The 1977–78 WCHL season was the 12th season of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), featuring twelve teams and a 72-game regular season. The Brandon Wheat Kings won their second consecutive regular season title, topping the standings with 46 wins. In the playoffs, the New Westminster Bruins solidified their dynasty in winning their fourth consecutive President's Cup, defeating the Billings Bighorns—the first American-based club to make the league playoff final—in the championship series. The Bruins earned a berth in the 1978 Memorial Cup tournament, and there won the club's second consecutive Memorial Cup title.
| 1977–78 WCHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Brandon Wheat Kings (2) |
| Season MVP | Ryan Walter (Seattle Breakers) |
| Top scorer | Brian Propp (Brandon Wheat Kings) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | New Westminster Bruins (4) |
| Runners-up | Billings Bighorns |
| 1977–78 CHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 34 |
| OMJHL | |
| QMJHL | |
| WCHL | |
| Memorial Cup | |
| Finals champions | New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) |
The season was the first for a trio of franchises. The Calgary Centennials relocated to Billings, Montana and became the Bighorns. However, Calgary was not left without a team as the Winnipeg Monarchs relocated there and became the Calgary Wranglers. Finally, the Kamloops Chiefs relocated to Seattle and became the Seattle Breakers, bringing the number of American clubs in the league up to three.
Regular season
Final standings
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 46 | 12 | 14 | 106 | 424 | 299 |
| x Flin Flon Bombers | 72 | 33 | 30 | 9 | 75 | 396 | 380 |
| x Regina Pats | 72 | 29 | 38 | 5 | 63 | 363 | 405 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 20 | 50 | 2 | 42 | 340 | 460 |
| Central Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Lethbridge Broncos | 72 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 79 | 341 | 328 |
| x Billings Bighorns | 72 | 32 | 31 | 9 | 73 | 342 | 336 |
| x Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 22 | 41 | 9 | 53 | 293 | 365 |
| Calgary Wranglers | 72 | 18 | 40 | 14 | 50 | 303 | 404 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 41 | 20 | 11 | 93 | 361 | 296 |
| x Victoria Cougars | 72 | 34 | 29 | 9 | 77 | 365 | 333 |
| x New Westminster Bruins | 72 | 33 | 28 | 11 | 77 | 345 | 310 |
| Seattle Breakers | 72 | 32 | 28 | 12 | 76 | 359 | 316 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Propp | Brandon Wheat Kings | 70 | 70 | 112 | 182 | 200 |
| Ray Allison | Brandon Wheat Kings | 71 | 73 | 86 | 160 | 254 |
| Steve Tambellini | Lethbridge Broncos | 66 | 75 | 80 | 155 | 32 |
| Errol Rausse | Seattle Breakers | 72 | 62 | 92 | 154 | 60 |
| Bill Derlago | Brandon Wheat Kings | 52 | 89 | 63 | 152 | 105 |
| Geordie Robertson | Victoria Cougars | 61 | 64 | 72 | 136 | 85 |
| Gerald Minor | Regina Pats | 66 | 54 | 75 | 129 | 236 |
| Merlin Malinowski | Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 48 | 78 | 126 | 131 |
| Ryan Walter | Seattle Breakers | 62 | 54 | 71 | 125 | 148 |
| Wayne Babych | Portland Winter Hawks | 68 | 50 | 71 | 121 | 218 |
1978 WCHL Playoffs
Division Semi-finals
Round Robin format
- Flin Flon (4–4) advanced
- Regina (4–4) advanced
- Brandon (4–4) eliminated
- Billings (6–2) advanced
- Medicine Hat (3–5) advanced
- Lethbridge (3–5) eliminated
- New Westminster (7–1) advanced
- Victoria (4–4) advanced
- Portland (1–7) eliminated
Division Finals
- Flin Flon defeated Regina 4 games to 1
- Billings defeated Medicine Hat 4 games to 0
- New Westminster defeated Victoria 4 games to 1
League semi-finals
Round Robin format
- Billings (3–1) advanced
- New Westminster (3–1) advanced
- Flin Flon (0–4) eliminated
WHL Championship
- New Westminster defeated Billings 4 games to 0
All-Star game
On January 18, the West All-Stars defeated the East All-Stars 2–1 at Regina, Saskatchewan before a crowd of 2,814.
WHL awards
All-Star Teams
See also
References
- 2005–06 WHL Guide