1972-73 Briefing
During the first half of the regular season, things unfolded relatively as expected. Only one 1972 Expansion Team was in playoff position on January 1st, the Calgary Cowboys. Thanks to a first-line that included Bill Barber and Gordie Howe. The Chicago Black Hawks dominated the first half of the season, with Bobby Hull leading the way. Montreal was in a good position themselves, sitting with a nine-point lead atop the Saint Lawrence Division.
At the end of the season, no expansion team qualified for the post-season. Calgary fell apart in the stretch, winning only eight games in the months of January, February, and March thus finishing fourth in the Pacific Division. The Quebec Nordiques missed the playoffs by just 4 points. Chicago continued their frantic pace and finished with 128 points and a grandiose goal differential. Montreal claimed the East with 105 points. The Pacific Division stood out as particularly weak, goal differentials were unimpressive and not one team reached more than 35 wins. The Atlantic was a curious case - on one hand, the Rangers had the third-best record in the league, but the Penguins reached the playoffs despite an abysmal 28-41-9 season.
Due to an ambiguity in the rules regarding seeding the playoffs were run without regard for division - it was simply the top 3 teams of each division seeded according to their record when compared to the league. This mistake was rectified the following season but it led to an interesting postseason with the Rangers claiming the cup.
AWARDS
Hart Trophy - Jean Ratelle (NYR) - 78 GP 37 G 41 A 78 P
Conn Smythe Trophy - Syl Apps (NYR) - 17 GP 10 G 12 A 22 P
Calder Trophy - Bill Barber (CGY) - 78 GP 31 G 36 A 67 P
Rocket Richard Trophy - Phil Esposito (BOS) - 72 GP 60 G 64 A 124 P
Art Ross Trophy - Bobby Hull (CHI) - 78 GP 59 G 78 A 137 P
Norris Trophy - Doug Jarrett (CHI) - 68 GP 53 +/- 35 P
Vezina Trophy - Tony Esposito (CHI) - 53 GP 44-5-4 .933 SV% 1.61 GAA
Controlled Team Focus
The Calgary Cowboys began to play in one of the smallest NHL arenas at the time. The Stampede Corral regularly sold-out games, in part due to low capacity but the allure of Gordie Howe helped. Prior to the season Cowboys General Manager and Head Coach James Martin acquired Gordie Howe from Detroit in exchange for Claude Larose. Larose was picked in the 13th round of the 1972 Expansion Draft. The Cowboys have a promising future with Bill Barber.
