The 1978/79 NHL season was the 62nd season in the National Hockey League . 17 teams played 80 games each. The Montréal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in a row after beating the New York Rangers 4-1 in the final series. Boston's coach, the charismatic Don Cherry , also helped . In the semifinals, Boston led 4: 3 in Game 7 and there were still 2:34 to play when a mistake or the subsequent power play brought the Bruins out of the final and Cherry out of his job. After his sixth knee operation, Bobby Orr had tried again, but on November 8th it was all over for Orr.
In the shadow of the NHL, the WHA struggled to survive, but it would be the final season of the competitive league. But a 17-year-old caused a stir there. Wayne Gretzky started his first season as a professional in Indianapolis . Because of substance abuse, the NHL banned Don Murdoch from the Rangers for the entire season, but pardoned him after 40 games.