Archives: Season Recap

Placeholder content for the 1978-79 season recap.

After having coached the Rangers for most of the previous eight season, Emile Francis had stepped back from behind the bench, handing control over to Larry Popein. It allowed Francis to focus solely on his General Manager duties for once. However, the experiment lasted just 41 games into the 78, the Rangers middling 18-14-9 not meeting the high expectations of “The Cat”.

Francis injected fresh energy into the locker room, helping stabilize the team alongside longtime captain Vic Hadfield and alternate captains Brad Park and Rod Gilbert. When the regular season finally came to a close, the Rangers had improved 40–24–14 record, totaling 94 points and finishing 3rd in the powerhouse East Division behind only Boston and Montreal.