1979–80 Colorado Rockies season

The 1979–80 Colorado Rockies season was the franchise's fourth season in Colorado and their sixth in the NHL. Trying to jolt the fan base and create some excitement for the club, the team hired Don Cherry, who had been fired by the Boston Bruins, and installed him as the new head coach. In addition, a major mid-season trade netted the Rockies legendary goal-scorer and future Hall-of-Famer Lanny McDonald from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1979–80 Colorado Rockies
Division5th Smythe
Conference11th Campbell
1979–80 record19-48-13
Team information
General managerRay Miron
CoachDon Cherry
CaptainMike Christie
Alternate captainsNone
ArenaMcNichols Sports Arena
Average attendance9,787 (61.6%)
Team leaders
GoalsRene Robert (28)
AssistsRene Robert (35)
PointsRene Robert (63)
Penalty minutesRob Ramage (135)
WinsHardy Astrom (9)
Bill McKenzie (9)
Goals against averageBill McKenzie (3.49)

With the first pick overall in the draft, the Rockies selected offensive-minded defenseman Rob Ramage. It was the first time that the Rockies had the first pick overall.

Offseason

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NHL Draft

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Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team
1 1 Rob Ramage Defense   Canada London Knights (OHL)
4 64 Steve Peters Center   Canada Oshawa Generals (OMJHL)
5 85 Gary Dillon Center   Canada Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
6 106 Bob Attwell Right Wing   Canada Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)

Regular season

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Season standings

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Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Chicago Black Hawks 80 34 27 19 241 250 87
St. Louis Blues 80 34 34 12 266 278 80
Vancouver Canucks 80 27 37 16 256 281 70
Edmonton Oilers 80 28 39 13 301 322 69
Winnipeg Jets 80 20 49 11 214 314 51
Colorado Rockies 80 19 48 13 234 308 51

[1]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

League standings[2]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p – Philadelphia Flyers PTK 80 48 12 20 327 254 116
2 y – Buffalo Sabres ADM 80 47 17 16 318 201 110
3 x – Montreal Canadiens NRS 80 47 20 13 328 240 107
4 Boston Bruins ADM 80 46 21 13 310 234 105
5 New York Islanders PTK 80 39 28 13 281 247 91
6 Minnesota North Stars ADM 80 36 28 16 311 253 88
7 x – Chicago Black Hawks SMY 80 34 27 19 241 250 87
8 New York Rangers PTK 80 38 32 10 308 284 86
9 Atlanta Flames PTK 80 35 32 13 282 269 83
10 St. Louis Blues SMY 80 34 34 12 266 278 80
11 Toronto Maple Leafs ADM 80 35 40 5 304 327 75
12 Los Angeles Kings NRS 80 30 36 14 290 313 74
13 Pittsburgh Penguins NRS 80 30 37 13 251 303 73
14 Hartford Whalers NRS 80 27 34 19 303 312 73
15 Vancouver Canucks SMY 80 27 37 16 256 281 70
16 Edmonton Oilers SMY 80 28 39 13 301 322 69
17 Washington Capitals PTK 80 27 40 13 261 293 67
18 Detroit Red Wings NRS 80 26 43 11 268 306 63
19 Quebec Nordiques ADM 80 25 44 11 248 313 61
20 Winnipeg Jets SMY 80 20 49 11 214 314 51
21 Colorado Rockies SMY 80 19 48 13 234 308 51

Divisions: ADM – Adams, NRS – Norris, PTK – Patrick, SMY – Smythe

bold – The top 16 teams in the league qualified for the playoffs, regardless of division or conference.
x – Won division; y – Won Conference (and division); p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and conference and division)

Record vs. opponents

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Smythe Division record vs. opponents

Vs. Campbell Conference

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Vs. Wales Conference


Schedule and results

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No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 T October 11, 1979 3–3 St. Louis Blues (1979–80) 0–0–1
2 L October 13, 1979 1–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80) 0–1–1
3 L October 14, 1979 2–4 @ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80) 0–2–1
4 L October 18, 1979 2–5 Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) 0–3–1
5 W October 20, 1979 4–1 Winnipeg Jets (1979–80) 1–3–1
6 L October 23, 1979 4–7 Los Angeles Kings (1979–80) 1–4–1
7 T October 26, 1979 2–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80) 1–4–2
8 L October 28, 1979 2–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80) 1–5–2
9 L October 30, 1979 1–3 @ Atlanta Flames (1979–80) 1–6–2
10 L October 31, 1979 2–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) 1–7–2
11 W November 3, 1979 7–2 New York Rangers (1979–80) 2–7–2
12 L November 6, 1979 2–7 Hartford Whalers (1979–80) 2–8–2
13 L November 9, 1979 5–6 Minnesota North Stars (1979–80) 2–9–2
14 W November 11, 1979 5–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80) 3–9–2
15 L November 13, 1979 1–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80) 3–10–2
16 L November 15, 1979 1–4 Montreal Canadiens (1979–80) 3–11–2
17 L November 17, 1979 1–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) 3–12–2
18 T November 20, 1979 3–3 Washington Capitals (1979–80) 3–12–3
19 W November 23, 1979 5–2 Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) 4–12–3
20 L November 24, 1979 3–4 @ St. Louis Blues (1979–80) 4–13–3
21 W November 28, 1979 7–4 New York Islanders (1979–80) 5–13–3
22 L December 1, 1979 4–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) 5–14–3
23 W December 2, 1979 5–3 @ Boston Bruins (1979–80) 6–14–3
24 W December 4, 1979 3–1 @ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) 7–14–3
25 L December 7, 1979 3–5 Buffalo Sabres (1979–80) 7–15–3
26 W December 9, 1979 7–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1979–80) 8–15–3
27 L December 12, 1979 3–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80) 8–16–3
28 L December 14, 1979 3–5 @ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80) 8–17–3
29 W December 15, 1979 6–5 Hartford Whalers (1979–80) 9–17–3
30 L December 18, 1979 2–3 @ New York Islanders (1979–80) 9–18–3
31 L December 19, 1979 3–6 @ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) 9–19–3
32 W December 21, 1979 5–4 Edmonton Oilers (1979–80) 10–19–3
33 L December 26, 1979 3–4 @ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80) 10–20–3
34 W December 27, 1979 4–3 Minnesota North Stars (1979–80) 11–20–3
35 L December 29, 1979 2–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) 11–21–3
36 W December 31, 1979 5–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) 12–21–3
37 L January 2, 1980 2–5 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) 12–22–3
38 L January 4, 1980 2–4 Vancouver Canucks (1979–80) 12–23–3
39 T January 8, 1980 2–2 Boston Bruins (1979–80) 12–23–4
40 L January 11, 1980 3–4 Buffalo Sabres (1979–80) 12–24–4
41 L January 13, 1980 2–6 @ Boston Bruins (1979–80) 12–25–4
42 T January 14, 1980 6–6 @ New York Rangers (1979–80) 12–25–5
43 L January 16, 1980 1–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) 12–26–5
44 L January 17, 1980 1–4 Atlanta Flames (1979–80) 12–27–5
45 L January 19, 1980 1–3 St. Louis Blues (1979–80) 12–28–5
46 W January 22, 1980 5–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80) 13–28–5
47 W January 24, 1980 4–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) 14–28–5
48 T January 26, 1980 4–4 @ St. Louis Blues (1979–80) 14–28–6
49 T January 27, 1980 3–3 New York Rangers (1979–80) 14–28–7
50 L January 30, 1980 2–3 Montreal Canadiens (1979–80) 14–29–7
51 T February 2, 1980 2–2 Winnipeg Jets (1979–80) 14–29–8
52 L February 3, 1980 2–6 @ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80) 14–30–8
53 L February 7, 1980 3–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (1979–80) 14–31–8
54 T February 8, 1980 4–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1979–80) 14–31–9
55 L February 10, 1980 1–6 Atlanta Flames (1979–80) 14–32–9
56 L February 14, 1980 3–5 New York Islanders (1979–80) 14–33–9
57 L February 16, 1980 3–5 Boston Bruins (1979–80) 14–34–9
58 W February 19, 1980 8–6 Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) 15–34–9
59 W February 22, 1980 3–1 Edmonton Oilers (1979–80) 16–34–9
60 T February 24, 1980 1–1 Washington Capitals (1979–80) 16–34–10
61 L February 27, 1980 3–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80) 16–35–10
62 L March 1, 1980 1–4 @ Atlanta Flames (1979–80) 16–36–10
63 W March 2, 1980 3–1 @ Washington Capitals (1979–80) 17–36–10
64 L March 4, 1980 1–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) 17–37–10
65 L March 7, 1980 2–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) 17–38–10
66 T March 9, 1980 4–4 Vancouver Canucks (1979–80) 17–38–11
67 L March 11, 1980 1–4 @ New York Islanders (1979–80) 17–39–11
68 L March 12, 1980 0–6 @ New York Rangers (1979–80) 17–40–11
69 L March 15, 1980 1–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1979–80) 17–41–11
70 T March 16, 1980 4–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80) 17–41–12
71 L March 18, 1980 1–4 @ Washington Capitals (1979–80) 17–42–12
72 L March 20, 1980 2–6 Quebec Nordiques (1979–80) 17–43–12
73 W March 22, 1980 5–1 Detroit Red Wings (1979–80) 18–43–12
74 L March 23, 1980 1–7 @ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80) 18–44–12
75 L March 25, 1980 2–5 Los Angeles Kings (1979–80) 18–45–12
76 W March 28, 1980 5–0 Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80) 19–45–12
77 T March 30, 1980 2–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80) 19–45–13
78 L April 1, 1980 3–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80) 19–46–13
79 L April 4, 1980 2–6 @ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80) 19–47–13
80 L April 6, 1980 2–3 @ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80) 19–48–13

Transactions

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On December 29, 1979, the Maple Leafs traded Lanny McDonald and Joel Quenneville to the Colorado Rockies for Wilf Paiement and Pat Hickey.[4]

Player statistics

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Regular season

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Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Rene Robert RW 69 28 35 63 79 -20 10 0 0
Mike McEwen D 67 11 40 51 33 -13 5 1 1
Jack Valiquette C 77 25 25 50 8 -7 6 0 2
Lanny McDonald RW 46 25 20 45 43 -15 8 0 3
Lucien DeBlois C 70 24 19 43 36 -18 4 0 1
Ron Delorme C 75 19 24 43 76 -24 5 0 4
Randy Pierce RW 75 16 23 39 100 -11 0 0 1
Doug Berry C 75 7 23 30 16 -23 0 1 1
Rob Ramage D 75 8 20 28 135 -40 4 0 3
Wilf Paiement RW 34 10 16 26 41 -6 2 2 1
Mike Christie D 74 1 17 18 78 -30 0 0 0
Don Saleski RW 51 8 8 16 23 -17 0 0 0
Pat Hickey LW 24 7 9 16 10 -2 0 0 0
Kevin Morrison D 41 4 11 15 23 -6 2 0 1
Bobby Schmautz RW 20 9 4 13 53 -10 2 1 1
Joel Quenneville D 35 5 7 12 26 -21 1 0 0
Trevor Johansen D 62 3 8 11 45 -17 1 0 0
Mike Gillis LW 40 4 5 9 22 -18 1 0 0
Nick Beverley D 46 0 9 9 10 -4 0 0 0
Bobby Sheehan C 30 3 4 7 2 -7 1 0 0
Rey Comeau C 22 2 5 7 6 0 0 0 0
Mike Kitchen D 42 1 6 7 25 -10 0 0 0
Merlin Malinowski C 10 2 4 6 2 -1 0 0 0
Barry Beck D 10 1 5 6 8 -2 0 0 0
Nelson Pyatt C 13 5 0 5 2 -5 0 0 0
Barry Smith C 33 2 3 5 4 -11 0 1 0
Gary Croteau LW 15 1 4 5 4 -4 1 0 0
Walt McKechnie C 17 0 4 4 2 -14 0 0 0
Bob Attwell RW 7 1 1 2 0 -5 0 0 0
Dennis Owchar D 10 1 0 1 2 -3 0 0 0
Dean Turner D 27 1 0 1 51 0 0 0 0
Don Ashby C 11 0 1 1 4 -2 0 0 0
John Flesch LW 5 0 1 1 4 -1 0 0 0
Mario Giallonardo D 8 0 1 1 2 -3 0 0 0
Steve Peters C 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
Hardy Astrom G 49 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0
Mike Dwyer LW 10 0 0 0 19 -5 0 0 0
Bill McKenzie G 26 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Bill Oleschuk G 12 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
Michel Plasse G 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Larry Skinner C 2 0 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0
Peter Sturgeon LW 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Dave Watson LW 5 0 0 0 2 -1 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Hardy Astrom 2574 49 9 27 6 161 3.75 0
Bill McKenzie 1342 26 9 12 3 78 3.49 1
Bill Oleschuk 557 12 1 6 2 39 4.20 0
Michel Plasse 327 6 0 3 2 26 4.77 0
Team: 4800 80 19 48 13 304 3.80 1

[5]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals
      MIN=Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SO = Shutouts;

Awards and records

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Transactions

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Farm teams

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Affiliations have included: Flint Generals, Fort Worth Texans[6]

References

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  1. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  2. ^ "1979–80 NHL Standings". NHL.com. National Hockey League.
  3. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  4. ^ Legends of Hockey – Spotlight – One on One with Lanny McDonald Archived 2010-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "1979-80 Colorado Rockies Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  6. ^ "A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey - Co". Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
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