The 1977/78 NHL season was the 61st season in the National Hockey League . 18 teams played 80 games each. The Stanley Cup won the Montréal Canadiens after a 4-2 win in the final series against the Boston Bruins . The Canadiens were led by Guy Lafleur , who was top scorer for the third time in a row . In the draft that had New York Islanders very successful. With the 15th pick they got Mike Bossy , who caused a sensation with 53 goals and 91 points. Together with Denis Potvin , who won his second James Norris Memorial Trophy this season , the Islanders grew up big. In order to honor the strikers who not only chased goals but also backed up, the league honored the best defensive striker with the Frank J. Selke Trophy . The first winner was Montreal's Bob Gainey . After 31 years, NHL President Clarence Campbell handed over leadership of the league to John Ziegler , the first American NHL president.