The 1976 Calder Cup playoffs of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

began on April 3, 1976.1976 AHL playoff results
''The Internet Hockey Database''. Retrieved on May 11, 2008. 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 There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

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 is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

. The Calder Cup Final ended on April 28, 1976, with the

Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. Originally chartered as the Omaha Knights of the Central Professional Hockey Leagu ...

defeating the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

four games to one to win the Calder Cup for the second time in team history. Coincidentally, the Voyageurs parent club, the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

in a four-game sweep over the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

, making them the first pair of teams in history to win both the AHL's Calder Cup ''and'' NHL's Stanley Cup in the same season. Even more impressive is that these same two teams would accomplish this feat again the following year.

Playoff seeds

After the 1975–76 AHL regular season, the top three teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The

finished the regular season with the best overall record. The two division champions earned byes to the Division Finals.

Northern Division

- 104 points #

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

- 93 points #

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The t ...

- 76 points

Southern Division

- 84 points #

Richmond Robins The Richmond Robins were a professional ice hockey team based in Richmond, Virginia. They were a member of the American Hockey League for five seasons from 1971–72 to 1975–76. Their cross-state rivals in the AHL were the Virginia Wings. The ...

- 66 points #

New Haven Nighthawks The New Haven Nighthawks were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1972 to 1992. They had affiliations with the New York Islanders (1972–1973), Minnesota North Stars (1972–1977), New York Rangers (19 ...

- 66 points

Bracket

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.Frequently asked questions
''theahl.com''. Retrieved on May 12, 2008.

Division Semifinals

:Note: ''Home team is listed first.''

Byes

*Nova Scotia Voyageurs (Northern Division regular-season champions) *Hershey Bears (Southern Division regular-season champions)

Playoff seeds

Northern Division

Southern Division

Bracket

Division Semifinals

Byes

Northern Division

(2) Rochester Americans vs. (3) Providence Reds

Southern Division

(2) Richmond Robins vs. (3) New Haven Nighthawks

Division Finals

Northern Division

(1) Nova Scotia Voyageurs vs. (2) Rochester Americans

Southern Division

(1) Hershey Bears vs. (2) Richmond Robins

Calder Cup Final

(N1) Nova Scotia Voyageurs vs. (S1) Hershey Bears

See also

References