The 1978–79 Chicago Black Hawks season was the 53rd season of operation of the Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). The club was coming off a first-place finish in the Smythe Division in 1977–78. In the 1978 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Black Hawks were swept by the Boston Bruins in four games in the quarter-finals.
Offseason The Black Hawks had a very quiet off-season, however, Chicago did acquire 21-year-old goaltender Murray Bannerman from the Vancouver Canucks to complete an earlier trade that sent Pit Martin to the Canucks. Bannerman spent the previous season with the Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL, and did appear in a game with Vancouver, allowing no goals in a period of action.
In a couple of minor trades, Chicago traded away Pierre Plante to the Minnesota North Stars to complete an earlier deal, and in a separate trade, Chicago traded Thomas Gradin to the Vancouver Canucks for the Canucks second-round draft pick in the 1980 NHL entry draft.
Regular season Chicago opened the season with a six-game unbeaten streak, going 3–0–3, before suffering their first loss. The Hawks would struggle after their hot start, as Chicago saw their record fall to 17-24-9 at the start of February, however, despite their poor record, the Black Hawks were in first place in the Smythe Division. The Black Hawks turned their fortunes around in their next 14 games, going 8–3–3, putting their record at 25–27–12, with 62 points, 14 ahead of the second place Vancouver Canucks. Chicago then fell into an eight-game winless streak (0–7–1), but still held a 10-point lead. Chicago then finished the season with a 29–36–15 record, earning 73 points, and winning the Smythe Division for the second season in a row, and seventh division title in the past ten seasons.
Offensively, the Black Hawks were led by Ivan Boldirev, who led the club with 29 goals and 64 points in 66 games. Stan Mikita had 19 goals and a team high 36 assists for 55 points to finish second in team scoring. Defenceman Bob Murray scored 19 goals and 51 points to lead the Black Hawks blueline. Defenceman Dave Logan had a team high 175 penalty minutes, while winger Ted Bulley led Chicago with a +18 rating.
In goal, Tony Esposito saw the majority of playing time, going 24-28-11 with a 3.27 GAA, while earning four shutouts.
Final standings
Record vs. opponents
Schedule and results
|1||T||October 11, 1978||4–4 || align="left"| Atlanta Flames (1978–79) ||0–0–1
|2||T||October 15, 1978||3–3 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) ||0–0–2
|3||W||October 18, 1978||4–2 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1978–79) ||1–0–2
|4||W||October 19, 1978||6–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) ||2–0–2
|5||W||October 22, 1978||6–5 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1978–79) ||3–0–2
|6||T||October 25, 1978||2–2 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1978–79) ||3–0–3
|7||L||October 28, 1978||2–7 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) ||3–1–3
|8||W||October 29, 1978||4–1 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) ||4–1–3
|9||L||November 1, 1978||0–1 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) ||4–2–3
|10||T||November 4, 1978||5–5 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1978–79) ||4–2–4
|11||W||November 5, 1978||3–1 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1978–79) ||5–2–4
|12||W||November 8, 1978||2–1 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) ||6–2–4
|13||L||November 10, 1978||3–5 || align="left"| @ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) ||6–3–4
|14||L||November 12, 1978||1–4 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) ||6–4–4
|15||L||November 15, 1978||1–8 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1978–79) ||6–5–4
|16||W||November 16, 1978||4–3 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) ||7–5–4
|17||L||November 18, 1978||3–8 || align="left"| @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) ||7–6–4
|18||L||November 20, 1978||3–4 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) ||7–7–4
|19||L||November 21, 1978||2–5 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) ||7–8–4
|20||W||November 25, 1978||8–3 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) ||8–8–4
|21||T||November 29, 1978||1–1 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) ||8–8–5
|22||L||December 2, 1978||2–5 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) ||8–9–5
|23||W||December 3, 1978||4–3 || align="left"| Colorado Rockies (1978–79) ||9–9–5
|24||L||December 7, 1978||2–4 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) ||9–10–5
|25||W||December 9, 1978||4–2 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1978–79) ||10–10–5
|26||T||December 10, 1978||3–3 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) ||10–10–6
|27||L||December 13, 1978||2–6 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) ||10–11–6
|28||L||December 14, 1978||2–3 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) ||10–12–6
|29||L||December 16, 1978||1–5 || align="left"| @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) ||10–13–6
|30||T||December 17, 1978||3–3 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) ||10–13–7
|31||L||December 20, 1978||3–5 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) ||10–14–7
|32||L||December 21, 1978||1–5 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) ||10–15–7
|33||W||December 23, 1978||5–2 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) ||11–15–7
|34||W||December 27, 1978||4–3 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1978–79) ||12–15–7
|35||L||December 30, 1978||4–5 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1978–79) ||12–16–7
|36||L||January 3, 1979||3–6 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1978–79) ||12–17–7
|37||T||January 4, 1979||3–3 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) ||12–17–8
|38||W||January 6, 1979||5–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) ||13–17–8
|39||W||January 7, 1979||5–3 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1978–79) ||14–17–8
|40||W||January 10, 1979||3–0 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) ||15–17–8
|41||L||January 13, 1979||3–4 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) ||15–18–8
|42||W||January 17, 1979||2–1 || align="left"| Colorado Rockies (1978–79) ||16–18–8
|43||L||January 19, 1979||1–6 || align="left"| @ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) ||16–19–8
|44||L||January 20, 1979||2–4 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1978–79) ||16–20–8
|45||L||January 22, 1979||1–2 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1978–79) ||16–21–8
|46||W||January 24, 1979||5–0 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) ||17–21–8
|47||L||January 27, 1979||1–4 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1978–79) ||17–22–8
|48||L||January 28, 1979||2–7 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1978–79) ||17–23–8
|49||T||January 31, 1979||2–2 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1978–79) ||17–23–9
|50||L||February 1, 1979||1–6 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1978–79) ||17–24–9
|51||W||February 3, 1979||4–2 || align="left"| @ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) ||18–24–9
|52||W||February 4, 1979||5–4 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1978–79) ||19–24–9
|53||L||February 12, 1979||2–5 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) ||19–25–9
|54||T||February 14, 1979||4–4 || align="left"| Atlanta Flames (1978–79) ||19–25–10
|55||W||February 17, 1979||5–1 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1978–79) ||20–25–10
|56||W||February 18, 1979||5–3 || align="left"| Colorado Rockies (1978–79) ||21–25–10
|57||W||February 21, 1979||3–2 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) ||22–25–10
|58||W||February 22, 1979||4–2 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) ||23–25–10
|59||L||February 24, 1979||1–5 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) ||23–26–10
|60||T||February 25, 1979||2–2 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) ||23–26–11
|61||T||February 28, 1979||4–4 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) ||23–26–12
|62||W||March 2, 1979||4–0 || align="left"| @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) ||24–26–12
|63||L||March 3, 1979||5–8 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) ||24–27–12
|64||W||March 8, 1979||5–1 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) ||25–27–12
|65||L||March 10, 1979||1–7 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1978–79) ||25–28–12
|66||L||March 11, 1979||2–5 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1978–79) ||25–29–12
|67||L||March 14, 1979||0–4 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) ||25–30–12
|68||L||March 17, 1979||2–4 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1978–79) ||25–31–12
|69||L||March 18, 1979||2–4 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) ||25–32–12
|70||L||March 20, 1979||3–5 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) ||25–33–12
|71||L||March 21, 1979||6–7 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1978–79) ||25–34–12
|72||T||March 24, 1979||3–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) ||25–34–13
|73||W||March 25, 1979||3–0 || align="left"| Colorado Rockies (1978–79) ||26–34–13
|74||T||March 27, 1979||1–1 || align="left"| @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) ||26–34–14
|75||W||March 29, 1979||6–1 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1978–79) ||27–34–14
|76||T||April 1, 1979||2–2 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) ||27–34–15
|77||L||April 3, 1979||3–4 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) ||27–35–15
|78||W||April 4, 1979||7–1 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) ||28–35–15
|79||L||April 7, 1979||1–4 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1978–79) ||28–36–15
|80||W||April 8, 1979||3–2 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1978–79) ||29–36–15
Legend:
Playoffs Since the Hawks won their division, they were given a bye in the NHL preliminary round, and advanced straight to the NHL quarter-finals. Their first round opponent was the New York Islanders, who finished with the best record in the NHL, going 51–15–14, earning 116 points and winning the Patrick Division. The series opened with two games at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, New York, with the Islanders, led by a Mike Bossy hat trick, easily defeated Chicago 6–2. The second game was decided in overtime, after the two teams played through three scoreless periods. The Islanders Mike Bossy scored his fourth goal of the series in overtime to give New York the 1–0 victory, and a 2–0 series lead. Black Hawks goaltender Tony Esposito made 39 saves in the loss, while Islanders goaltender Billy Smith stopped all 22 shots he faced. The series moved to Chicago Stadium for the next two games. In the third game, the Islanders once again shutout the Black Hawks, this time with goaltender Chico Resch making 21 saves for the shutout, as New York defeated the Hawks 4–0 to take a 3–0 series lead. The Islanders would complete the sweep in the fourth game, winning 3–1, and sending the Blackhawks to their sixteenth consecutive playoff loss.
| 1 || April 16 || Chicago Black Hawks || 2–6 || New York Islanders || 0–1
| 2 || April 18 || Chicago Black Hawks || 0–1 || New York Islanders || 0–2
| 3 || April 20 || New York Islanders || 4–0 || Chicago Black Hawks || 0–3
| 4 || April 22 || New York Islanders || 3–1 || Chicago Black Hawks || 0–4
Legend:
Player stats
Regular season Scoring Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG C 66 29 35 64 2571004 C/RW 65 19 36 55 343401 D 79 19 32 51 384410 LW 75 27 23 50 15318108 LW 80 21 24 45 352402 LW 73 16 24 40 50-7224 RW 63 15 21 36 34-7212 RW 80 19 15 34 99-14501 RW 78 12 19 31 203122 D 66 8 23 31 122-7111 LW 63 13 17 30 77-10101 D 56 5 21 26 374210 D 48 4 22 26 20-1100 RW 74 11 14 25 552000 RW 36 7 16 23 306001 D 76 1 14 15 176-9000 C 14 0 10 10 143000 C 26 6 3 9 4-4301 C 21 4 5 9 22-6000 D 44 1 8 9 15-12000 LW 63 2 5 7 85-10000 D 26 1 4 5 41-4000 D 14 0 5 5 169000 D 6 2 2 4 42000 D 12 1 3 4 87001 LW 14 0 4 4 6-4000 D 6 0 2 2 5-4000 LW 2 1 0 1 0-1000 G 63 0 1 1 20000 C 11 0 1 1 9-2000 G 17 0 1 1 00000 D 1 0 0 0 00000 Goaltending Player MIN GPW LTGAGAA SO 3780 63 24 28 11 206 3.27 4 1020 17 5 8 4 60 3.53 0 Team: 4800 80 29 36 15 266 3.32 4
Playoffs Scoring