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.