1976 Calder Cup playoffs

The 1976 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 3, 1976.[1] The top three teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The two division winners earned byes for the Division Semifinals while the other two teams in each division played best-of-five series. The winners played best-of-seven series with the team that received the first round bye in their division. The winners of each Division Final played a best-of-seven series for the Calder Cup. The Calder Cup Final ended on April 28, 1976, with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs defeating the Hershey Bears four games to one to win the Calder Cup for the second time in team history.[2] Coincidentally, the Voyageurs parent club, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in a four-game sweep over the Philadelphia Flyers, making them the first pair of teams in history to win both the AHL's Calder Cup and NHL's Stanley Cup in the same season. Even more impressive is that these same two teams would accomplish this feat again the following year.

1976 Calder Cup playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 3–April 28, 1976
Teams8
Final positions
ChampionsNova Scotia Voyageurs
Runner-upHershey Bears
← 1975
1977 →

Playoff seeds

After the 1975–76 AHL regular season, the top three teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The Nova Scotia Voyageurs finished the regular season with the best overall record.[3] The two division champions earned byes to the Division Finals.[1]

Northern Division
  1. Nova Scotia Voyageurs - 104 points
  2. Rochester Americans - 93 points
  3. Providence Reds - 76 points

Southern Division
  1. Hershey Bears - 84 points
  2. Richmond Robins - 66 points
  3. New Haven Nighthawks - 66 points

Bracket
Division Semifinals Division Finals Calder Cup Final
1 Nova Scotia 4
2 Rochester 3 2 Rochester 0
3 Providence 0 N1 Nova Scotia 4
S1 Hershey 1
1 Hershey 4
2 Richmond 3 2 Richmond 1
3 New Haven 0

In each round, the team that earned more points during the regular season receives home ice advantage, meaning they receive the "extra" game on home-ice if the series reaches the maximum number of games. There is no set series format due to arena scheduling conflicts and travel considerations.[4]

Division Semifinals
Note: Home team is listed first.

Byes
  • Nova Scotia Voyageurs (Northern Division regular-season champions)
  • Hershey Bears (Southern Division regular-season champions)

(2) Rochester Americans vs. (3) Providence Reds
April 4 Rochester Americans 5 - 3 Providence Reds
April 7 Providence Reds 1 - 3 Rochester Americans
April 9 Rochester Americans 6 - 4 Providence Reds
Rochester won series 3 - 0

(2) Richmond Robins vs. (3) New Haven Nighthawks
April 3 Richmond Robins 4 - 1 New Haven Nighthawks
April 4 New Haven Nighthawks 1 - 2 OT Richmond Robins
April 7 Richmond Robins 4 - 1 New Haven Nighthawks
Richmond won series 3 - 0

Division Finals

(1) Nova Scotia Voyageurs vs. (2) Rochester Americans
April 12 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 6 - 2 Rochester Americans
April 14 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 5 - 3 Rochester Americans
April 16 Rochester Americans 1 - 5 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 18 Rochester Americans 3 - 6 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
Nova Scotia won series 4 - 0

(1) Hershey Bears vs. (2) Richmond Robins
April 10 Hershey Bears 2 - 4 Richmond Robins
April 11 Richmond Robins 3 - 4 Hershey Bears
April 13 Hershey Bears 3 - 1 Richmond Robins
April 16 Richmond Robins 5 - 7 Hershey Bears
April 17 Hershey Bears 2 - 1 Richmond Robins
Hershey won series 4 - 1

Calder Cup Final

(N1) Nova Scotia Voyageurs vs. (S1) Hershey Bears
April 21 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 6 - 3 Hershey Bears
April 23 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 8 - 2 Hershey Bears
April 24 Hershey Bears 5 - 1 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 26 Hershey Bears 2 - 4 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 28 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 5 - 4 OT Hershey Bears
Nova Scotia won series 4 - 1

See also

References
  1. 1976 AHL playoff results The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved on May 11, 2008.
  2. Calder Cup champions Archived 2008-05-26 at the Wayback Machine caldercup.com. Retrieved on May 11, 2008.
  3. 1975–76 AHL standings The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved on May 11, 2008.
  4. Frequently asked questions Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine theahl.com. Retrieved on May 12, 2008.
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