1978 Calder Cup playoffs

The 1978 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 11, 1978.[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 May 15, 1978, with the Maine Mariners defeating the New Haven Nighthawks four games to one to win the Calder Cup for the first time in team history.[2]

1978 Calder Cup playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 11 – May 15, 1978
Teams6
Final positions
ChampionsMaine Mariners
Runner-upNew Haven Nighthawks
← 1977
1979 →

Playoff seeds

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After the 1977–78 AHL regular season, the top three teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The Maine Mariners finished the regular season with the best overall record.[3] The two division champions earned byes to the Division Finals.[1]

Northern Division

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  1. Maine Mariners - 95 points
  2. Nova Scotia Voyageurs - 90 points
  3. Springfield Indians - 87 points

Southern Division

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  1. Rochester Americans - 93 points
  2. New Haven Nighthawks - 87 points
  3. Philadelphia Firebirds - 81 points

Bracket

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Division Semifinals Division Finals Calder Cup Final
         
1 Maine 4
Northern Division
2 Nova Scotia 3
2 Nova Scotia 3
3 Springfield 1
N1 Maine 4
S2 New Haven 1
1 Rochester 2
Southern Division
2 New Haven 4
2 New Haven 3
3 Philadelphia 1

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

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Note: Home team is listed first.

Byes

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  • Maine Mariners (Northern Division regular-season champions)
  • Rochester Americans (Southern Division regular-season champions)

Northern Division

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(2) Nova Scotia Voyageurs vs. (3) Springfield Indians

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April 12 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 0 - 2 Springfield Indians
April 14 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 3 - 2 Springfield Indians
April 15 Springfield Indians 4 - 5 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 17 Springfield Indians 1 - 2 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
Nova Scotia won series 3 - 1


Southern Division

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(2) New Haven Nighthawks vs. (3) Philadelphia Firebirds

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April 11 New Haven Nighthawks 6 - 3 Philadelphia Firebirds
April 13 New Haven Nighthawks 7 - 1 Philadelphia Firebirds
April 14 Philadelphia Firebirds 4 - 1 New Haven Nighthawks
April 16 Philadelphia Firebirds 2 - 5 New Haven Nighthawks
New Haven won series 3 - 1


Division Finals

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Northern Division

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(1) Maine Mariners vs. (2) Nova Scotia Voyageurs

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April 20 Maine Mariners 7 - 5 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 23 Maine Mariners 5 - 7 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
April 26 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 6 - 4 Maine Mariners
April 28 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 0 - 3 Maine Mariners
April 30 Maine Mariners 4 - 2 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
May 1 Nova Scotia Voyageurs 7 - 1 Maine Mariners
May 3 Maine Mariners 2 - 1 Nova Scotia Voyageurs
Maine won series 4 - 3


Southern Division

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(1) Rochester Americans vs. (2) New Haven Nighthawks

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April 19 Rochester Americans 6 - 1 New Haven Nighthawks
April 20 New Haven Nighthawks 2 - 1 Rochester Americans
April 23 Rochester Americans 7 - 4 New Haven Nighthawks
April 25 New Haven Nighthawks 4 - 3 Rochester Americans
April 26 Rochester Americans 3 - 4 New Haven Nighthawks
April 28 New Haven Nighthawks 2 - 1 Rochester Americans
New Haven won series 4 - 2


Calder Cup Final

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(N1) Maine Mariners vs. (S2) New Haven Nighthawks

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May 5 Maine Mariners 2 - 5 New Haven Nighthawks
May 7 Maine Mariners 4 - 1 New Haven Nighthawks
May 12 New Haven Nighthawks 4 - 8 Maine Mariners
May 14 New Haven Nighthawks 2 - 3 Maine Mariners
May 15 Maine Mariners 5 - 4 New Haven Nighthawks
Maine won series 4 - 1


See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b 1978 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. ^ 1977–78 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.
Preceded by Calder Cup playoffs
1978
Succeeded by