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The 1977 AVCO Championship pitted two high-scoring teams against one another, and for the first time in the league's short history, featured two Canadian-based teams. The action lived up to the hype as the series went the full seven games. Winnipeg was defending its hold on the throne against a very motivated Quebec Nordique squad. Led by Marc Tardif, who had been felled in last year's playoffs, the Nordiques fought furiously to stave off the equally potent Jets club. The Jets forced a seventh game with a 12-3 thrashing in Game 6, but a 6-goal period in Game 7 sealed the Quebec victory. Serge Bernier had 4 goals and 8 assists to lead the scoring, and he was supported by Real Cloutier (4g-7a), Marc Tardif (2g-5a) and Christian and Paulin Bordeleau (both 4g-3a).
Game Summaries
Game 1 • May 11, 1977
Winnipeg 2, Quebec 1
QUEBEC: The Quebec Nordiques were strangely quiet, scoring just one late goal while the Jets put in two to take the first game of the series. Dan Labraaten scored one of the Jets goals and assisted on the other.
| Winnipeg
| 0
| 2
| 0
| -
| 2
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| Quebec
| 0
| 0
| 1
| -
| 1
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1st period: No scoring.
2nd period: 1. Wpg: Labraaten (Dunn) 2:22; 2. Wpg: Lindstrom (Labraaten, Sullivan) 13:30.
3rd period: 3. Que: P. Bordeleau 7:00.
Shots: Wpg: 12-6-9—27; Que: 8-17-9—32
Goaltenders: Wpg: Daley, Que: Brodeur.
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Game 2 • May 15, 1977
Quebec 6, Winnipeg 1
QUEBEC: With the Nordiques' big scorers whereabouts unknown, the tough guys stepped up to lead the Nordique offense: Curt Brackenbury had a goal and two assists, Steve Sutherland had two goals, and Quebec jumped to a five-goal lead and coasted to their first win, tying the series at a game apiece.
| Winnipeg
| 0
| 0
| 1
| -
| 1
|
| Quebec
| 4
| 1
| 1
| -
| 6
|
1st period: 1. Que: Guite (Boudrias, Lacombe) 4:32; 2. Que: P. Bordeleau (S. Bernier, Dube) 13:25; 3. Que: Sutherland 15:17; 4. Que: S. Bernier (Dube, Brackenbury) 18:23.
2nd period: 5. Que: Brackenbury (S. Bernier, Weir) 17:02.
3rd period: 6. Wpg: Labraaten (Lindstrom) 2:47; 7. Que: Sutherland (Fitchner, Brackenbury) 13:00.
Shots: Wpg: 5-15-7—27; Que: 9-12-13—34
Goaltenders: Wpg: Daley, Que: Brodeur
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Game 3 • May 18, 1977
Winnipeg 6, Quebec 1
WINNIPEG: Dan Labraaten (1 goal, 2 assists) and Willy Lindstrom (2 goals, 1 assist) led the Winnipeg offense, while Quebec's lone goal came from Curt Brackenbury. Winnipeg scored the game's final six goals and won easily, taking a 2-1 series lead.
| Quebec
| 1
| 0
| 0
| -
| 1
|
| Winnipeg
| 0
| 2
| 4
| -
| 6
|
1st period: 1. Que: Brackenbury (Fitchner) 2:08.
2nd period: 2. Wpg: Lindstrom (Labraaten) 4:42; 3. Wpg: Labraaten (Lindstrom) 13:16.
3rd period: 4. Wpg: Hedberg (Ford, Daley) 0:31; 5. Wpg: Nilsson 6:16; 6. Wpg: Lesuk (Lindh, Long) 9:30; 7. Wpg: Lindstrom (Sullivan, Labraaten) 16:33.
Shots: Que 8-8-8—24; Wpg: 5-8-8—21
Goaltenders: Que: Brodeur, Wpg: Daley.
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Game 4 • May 20, 1977
Quebec 4, Winnipeg 2
WINNIPEG: Quebec's vaunted offense started to show life, as its big guns --- Marc Tardif, Serge Bernier, the Bordeleau brothers, and Real Cloutier --- all figured in the scoring. The Nordiques won the fourth game to tie the series at two games apiece.
| Quebec
| 1
| 2
| 1
| -
| 4
|
| Winnipeg
| 2
| 0
| 0
| -
| 2
|
1st period: 1. Que: S. Bernier (P. Bordeleau, J. Bernier) 7:33; 2. Wpg: Miller (Sullivan, Labraaten) 11:38; 3. Wpg: Nilsson (Hull, Hedberg) 17:17.
2nd period: 4. Que: Lacombe (Cloutier, Tremblay) 1:50; 5. Que: Tardif (S. Bernier, C. Bordeleau) 14:53.
3rd period: 6. Que: S. Bernier (P. Bordeleau) 4:32.
Shots: Que: 11-9-7—27; Wpg: 9-8-12—29
Goaltenders: Que: Brodeur & Aubry, Wpg: Daley
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Game 5 • May 23, 1977
Quebec 8, Winnipeg 3
QUEBEC: Real Cloutier had two goals and two assists, and Christian Bordeleau two goals and an assist as Quebec took leads of 4-0 and 6-1, easily handling the Jets to get within one win of their first championship.
| Winnipeg
| 1
| 2
| 0
| -
| 3
|
| Quebec
| 4
| 3
| 1
| -
| 8
|
1st period: 1. Que: Guite (Boudrias, J. Bernier) 4:23; 2. Que: Cloutier (Tardif, Tremblay) 8:49; 3. Que: C. Bordeleau (Cloutier) 12:10; 4. Que: P. Bordeleau (Dube, S. Bernier) 14:20; 5. Wpg: Nilsson (Miller, Hull) 17:04.
2nd period: 6. Que: Cloutier (C. Bordeleau) 4:18; 7. Que: P. Bordeleau (S. Bernier, Tremblay) 6:01; 8. Wpg: Ford (Sullivan, Labraaten) 6:39; 9. Que: C. Bordeleau (Cloutier, S. Bernier) 11:37; 10: Wpg: Hull 13:43.
3rd period: 11. Que: S. Bernier (P. Bordeleau) 8:49.
Shots: Wpg: 14-9-9—32; Que: 8-7-7—22
Goaltenders: Wpg: Daley, Que: Brodeur
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Game 6 • May 24, 1977
Winnipeg 12, Quebec 3
WINNIPEG: The Jets forced game seven after demolishing Quebec with a 12-goal barrage. Bobby Hull scored the hat trick, and Peter Sullivan, Anders Hedberg and Bobby Guindon each scored twice. Real Cloutier had given the Nordiques a brief 2-1 lead before Winnipeg came back with a vengeance.
| Quebec
| 3
| 0
| 0
| -
| 3
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| Winnipeg
| 4
| 4
| 4
| -
| 12
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1st period: 1. Wpg: Hull (Nilsson, Ford) 1:26; 2. Que: Cloutier 3:02; 3. Que: Cloutier (Tardif, C. Bordeleau) 4:28; 4. Wpg: Labraaten (Sullivan, Lindstrom) 9:17; 5. Wpg: Hedberg (Nilsson) 12:09; 6. Wpg: Guindon (Huck, Miller) 13:47; 7. Que: C. Bordeleau (Tardif, Cloutier) 16:35.
2nd period: 8. Wpg: Hull (Guindon, Dunn) 6:28; 9. Wpg: Sullivan (Labraaten) 8:04; 10. Wpg: Ford (Sjoberg, Hedberg) 16:57; 11. Wpg: Guindon (Long, Huck) 17:30.
3rd period: 12. Wpg: Sullivan (Labraaten) 2:21; 13: Wpg: Hedberg (Nilsson, Miller) 3:37; 14. Wpg: Lindstrom (Sullivan) 5:20; 15. Wpg: Hull (Nilsson, Hedberg) 12:36.
Shots: Que: 7-9-8—24; Wpg: 11-17-14—42
Goaltenders: Que: Brodeur, Aubry; Wpg: Daley
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Game 7 • May 26, 1977
Quebec 8, Winnipeg 2
QUEBEC: Bob Fitchner scored a goal 11 seconds into the second period, breaking a scoreless tie and giving the Nordiques an emotional lift, which they rode to their first league championship. Marc Tardif followed up with a goal a minute later, and after the Jets had scored to make the game 3-1, J.-C. Tremblay's mid-ice dump-in bounced past Jets' goaltender Joe Daley, after which there was no doubt who was destined to win.
| Winnipeg
| 0
| 1
| 1
| -
| 2
|
| Quebec
| 0
| 6
| 2
| -
| 8
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1st period: No scoring.
2nd period: 1. Que: Fitchner 0:11; 2. Que: Tardif (Cloutier, C. Bordeleau) 1:10; 3. Que: Cloutier (Tardif, Lariviere) 6:27; 4. Wpg: Labraaten (Ford, Sullivan) 8:39; 5. Que: Tremblay (Cloutier, Tardif) 9:24; 6. Que: Dube (Lariviere, S. Bernier) 15:23; 7. Que: P. Bordeleau (S. Bernier, Lacombe) 18:41.
3rd period: 8. Que: C. Bordeleau (Cloutier, Lacombe) 1:39; 9. Que: S. Bernier (Dube, Lariviere) 3:39; 10. Wpg: Miller (Nilsson, Hedberg) 14:09.
Shots: Wpg: 12-8-7—27; Que: 7-11-7—25
Goaltenders: Wpg: Daley, Que: Brodeur
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• Article: Color of Hockey: Alton White (The Hockey News), by William Douglas — March 8, 2020
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• Podcast: Digital to Dice (Youtube), by Dave Gardner — July 3, 2022
(c) Scott Surgent
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