GA

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Maine Mariners (PHI) | 80 | 43 | 28 | 9 | 95 | 305 | 256
Nova Scotia Voyageurs (MTL) | 81 | 37 | 28 | 16 | 90 | 304 | 250
Springfield Indians (LAK) | 81 | 39 | 33 | 9 | 87 | 348 | 350
Binghamton Dusters (PIT) | 81 | 27 | 46 | 8 | 62 | 287 | 377
South  | GP  | W  | L  | T  | Pts  | GF  | GA

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Rochester Americans (BOS) | 81 | 43 | 31 | 7 | 93 | 332 | 296
New Haven Nighthawks (NYR) | 80 | 38 | 31 | 11 | 87 | 313 | 292
Philadelphia Firebirds | 81 | 35 | 35 | 11 | 81 | 294 | 290
Hershey Bears (BUF/WSH) | 81 | 27 | 44 | 10 | 64 | 281 | 324
Hampton Gulls† | 46 | 15 | 28 | 3 | 33 | 142 | 171

†Suspended operations.

## Scoring leaders

[edit]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player  | Team  | GP  | G  | A  | Pts  | PIM

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Gord Brooks | Philadelphia Firebirds | 81 | 42 | 56 | 98 | 40
Rick Adduono | Rochester Americans | 76 | 38 | 60 | 98 | 34
Al Hill | Maine Mariners | 80 | 32 | 59 | 91 | 118
Bob Collyard | Philadelphia Firebirds | 79 | 28 | 62 | 90 | 42
Andre Peloffy | Springfield Indians | 67 | 33 | 55 | 88 | 73
Gordie Clark | Rochester Americans | 75 | 37 | 51 | 88 | 18
Joe Hardy | Binghamton Dusters | 73 | 24 | 63 | 87 | 56
Tom Colley | New Haven Nighthawks | 80 | 32 | 54 | 86 | 17
Charlie Simmer | Springfield Indians | 75 | 42 | 41 | 83 | 100

* complete list

## Calder Cup playoffs

[edit]

Main article: 1978 Calder Cup playoffs

| Division Semifinals | | | Division Finals | | | Calder Cup Final |

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| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 1 | Maine | 4 | |
| 2 | Nova Scotia | 3 | | | 2 | Nova Scotia | 3 |
| 3 | Springfield | 1 | | | | | | N1 | Maine | 4 |
| | | | | | S2 | New Haven | 1 |
| | | | 1 | Rochester | 2 | | | |
| 2 | New Haven | 3 | | | 2 | New Haven | 4 |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 1 | |

## Trophy and award winners

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Team awards
Calder Cup
Playoff champions: | Maine Mariners

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F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy
Regular Season champions, North Division: | Maine Mariners
John D. Chick Trophy
Regular Season champions, South Division: | Rochester Americans

Individual awards
Les Cunningham Award
Most valuable player: | Blake Dunlop \- Maine Mariners

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John B. Sollenberger Trophy
Top point scorer: | Rick Adduono \- Rochester Americans &
Gord Brooks \- Philadelphia Firebirds
Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award
Rookie of the year: | Norm Dupont \- Nova Scotia Voyageurs
Eddie Shore Award
Defenceman of the year: | Terry Murray \- Maine Mariners
Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award
Lowest goals against average: | Bob Holland & Maurice Barrette \- Nova Scotia Voyageurs
Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award
Coach of the year: | Bob McCammon \- Maine Mariners
Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award
Sportsmanship / Perseverance: | Blake Dunlop \- Maine Mariners

Other awards
James C. Hendy Memorial Award
Most outstanding executive: | Sam Pollock

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James H. Ellery Memorial Awards
Outstanding media coverage: | Brian Thayer, Maine, (newspaper)
Al Kalter, Binghamton, (radio)
Tim Melton, Hershey & Frank Fixaris, Maine, (television)

## See also

[edit]

* List of AHL seasons

## External links

[edit]

* AHL official site
* AHL Hall of Fame
* HockeyDB

Preceded by

1976–77 AHL season

|  AHL seasons | Succeeded by

1978–79 AHL season

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