The 1975–76 WCHL season was the tenth season of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), featuring twelve teams and an expanded 72-game regular season. The New Westminster Bruins topped the regular season standings with 54 wins, and in the playoffs won their second consecutive President's Cup, defeating the Saskatoon Blades in a rematch of the previous season's final. The Bruins advanced to the 1976 Memorial Cup tournament, losing the final to the Hamilton Fincups.
| 1975–76 WCHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | New Westminster Bruins (1) |
| Season MVP | Bernie Federko (Saskatoon Blades) |
| Top scorer | Bernie Federko (Saskatoon Blades) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | New Westminster Bruins (2) |
| Runners-up | Saskatoon Blades |
| 1975–76 CHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 34 |
| OMJHL | |
| QMJHL | |
| WCHL | |
| Memorial Cup | |
| Finals champions | Hamilton Fincups (OMJHL) (1st title) |
| Runners-up | New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) |
Regular season
editFinal standings
edit| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 43 | 19 | 10 | 96 | 390 | 269 |
| x Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 34 | 30 | 8 | 76 | 341 | 303 |
| x Lethbridge Broncos | 72 | 28 | 35 | 9 | 65 | 293 | 352 |
| x Winnipeg Clubs | 72 | 27 | 39 | 6 | 60 | 302 | 378 |
| x Regina Pats | 72 | 22 | 42 | 8 | 52 | 278 | 347 |
| Flin Flon Bombers | 72 | 18 | 44 | 10 | 46 | 279 | 441 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x New Westminster Bruins | 72 | 54 | 14 | 4 | 112 | 463 | 247 |
| x Kamloops Chiefs | 72 | 40 | 26 | 6 | 86 | 365 | 285 |
| x Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 38 | 24 | 10 | 86 | 379 | 306 |
| x Victoria Cougars | 72 | 37 | 28 | 7 | 81 | 343 | 320 |
| x Edmonton Oil Kings | 72 | 25 | 42 | 5 | 55 | 312 | 400 |
| Calgary Centennials | 72 | 22 | 45 | 5 | 49 | 284 | 381 |
Scoring leaders
editNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernie Federko | Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 72 | 115 | 187 | 108 |
| Greg Carroll | Medicine Hat Tigers | 71 | 60 | 109 | 169 | 118 |
| Don Murdoch | Medicine Hat Tigers | 70 | 88 | 77 | 165 | 202 |
| Blair Chapman | Saskatoon Blades | 69 | 71 | 86 | 157 | 67 |
| Fred Berry | New Westminster Bruins | 72 | 59 | 87 | 146 | 164 |
| Rick Shinske | New Westminster Bruins | 70 | 52 | 91 | 143 | 86 |
| Jim Gustafson | Victoria Cougars | 69 | 46 | 95 | 141 | 72 |
| Morris Lukowich | Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 65 | 75 | 140 | 195 |
| Rich Gosselin | Flin Flon Bombers | 69 | 67 | 66 | 133 | 192 |
| Dale McMullin | Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 56 | 74 | 130 | 28 |
1976 WCHL Playoffs
editPreliminary round
edit- Medicine Hat defeated Edmonton 4 games to 1
- Victoria defeated Regina 4 games to 1 with 1 tied
League quarter-finals
edit- New Westminster defeated Brandon 5 games to 0
- Saskatoon defeated Lethbridge 3 games to 1 with 2 tied
- Kamloops defeated Winnipeg 3 games to 1 with 2 tied
- Victoria defeated Medicine Hat 3 games to 1 with 1 tied
League semi-finals
edit- Saskatoon defeated Kamloops 4 games to 2
- New Westminster defeated Victoria 4 games to 0 with 1 tied
WHL Championship
edit- New Westminster defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 2 with 1 tied
All-Star game
editOn January 15, the West All-Stars defeated the East All-Stars 8–7 at Lethbridge, Alberta in front of a crowd of 2,413.
WHL awards
editAll-Star Teams
editSee also
editReferences
edit- 2005–06 WHL Guide