Pens break out, clobber Canucks 8-3

Thanks to some scoring from the more youthful part of their lineup, the Penguins exploded in the third period and demolished the visiting Vancouver Canucks 8-3 on January 4, 1978. This game review from the next day has a great shot of the Pens’ Rick Kehoe beating Canucks D-man Larry Goodenough (who surely had one of the greatest names of the era) and goaltender Curt Ridley (who had one of the best masks.) 

Caps coach: Pens not physical

You’d think the last worry a team with Dave “The Hammer” Schultz on it would have was being tough enough, but that is exactly what troubled the Penguins as they began 1978. This article breaks down the Pens’ lack of grit, with some harsh words from Washington Capitals coach  Tommy McVie, who years later would later battle the Penguins again as coach of the New Jersey Devils.

Signs of hope for '78

As 1977 came to a close, the Penguins began to see some signs of hope flickering on the horizon. Their front-line defense corps was getting healthy, some of the younger charges who had filled in for them were improving, and the club had withstood a recent six-game stretch against some of the NHL’s top teams. This New Year’s Eve article offers a glimpse into the cautiously optimistic vibe surrounding the team as 1978 was set to dawn.

Pens drop puck on 1977-78 campaign with win over Blues

The Penguins got the 1977-78 season off to a good start by extending their NHL record opening night winning streak to seven with a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues before 11,663 at the Civic Arena. 

"(Denis) Herron made some brilliant saves and I thought Ron Stackhouse was outstanding," said coach Johnny Wilson after notching his first win behind the Penguin bench. See the full game report from October 13, 1977.

Greg Malone: Doing New Brunswick proud

One bright light for the Penguins in the 1977-78 campaign was center Greg Malone, who by December had quietly established himself as one of the team’s leaders in goals, points and plus-minus. This profile piece reveals a feisty forward who didn’t mind playing it rough or toiling in relative obscurity (at least outside of his home province of New Brunswick.)

Porous Penguin D

With apologies to Jack Black, the Penguins D in 1977-78 could not exactly be described as “tenacious.” More like porous, unfortunately. And it didn’t help that their steadiest blueliners kept getting hit with injuries. This article details the carnage facing the Penguins’ defense corps.

Pronovost: “It’s all gone bad”

Rick Kehoe

After some promising signs that November’s trades were marking a turnaround in the Pens’ 1977-78 fortunes, the team’s scoring, defense and goaltending problems had all resurfaced by mid-December. “It’s all gone bad,” said captain Jean Pronovost in this article that nicely dissects the problems contributing to the Pens’ sorry plight.

“Do you have a buyer?”

Al Savill

That’s a quote from the Penguins’ principal owner, Al Savill, in December 1977. Down at least $5 million since buying the team, he and his two partners were not happy with the paltry attendance figures so far in the 1977-78 campaign and were openly admitting that if the right offer came along to buy the floundering franchise, they’d be all ears.

This analysis piece by Pens beat reporter Bob Whitley looks at just how thin the ice was beneath the Penguins feet at this point in their history. Stated Savill bluntly: “It’s no secret we need more people in the seats.”

Pens slap Caps as Baz’s moves impress

The flurry of November trades by Pens’ GM Baz Bastien looked to be paying off handsomely in early December, 1977. Heading into a game at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md, the Pens faced a team they had only beaten once in their last eight meetings. 

But new recruits Pete Mahovlich, Dave Schultz and Peter Lee, with his first NHL goal, lit the lamp for the boys in blue en route to a 4-2 win. It was left to the longest-serving Pen, Jean Pronovost, to net the game-winner in the third. Check out the game report from the next day.

Would the positive early returns keep coming?

Penguin Pete lights up the Igloo

A day after the Penguins headed home from Montreal with Pete Mahovlich and the pain of another drubbing from the Canadiens in tow, they hit the Igloo ice against the Detroit Red Wings. Mahovlich helped everyone who came out forget about the recently departed Pierre Larouche by scoring a hat trick and leading his new team to a 6-4 victory. 

This game report from December 1, 1977 gives a nice description of Pete’s first three Penguin tallies, the last of which was the game-winner. “[He] was a real inspiration,” said coach Johnny Wilson of his new star after the game.

This piece from the Pittsburgh Press looks at the potential positive impact the big centerman might have on the team. 

Larouche traded: "The more never arrived"

With their struggles continuing through the early part of the 1977-78 season, the Pens pulled off their second blockbuster trade in less than a month in an effort to shake things up and keep fans coming out to the Igloo. After acquiring tough guy Dave Schultz from Los Angeles for popular forward Syl Apps on November 1, the Penguins bookended the month by sending former 50-goal man Pierre Larouche to Montreal for Pete Mahovlich and prospect Peter Lee.

In the Post-Gazette's report, coach Johnny Wilson cited a lack of drive on Larouche's part as a motivation for the deal. "Everyone associated with Pierre expected more and the more never arrived."

The 31-year-old Mahovlich welcomed the trade after having run-ins with Canadiens head coach Scotty Bowman. "Maybe we can get something going here," he said in this article.

The trade, which went down just prior to the Penguins meeting the Canadiens in Montreal on November 29, did not bear immediate results for Pittsburgh as the Habs handed them a 9-1 loss. Both Larouche and Mahovlich played for their new teams. 

Ironically, it was Lee who ended up being the most valuable addition for the Pens long term. He went on to score 245 points in 431 games for the club. Mahovlich would don the Penguin uniform 117 times and tally 114 points.

You can't help but wonder why General Manager Baz Bastien sent Larouche to a powerhouse division rival. As this thorough analysis by Pittsburgh Press writer Dan Donovan reveals, Larouche had a clause in his contract allowing him to approve any potential trade. He apparently nixed one the year before to the lowly Cleveland Barons before readily agreeing to go to the hockey Mecca of Montreal.

Although the Penguins picked up a big name with a few Stanley Cup rings to his name, it had to come as a huge disappointment to their fans to watch a homegrown potential superstar leave town under such sordid circumstances. Whether the deal was the result of Larouche's immaturity or the Penguins' rush to find a marquee name to help fill the Igloo's empty seats -- and it was probably a mixture of both -- the bottom line was that Penguins fans saw a young talent around whom a contending team could be built leave town, just as the long grind of the 1977-78 season truly began to set in...