The 1976/77 NHL season was the 60th season in the National Hockey League . 18 teams played 80 games each. The Stanley Cup won the Montréal Canadiens after a 4-0 win in the final series against the Boston Bruins . Already in the regular season, the Canadiens dominated the league and achieved an unmatched 132 points to date. At the beginning of the season, Bobby Orr moved to Chicago, where he received a contract worth $ 3 million. The Boston fans were upset that Orr had offered the same deal to the Bruins, but they refused. For the first time since 1935 , teams moved again in the NHL. The California Golden Seals became the Cleveland Barons and after two years the NHL's guest appearance in Kansas City was over, Denver was looking forward to the Colorado Rockies .