Summit Series
Encyclopedia
The Summit Series was the first competition between the Soviet and an NHL-inclusive Canadian national ice hockey
teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972. Canada won the series four games to three, with one tie.
"Summit Series" has become the most popular name for the event, but the popular name in the other official languages of the competing countries varies: in French
it is known as La Série du Siècle—The Series of the Century—and in Russian
Суперсерия СССР — Канада—USSR-Canada Superseries. The event was also originally named the "Friendship Series", quickly forgotten by most.
. The Soviet players, who had Olympic experience, were amateurs by strict definition only, as they were elite players playing hockey full-time in their native country. Some were given other titular professions (e.g. army
soldiers playing full-time for the Central Red Army
hockey team) to maintain amateur status for Olympic eligibility. Team Canada featured the country's best professional NHL
ers, who by virtue of this status were ineligible for Olympic competition. For this reason, Canada had ceased competing in the IIHF World Championships and Winter Olympics after 1969.
At the time, the National Hockey League, and also its best players, consisted largely of Canadians and was considered to be where the best hockey players played. The public consensus of hockey pundits and fans in North America
was that other countries, the Soviets in this case, were simply no match for Canada's best. The Soviets were not expected to even give the Canadians a challenge, and Canada was going into this series expected to win eight games to zero. Said Harry Sinden
, "Canada is first in the world in two things: hockey and wheat."
The eight-game series consisted of four games in Canada
, held in Montreal
(Montreal Forum
), Toronto
(Maple Leaf Gardens
), Winnipeg (Winnipeg Arena
) and Vancouver
(Pacific Coliseum
) and four games in the Soviet Union
, all of them held in Moscow
at the Luzhniki Ice Palace
. The series was played at the height of the Cold War
, and intense feelings of nationalism were aroused by the contest in both Canada and the Soviet Union.
The games showcased many great Soviet players previously unknown in North America, such as Valeri Kharlamov, Alexander Yakushev
and especially Vladislav Tretiak
, who dominated several of the series' games. Against the stiffest competition they had ever faced, Team Canada revealed during the series the leadership of prolific scorer Phil Esposito
, as well as the quieter contributions of solid NHL veterans like Paul Henderson
and Gary Bergman
.
Canada's Bobby Orr
, the most dominant NHL player at the time, was named to the team but did not play because of a knee injury. Bobby Hull
, another dominant player, was selected for the team by coach Harry Sinden
, but was ruled ineligible to play because of his defection from the NHL to the rival World Hockey Association
. Alan Eagleson
, a player agent and the future disgraced head of the National Hockey League Players Association, was involved in forming the Canadian team. He was also considered to be responsible for the decision to exclude Hull and other WHA stars, such as Gerry Cheevers
and Derek Sanderson
. Some NHL owners also threatened not to free their players to participate if WHA players were permitted.
on September 2, Phil Esposito
scored for Canada after just 30 seconds of play. When Canada took a two-goal lead six minutes in, Canadian spectators and pundits alike felt that pre-series predictions of a rout had been proven correct. The hard-working Soviets staged a comeback, though, tying the score before the end of the first period. In the second period, Valeri Kharlamov scored twice, giving the Soviets a two-goal lead. Bobby Clarke
scored to bring Canada within one, but the Soviets pulled away with three more goals in the third and won 7-3. The Canadian players later commented on the superior physical conditioning of the Soviets, as well as their disciplined and relentless playing style. This general scheme—of the Canadians playing well initially but declining near the end of the game due to insufficient physical conditioning—was to be a common feature of the series. Another difference was that the Soviets stayed in peak physical condition all year round, while the Canadians had a summer off-season and relied upon the last-minute training camp to get back in shape.
in Toronto
. Team Canada responded to their previous defeat with strong play in this game, with Tony Esposito
taking over goaltending duties from Ken Dryden
. With the score at 2-1 in the third period, Peter Mahovlich
scored a remarkable shorthanded goal, in which he deked both the Soviet defender 1-on-1, then Tretiak to give Canada a two-goal lead. With enough momentum from the goal to defend their lead successfully, Team Canada won the game 4-1 and tied the series.
on September 6. Team Canada held leads of 3-1 and 4-2, but the Soviet side responded and the game ended in a 4-4 tie.
, losing 5-3, and the crowd of 15,570 fans echoed the rest of Canada's sentiments: Team Canada was booed off the ice at game's end. Responding to the negative public and media reaction in light of the expectation for an overwhelming Team Canada sweep of the series, Phil Esposito
made an emotional outburst on Canadian national television:
Great turmoil ensued in Canada as Team Canada prepared to travel to the Soviet Union to play the remaining four games, and Canada contemplated the end to its perceived dominance in the sport of hockey.
arena in Stockholm
. Canada won game one 4-1; the second game was a 4-4 tie. The second game included an outburst from both teams, which resulted in Wayne Cashman
getting his tongue cut open, requiring nearly 50 stitches and forcing him to miss the rest of the Summit Series, although he stayed with the team. The first exhibition game also introduced Canada to two West German referees, Josef Kompalla
and Franz Baader. These two referees would figure prominently in Games 6 and 8 of the remainder of the series.
Team Canada was heavily criticized by the Swedes for its "criminal"-style play during the two games. The games in Sweden, however, helped bring Canada together as a team and focused them for the final four games.
, accompanied by 3,000 Canadian fans. Team Canada players Vic Hadfield
, Rick Martin
, and Jocelyn Guevremont
all went home for various reasons. On September 22, in Game Five in Moscow, Canada led 4-1, but ended up losing 5-4. Team Canada was now faced with the daunting task of having to win all three remaining games to win the series. Despite the game 5 loss, all 3,000 Canadian fans sang "O Canada
" as Team Canada left the ice. To add to the Canadian struggles, Gilbert Perreault
left Team Canada to focus on the Buffalo Sabres training camp, along with teammate Rick Martin.
that they believed the Soviets had deliberately "lost" at the airport. Following the game, the Canadians complained that the German referees (the same ones who refereed the controversial Sweden game) were biased, since Canada was handed 31 minutes in penalties during the game, while the Soviets only received four. Paul Henderson scored what turned out to be the winning goal at 6:36 of the second period.
This game also saw the most controversial play of the entire series. In the second period, Bobby Clarke
deliberately slashed Valeri Kharlamov's ankle, breaking it. Years later, John Ferguson
, the assistant coach of Team Canada, was quoted as saying "I called Clarke over to the bench, looked over at Kharlamov and said, 'I think he needs a tap on the ankle.'I didn't think twice about it. It was Us versus Them. And Kharlamov was killing us. I mean, somebody had to do it." Kharlamov was the Soviets' best forward, and although he played the rest of the game, he missed Game Seven and was largely ineffectual in Game Eight.
, and the USSR's Boris Mikhailov
, in which the future Soviet captain committed a cardinal sin in Canadian hockey, using his skate as a weapon, kicking Gary Bergman two times before the fight ended.
who was accused of being biased in Game 6) The game was delayed after a marginal call against J. P. Parise, and emotions boiled over. Parise nearly swung his stick at Josef Kompalla
and got a match penalty. Sinden threw a chair on the ice. Despite the penalties, the score was 2-2 after the first period, but the Soviets pulled ahead 5-3 after two. Things looked grim for Team Canada. During the second intermission, goalie Ken Dryden
was reported to have thought, "If we lose this one, I'll be the most hated man in Canada."
But the Canadians came out roaring in the third period, and Phil Esposito
and Yvan Cournoyer
scored to even it up. After Cournoyer's goal, Alan Eagleson
(seated across the ice from the Team Canada bench) caused a ruckus in the crowd because the goal light had not come on. As he was being subdued by the Soviet police, the Canadian players headed over, Peter Mahovlich actually going over the boards to confront police with his stick. Eagleson was freed, and the coaches escorted him across the ice to the bench. In anger, he shoved his fist to the Soviet crowd, as a few other Canadian supporters also gave the finger to the Soviets.
At that point, with the score tied 5-5 and the series tied 3-3-1, a member of the Soviet delegation unexpectedly informed Canada that, if the score and the series remained tied, the Soviets would claim victory on goal differential.
In the final minute of play, with Phil Esposito, Yvan Cournoyer and Peter Mahovlich out on the ice, Paul Henderson
stood up at the bench and called Mahovlich off the ice as he was skating by. Bobby Clarke was supposed to replace Esposito, but Phil didn't come off ("There was no way I was coming off the ice in that situation" Esposito said). Esposito got off a good shot, and with just 34 seconds remaining in the game, Henderson, in perhaps the most famous moment in Canadian sports history, put the rebound behind Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak
. "I jumped on the ice and rushed straight for their net. I had this strange feeling that I could score the winning goal", recalls Henderson. This play is widely known as "the goal heard around the world" and was captured on film by cameraman Frank Lennon
. The picture became one of Canada's most famous photographs. Canada held on for the win in the game and thus the series.
This truly memorable moment for Canada was not viewed as a fair win in the Soviet Union. Many Soviet citizens believed that their country would have won had Bobby Clarke not fractured the ankle of their best player, and if Anatoli Firsov and Vitaly Davydov had not sat out the series to protest a coaching change. In response, some offer that Canada was without Bobby Orr
due to injury as well as Bobby Hull
and Gordie Howe
(due to their departure from the NHL to the newly-formed WHA
). These were arguably the best Canadian players at the time (besides Phil Esposito
), so neither team had its greatest talent on the ice. The Soviet team also had the obvious advantage of playing year round, and had been preparing for this series for years. Meanwhile, the Canadian team was picked and prepared in only a few months and most players were out-of-shape due to the summer holiday.
In addition to the eight games against the Soviets and two against the Swedes, the Canadians also played an exhibition game against Czechoslovakia
. The game took place on September 29 at the Sportovní hala
, and ended in a 3-3 tie.
and CTV
split the coverage, with CTV carrying Games 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8. Meanwhile, CBC aired Games 2, 4, 6 and 8. s. Foster Hewitt
and Brian Conacher
were the commentators for all of the games. Games were produced by Hockey Canada, using on-air talent from both CTV and CBC. In French, all games were broadcast on SRC
and the broadcast team was Rene Lecavalier
and Gilles Tremblay
. The series was picked up by some U.S. television stations, such as WSNS channel 44 in Chicago.
While Canada won the series, both teams could claim victory. The Soviets earned the respect of fans and players alike; the Canadians went from scoffing at their antiquated equipment and strange training methods and practices, to admiration for their talent and conditioning. Frank Mahovlich
said "give the Russians a football and they'd win the Super Bowl in two years."
In the end, the Summit Series conclusively proved that the gap between the best Canadian NHL players and the top national teams of Europe (USSR, Czechoslovakia, Sweden) was much narrower than most observers on both sides of the Atlantic had anticipated. The Swedish national team coach Billy Harris (a former NHL pro with the Toronto Maple Leafs
) later recalled that "the (Swedish) media would ask me, 'do you see even one Swedish player who could possibly have a chance in the National Hockey League?' I answered, 'No, I see 14 of them!'". The success of the 1972 Summit Series would lead to the development of the Canada Cup ice hockey world championship tournament open to both pros and amateurs. It also led to regular series "Soviet clubs vs the NHL
", known as the Super Series
, that also were held on numerous occasions after 1976, as did the Canada Cup. By this time an increasing number of top NHL players had formerly starred for the Swedish or Czechoslovak national team. The top Soviet players were finally allowed to sign contracts with NHL clubs in the late 1980s and early 90s as the USSR crumbled.
In North America, the Series (particularly the first few games) exposed the need for better preparation and offseason training. Philadelphia Flyers
coach Fred Shero
became an avid student of the Soviet style and was one of the first to bring the Russian training techniques to the NHL as the Flyers won two Stanley Cup
championships in 1974-75. Tom Mellor
(who joined the small but rapidly growing group of American born NHL players after the 1972 Olympics) lamented that the NHL training methods of the early 1970s were vastly inferior to those of the Soviets. "When I went to play for Detroit
after the Olympics, Alex Delvecchio
was the coach. (...) When he would coach, we would do a couple of one-on-ones, two-on-twos, three-on-twos, we'd scrimmage, and he would scrimmage with us. At the end of the scrimmage, we'd do a couple of figure eights and then go to the bar. That was the NHL and pro mentality." Mark Howe
commented that the Soviet national team must have trained six hours on the day of a game in the 1972 Winter Olympics
. On the other hand, Swedish sports journalists were extremely impressed by the toughness and "never say die" fighting spirit of the Canadians, who lost only one game out of seven on European ice despite usually trailing in the third period.
As time passed, the significance of the series grew in the public consciousness, and the term "Summit Series" became its unofficial accepted name. In Canada today, the Summit Series remains a source of much national pride, and is seen by many as a landmark event in Canadian cultural history. In Canada, Paul Henderson's goal is likely the most well-known in the history of the game.
Marcel Dionne
was the last active player from the Canadian roster. He retired in 1989 as a member of the New York Rangers
. The series is also seen by Canadians as an important win in the Cold War, far surpassing the American "Miracle on Ice
" in 1980.
In 2005, the team was honoured, en masse, as members of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
On April 9–10, 2006, the CBC
aired a two part mini-series called Canada Russia '72
, directed by T. W. Peacocke
, a film which details the 1972 Summit Series.
Henderson's goal in 1972 has been described as the "goal that everyone remembers" by the Canadian rockers The Tragically Hip
in their song "Fireworks
" from their album Phantom Power
. The song describes the national eruption of celebration over the goal.
On June 22, 2010, the sweater Henderson wore while scoring the decisive final goal of the series was put up for auction by an anonymous American collector. The 42nd and winning bid of US$1,067,538 ($1,275,000 with auction fees, believed to be a record for hockey memorabilia) was placed by Mitchell Goldhar, a Canadian shopping mall mogul. It was also announced that Goldhar would be taking it on a tour of Canada, the locations of which to be decided by voters on Facebook.
(C), Frank Mahovlich
(LW), Peter Mahovlich
(C), Gilbert Perreault
(C), Yvan Cournoyer
(RW), Bobby Clarke
(C), Paul Henderson
(LW), Ron Ellis
(RW), Bill Goldsworthy
(RW), Stan Mikita
(C), Wayne Cashman
(RW), Vic Hadfield
(LW), Jean Ratelle
(C), Marcel Dionne
(C), Rick Martin
(LW), Jean-Paul Parise (LW), Red Berenson (C), Rod Gilbert
(RW), Dennis Hull
(LW), Mickey Redmond (RW).
, Guy Lapointe
, Gary Bergman
, Bill White, Rod Seiling
, Dale Tallon
, Jocelyn Guevremont
, Brian Glennie
, Pat Stapleton, Don Awrey
, Brad Park
. (Bobby Orr
was also on the roster, but did not play due to injuries).
, Vladimir Petrov
, Yury Blinov
, Valeri Kharlamov, Alexander Yakushev
, Yevgeni Zimin
, Vyacheslav Starshinov
, Vladimir Vikulov
, Yevgeni Mishakov
, Alexander Maltsev, Vladimir Shadrin
, Yuri Lebedev
, Alexander Volchkov, Vyacheslav Anisin
, Alexander Bodunov
, Alexander Martynyuk
, Viacheslav Solodukhin
.
, Viktor Kuzkin, Vladimir Lutchenko
, Gennadiy Tsygankov
, Yuri Lyapkin
, Yuri Shatalov
, Aleksander Gusev, Vitaly Davydov
, Yevgeny Paladiev
.
, Victor Zinger
, Alexander Sidelnikov, Alexander Pashkov
.
Game 2: September 4, 1972, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Game 3: September 6, 1972, Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Game 4: September 8, 1972, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Game 5: September 22, 1972, Luzhniki Ice Palace, Moscow, USSR
Game 6: September 24, 1972, Luzhniki Ice Palace, Moscow, USSR
Game 7: September 26, 1972, Luzhniki Ice Palace, Moscow, USSR
Game 8: September 28, 1972, Luzhniki Ice Palace, Moscow, USSR
Canada wins series 4-3-1
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972. Canada won the series four games to three, with one tie.
"Summit Series" has become the most popular name for the event, but the popular name in the other official languages of the competing countries varies: in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
it is known as La Série du Siècle—The Series of the Century—and in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Суперсерия СССР — Канада—USSR-Canada Superseries. The event was also originally named the "Friendship Series", quickly forgotten by most.
Introduction
The Series was played at a time when only amateurs were allowed to play in the Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. The Soviet players, who had Olympic experience, were amateurs by strict definition only, as they were elite players playing hockey full-time in their native country. Some were given other titular professions (e.g. army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
soldiers playing full-time for the Central Red Army
HC CSKA Moscow
HC CSKA Moscow is a Russian ice hockey club that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. It is referred to in the West as "Central Red Army" or the "Red Army Team" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army, popularly known as the Red Army...
hockey team) to maintain amateur status for Olympic eligibility. Team Canada featured the country's best professional NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
ers, who by virtue of this status were ineligible for Olympic competition. For this reason, Canada had ceased competing in the IIHF World Championships and Winter Olympics after 1969.
At the time, the National Hockey League, and also its best players, consisted largely of Canadians and was considered to be where the best hockey players played. The public consensus of hockey pundits and fans in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
was that other countries, the Soviets in this case, were simply no match for Canada's best. The Soviets were not expected to even give the Canadians a challenge, and Canada was going into this series expected to win eight games to zero. Said Harry Sinden
Harry Sinden
Harry James Sinden was the long-time general manager, coach, and president for the Boston Bruins NHL hockey team, and was the coach of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series...
, "Canada is first in the world in two things: hockey and wheat."
The eight-game series consisted of four games in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, held in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
(Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum
The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...
), Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
), Winnipeg (Winnipeg Arena
Winnipeg Arena
Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located at 1430 Maroons Road in Winnipeg, Manitoba, across the street from Canad Inns Stadium and just north of Polo Park.Built in 1955, it was owned by community-owned Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation...
) and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
) and four games in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, all of them held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
at the Luzhniki Ice Palace
Luzhniki Palace of Sports
Luzhniki Palace of Sports, formerly the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium, is a sports palace in Moscow, Russia, a part of the Luzhniki Sports Complex. Built in 1956, it originally had a spectator capacity of 13,700...
. The series was played at the height of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, and intense feelings of nationalism were aroused by the contest in both Canada and the Soviet Union.
The games showcased many great Soviet players previously unknown in North America, such as Valeri Kharlamov, Alexander Yakushev
Alexander Yakushev
Alexander Sergeyevich Yakushev was an ice hockey player for the Soviet Union.Born in Moscow, Soviet Union, Alexander Yakushev is best known to North American hockey fans as one of the stars for the Soviet team that played Team Canada in the famous 1972 Summit Series...
and especially Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...
, who dominated several of the series' games. Against the stiffest competition they had ever faced, Team Canada revealed during the series the leadership of prolific scorer Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
, as well as the quieter contributions of solid NHL veterans like Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames...
and Gary Bergman
Gary Bergman
Gary Gunnar Bergman was a professional ice hockey defenceman playing in the NHL mostly for the Detroit Red Wings...
.
Canada's Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...
, the most dominant NHL player at the time, was named to the team but did not play because of a knee injury. Bobby Hull
Bobby Hull
Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull, OC is a former Canadian ice hockey player. He is regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time and perhaps the greatest left winger to ever play the game. Hull was famous for his blonde hair, blinding skating speed, and having the hardest shot, earning...
, another dominant player, was selected for the team by coach Harry Sinden
Harry Sinden
Harry James Sinden was the long-time general manager, coach, and president for the Boston Bruins NHL hockey team, and was the coach of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series...
, but was ruled ineligible to play because of his defection from the NHL to the rival World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
. Alan Eagleson
Alan Eagleson
Robert Alan Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, convicted felon in two countries, former politician, hockey agent and promoter...
, a player agent and the future disgraced head of the National Hockey League Players Association, was involved in forming the Canadian team. He was also considered to be responsible for the decision to exclude Hull and other WHA stars, such as Gerry Cheevers
Gerry Cheevers
Gerald Michael "Cheesey" Cheevers is a former goaltender in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association between 1961 and 1980, most famous for his two stints with the Boston Bruins, where he backstopped the team to Stanley Cup wins in 1970 and 1972...
and Derek Sanderson
Derek Sanderson
Derek Michael Sanderson, nicknamed "Turk", , is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is now a bank executive and restaurateur....
. Some NHL owners also threatened not to free their players to participate if WHA players were permitted.
Game 1
In Game One, held in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
on September 2, Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
scored for Canada after just 30 seconds of play. When Canada took a two-goal lead six minutes in, Canadian spectators and pundits alike felt that pre-series predictions of a rout had been proven correct. The hard-working Soviets staged a comeback, though, tying the score before the end of the first period. In the second period, Valeri Kharlamov scored twice, giving the Soviets a two-goal lead. Bobby Clarke
Bobby Clarke
Robert Earle Clarke, OC , better known as Bobby Clarke or, in later life, Bob Clarke, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team...
scored to bring Canada within one, but the Soviets pulled away with three more goals in the third and won 7-3. The Canadian players later commented on the superior physical conditioning of the Soviets, as well as their disciplined and relentless playing style. This general scheme—of the Canadians playing well initially but declining near the end of the game due to insufficient physical conditioning—was to be a common feature of the series. Another difference was that the Soviets stayed in peak physical condition all year round, while the Canadians had a summer off-season and relied upon the last-minute training camp to get back in shape.
Game 2
Game 2 was played at Maple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Team Canada responded to their previous defeat with strong play in this game, with Tony Esposito
Tony Esposito
For the Italian musician, please see Tony Esposito .Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a retired Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style....
taking over goaltending duties from Ken Dryden
Ken Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden, PC, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender. Dryden is married with two children and four grandchildren and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
. With the score at 2-1 in the third period, Peter Mahovlich
Peter Mahovlich
Peter Joseph "Little M" Mahovlich , known in his playing years as "Little M", is a retired Canadian professional hockey forward and head coach.-Playing career:...
scored a remarkable shorthanded goal, in which he deked both the Soviet defender 1-on-1, then Tretiak to give Canada a two-goal lead. With enough momentum from the goal to defend their lead successfully, Team Canada won the game 4-1 and tied the series.
Game 3
Game 3 was held in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
on September 6. Team Canada held leads of 3-1 and 4-2, but the Soviet side responded and the game ended in a 4-4 tie.
Game 4
Team Canada played poorly in Game Four in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, losing 5-3, and the crowd of 15,570 fans echoed the rest of Canada's sentiments: Team Canada was booed off the ice at game's end. Responding to the negative public and media reaction in light of the expectation for an overwhelming Team Canada sweep of the series, Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
made an emotional outburst on Canadian national television:
- "To the people across Canada, we tried, we gave it our best, and to the people that boo us, geez, I'm really, all of us guys are really disheartened and we're disillusioned, and we're disappointed at some of the people. We cannot believe the bad press we've got, the booing we've gotten in our own buildings. If the Russians boo their players, the fans... Russians boo their players... Some of the Canadian fans—I'm not saying all of them, some of them booed us, then I'll come back and I'll apologize to each one of the Canadians, but I don't think they will. I'm really, really... I'm really disappointed. I am completely disappointed. I cannot believe it. Some of our guys are really, really down in the dumps, we know, we're trying like hell. I mean, we're doing the best we can, and they got a good team, and let's face facts. But it doesn't mean that we're not giving it our 150%, because we certainly are.
- I mean, the more - everyone of us guys, 35 guys that came out and played for Team Canada. We did it because we love our country, and not for any other reason, no other reason. They can throw the money, uh, for the pension fund out the window. They can throw anything they want out the window. We came because we love Canada. And even though we play in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and we earn money in the United States, Canada is still our home, and that's the only reason we come. And I don't think it's fair that we should be booed."
Great turmoil ensued in Canada as Team Canada prepared to travel to the Soviet Union to play the remaining four games, and Canada contemplated the end to its perceived dominance in the sport of hockey.
Sweden
During a two-week hiatus, the Canadians played two exhibition games versus the Swedish national team on September 16 and September 17 at the HovetHovet
Hovet , formerly known as Johanneshovs Isstadion, is an arena in Stockholm mainly used for ice hockey, concerts and corporate events. It was opened in 1955 as an outdoor arena. A roof was added in 1962, and the arena interior has also been a subject to major renovation in 2002. The arenas main...
arena in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Canada won game one 4-1; the second game was a 4-4 tie. The second game included an outburst from both teams, which resulted in Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and a former NHL head coach.-Playing career:Cashman played his junior hockey as a teammate of Bobby Orr's on the Oshawa Generals of the OHA...
getting his tongue cut open, requiring nearly 50 stitches and forcing him to miss the rest of the Summit Series, although he stayed with the team. The first exhibition game also introduced Canada to two West German referees, Josef Kompalla
Josef Kompalla
Josef Jupp Kompalla is a retired German ice hockey referee.He is best known for his officiating of the 1972 Summit Series between the Soviet Union and Canada. His officiating partner during this series was Franz Baader. He also officiated in several IIHF World Championships and Canada Cup...
and Franz Baader. These two referees would figure prominently in Games 6 and 8 of the remainder of the series.
Team Canada was heavily criticized by the Swedes for its "criminal"-style play during the two games. The games in Sweden, however, helped bring Canada together as a team and focused them for the final four games.
Game 5
Team Canada went to the Soviet Union for the final four games at the Luzhniki Ice PalaceLuzhniki Palace of Sports
Luzhniki Palace of Sports, formerly the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium, is a sports palace in Moscow, Russia, a part of the Luzhniki Sports Complex. Built in 1956, it originally had a spectator capacity of 13,700...
, accompanied by 3,000 Canadian fans. Team Canada players Vic Hadfield
Vic Hadfield
Victor Edward Hadfield is a retired professional ice hockey player. One of the most popular players in New York Rangers history, Hadfield had a sixteen-year career in the NHL, tallying 323 goals and 389 assists with 1154 penalty minutes in 1002 career games with the Rangers and the Pittsburgh...
, Rick Martin
Rick Martin
Richard Lionel Martin was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1982...
, and Jocelyn Guevremont
Jocelyn Guevremont
Jocelyn Marcel Guevremont is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played nine season in the National Hockey League...
all went home for various reasons. On September 22, in Game Five in Moscow, Canada led 4-1, but ended up losing 5-4. Team Canada was now faced with the daunting task of having to win all three remaining games to win the series. Despite the game 5 loss, all 3,000 Canadian fans sang "O Canada
O Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
" as Team Canada left the ice. To add to the Canadian struggles, Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for seventeen seasons with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters, he was regarded as one of the...
left Team Canada to focus on the Buffalo Sabres training camp, along with teammate Rick Martin.
Game 6 "The Tap"
Game Six was a Canadian 3-2 victory. Prior to the game, the Canadians became upset over a shipment of beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
that they believed the Soviets had deliberately "lost" at the airport. Following the game, the Canadians complained that the German referees (the same ones who refereed the controversial Sweden game) were biased, since Canada was handed 31 minutes in penalties during the game, while the Soviets only received four. Paul Henderson scored what turned out to be the winning goal at 6:36 of the second period.
This game also saw the most controversial play of the entire series. In the second period, Bobby Clarke
Bobby Clarke
Robert Earle Clarke, OC , better known as Bobby Clarke or, in later life, Bob Clarke, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team...
deliberately slashed Valeri Kharlamov's ankle, breaking it. Years later, John Ferguson
John Ferguson, Sr.
John Bowie "Fergy" Ferguson Sr. was a professional ice hockey player. Ferguson played as a left-winger for the Montreal Canadiens from 1963 to 1971.-Early years:...
, the assistant coach of Team Canada, was quoted as saying "I called Clarke over to the bench, looked over at Kharlamov and said, 'I think he needs a tap on the ankle.'I didn't think twice about it. It was Us versus Them. And Kharlamov was killing us. I mean, somebody had to do it." Kharlamov was the Soviets' best forward, and although he played the rest of the game, he missed Game Seven and was largely ineffectual in Game Eight.
Game 7
Canada won Game Seven by the score of 4-3, with Paul Henderson scoring the winning goal late in the third period on a strong individual effort. The game also featured a controversial incident: During the third period, a small scuffle broke out between Canada's Gary BergmanGary Bergman
Gary Gunnar Bergman was a professional ice hockey defenceman playing in the NHL mostly for the Detroit Red Wings...
, and the USSR's Boris Mikhailov
Boris Mikhailov (ice hockey)
Boris Petrovich Mikhailov is a former Soviet ice hockey player. He played for Kristall Saratov from 1962–65, Lokomotiv Moscow from 1965–67, and CSKA Moscow from 1967-1981...
, in which the future Soviet captain committed a cardinal sin in Canadian hockey, using his skate as a weapon, kicking Gary Bergman two times before the fight ended.
Game 8
Heading into Game Eight, each team had three wins and three losses and one tie. Because the Soviets led in goal differential, only a win in Game Eight would lead to a Canadian victory in the series. In Canada, much of the country shut down for the game, with many watching it at work or school. Team Canada took a number of questionable early penalties (which wasn't surprising to Canadians, as one referee was the same Josef KompallaJosef Kompalla
Josef Jupp Kompalla is a retired German ice hockey referee.He is best known for his officiating of the 1972 Summit Series between the Soviet Union and Canada. His officiating partner during this series was Franz Baader. He also officiated in several IIHF World Championships and Canada Cup...
who was accused of being biased in Game 6) The game was delayed after a marginal call against J. P. Parise, and emotions boiled over. Parise nearly swung his stick at Josef Kompalla
Josef Kompalla
Josef Jupp Kompalla is a retired German ice hockey referee.He is best known for his officiating of the 1972 Summit Series between the Soviet Union and Canada. His officiating partner during this series was Franz Baader. He also officiated in several IIHF World Championships and Canada Cup...
and got a match penalty. Sinden threw a chair on the ice. Despite the penalties, the score was 2-2 after the first period, but the Soviets pulled ahead 5-3 after two. Things looked grim for Team Canada. During the second intermission, goalie Ken Dryden
Ken Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden, PC, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender. Dryden is married with two children and four grandchildren and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
was reported to have thought, "If we lose this one, I'll be the most hated man in Canada."
But the Canadians came out roaring in the third period, and Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
and Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Serge "The Roadrunner" Cournoyer is a retired Canadian hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens from 1963 to 1979. Cournoyer was born in Drummondville, Quebec. He was nicknamed "The Roadrunner" due to his small size and blazing speed, which he...
scored to even it up. After Cournoyer's goal, Alan Eagleson
Alan Eagleson
Robert Alan Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, convicted felon in two countries, former politician, hockey agent and promoter...
(seated across the ice from the Team Canada bench) caused a ruckus in the crowd because the goal light had not come on. As he was being subdued by the Soviet police, the Canadian players headed over, Peter Mahovlich actually going over the boards to confront police with his stick. Eagleson was freed, and the coaches escorted him across the ice to the bench. In anger, he shoved his fist to the Soviet crowd, as a few other Canadian supporters also gave the finger to the Soviets.
At that point, with the score tied 5-5 and the series tied 3-3-1, a member of the Soviet delegation unexpectedly informed Canada that, if the score and the series remained tied, the Soviets would claim victory on goal differential.
Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames...
stood up at the bench and called Mahovlich off the ice as he was skating by. Bobby Clarke was supposed to replace Esposito, but Phil didn't come off ("There was no way I was coming off the ice in that situation" Esposito said). Esposito got off a good shot, and with just 34 seconds remaining in the game, Henderson, in perhaps the most famous moment in Canadian sports history, put the rebound behind Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...
. "I jumped on the ice and rushed straight for their net. I had this strange feeling that I could score the winning goal", recalls Henderson. This play is widely known as "the goal heard around the world" and was captured on film by cameraman Frank Lennon
Frank Lennon
Frank Lennon was a Canadian photographer and photojournalist. He was best known for taking the photograph of Paul Henderson celebrating Canada's win over the Soviet Union at the 1972 Summit Series....
. The picture became one of Canada's most famous photographs. Canada held on for the win in the game and thus the series.
This truly memorable moment for Canada was not viewed as a fair win in the Soviet Union. Many Soviet citizens believed that their country would have won had Bobby Clarke not fractured the ankle of their best player, and if Anatoli Firsov and Vitaly Davydov had not sat out the series to protest a coaching change. In response, some offer that Canada was without Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...
due to injury as well as Bobby Hull
Bobby Hull
Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull, OC is a former Canadian ice hockey player. He is regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time and perhaps the greatest left winger to ever play the game. Hull was famous for his blonde hair, blinding skating speed, and having the hardest shot, earning...
and Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe
Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...
(due to their departure from the NHL to the newly-formed WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
). These were arguably the best Canadian players at the time (besides Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
), so neither team had its greatest talent on the ice. The Soviet team also had the obvious advantage of playing year round, and had been preparing for this series for years. Meanwhile, the Canadian team was picked and prepared in only a few months and most players were out-of-shape due to the summer holiday.
In addition to the eight games against the Soviets and two against the Swedes, the Canadians also played an exhibition game against Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. The game took place on September 29 at the Sportovní hala
T-Mobile Arena
Tesla Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The arena was opened in 1962, as Sportovní hala and has a seating capacity for 13,995 people, for ice hockey games....
, and ended in a 3-3 tie.
Broadcasting
In English, CBCCBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
and CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
split the coverage, with CTV carrying Games 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8. Meanwhile, CBC aired Games 2, 4, 6 and 8. s. Foster Hewitt
Foster Hewitt
Foster William Hewitt, OC was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for Hockey Night in Canada. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt.-Early life and career:...
and Brian Conacher
Brian Conacher
Brian Kennedy Conacher was a professional ice hockey player and hockey broadcaster, specializing in colour commentary. He is the son of the legendary Lionel Conacher, who was voted Canada's top athlete for the first half of the century...
were the commentators for all of the games. Games were produced by Hockey Canada, using on-air talent from both CTV and CBC. In French, all games were broadcast on SRC
SRC
-Education:* Sulaiman Al Rajhi Colleges, a private, non-profit university comprising three graduate colleges, located in Al Bukayriyah, Saudi Arabia* Sid Richardson College, one of nine residential colleges on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas, USA...
and the broadcast team was Rene Lecavalier
René Lecavalier
René Lecavalier, OC, CQ was a Canadian French language radio show host and sportscaster on SRC in Quebec. During his career in radio Lecavalier won several Radiomonde Trophies. He was also the first commentator for La Soirée du hockey, the French language version of Hockey Night in Canada...
and Gilles Tremblay
Gilles Tremblay (ice hockey)
Jean Gilles Tremblay is a retired Canadian ice hockey left winger.Gilles Tremblay played his entire National Hockey League career with the Montreal Canadiens. His first year was in 1960 and it ended in 1969...
. The series was picked up by some U.S. television stations, such as WSNS channel 44 in Chicago.
Legacy
Frank Mahovlich
Francis William "The Big M" Mahovlich, CM is a Canadian Senator, and a retired NHL ice hockey player, nicknamed the "Big M." He played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams and is an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Playing career:...
said "give the Russians a football and they'd win the Super Bowl in two years."
In the end, the Summit Series conclusively proved that the gap between the best Canadian NHL players and the top national teams of Europe (USSR, Czechoslovakia, Sweden) was much narrower than most observers on both sides of the Atlantic had anticipated. The Swedish national team coach Billy Harris (a former NHL pro with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
) later recalled that "the (Swedish) media would ask me, 'do you see even one Swedish player who could possibly have a chance in the National Hockey League?' I answered, 'No, I see 14 of them!'". The success of the 1972 Summit Series would lead to the development of the Canada Cup ice hockey world championship tournament open to both pros and amateurs. It also led to regular series "Soviet clubs vs the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
", known as the Super Series
Super Series
The Super Series were exhibition games between Soviet teams and NHL teams that took place on each NHL opponents' home ice in North America from 1976 to 1991. The Soviet teams were usually club teams from the Soviet hockey league. The exception was in 1983, when the Soviet National Team represented...
, that also were held on numerous occasions after 1976, as did the Canada Cup. By this time an increasing number of top NHL players had formerly starred for the Swedish or Czechoslovak national team. The top Soviet players were finally allowed to sign contracts with NHL clubs in the late 1980s and early 90s as the USSR crumbled.
In North America, the Series (particularly the first few games) exposed the need for better preparation and offseason training. Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
coach Fred Shero
Fred Shero
Frederick Alexander "The Fog" Shero was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . However, he spent most of his playing career in the minor leagues...
became an avid student of the Soviet style and was one of the first to bring the Russian training techniques to the NHL as the Flyers won two Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
championships in 1974-75. Tom Mellor
Tom Mellor
Thomas Robert Mellor is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman.Mellor was drafted 68th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 1970 NHL Amateur Draft and played 26 regular season games in the National Hockey League for Detroit between 1973 and 1975...
(who joined the small but rapidly growing group of American born NHL players after the 1972 Olympics) lamented that the NHL training methods of the early 1970s were vastly inferior to those of the Soviets. "When I went to play for Detroit
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
after the Olympics, Alex Delvecchio
Alex Delvecchio
Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio is a former ice hockey player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.After playing a single junior league season for the Oshawa Generals of the OHA Delvecchio joined the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League for the 1952 season, and helped the team to...
was the coach. (...) When he would coach, we would do a couple of one-on-ones, two-on-twos, three-on-twos, we'd scrimmage, and he would scrimmage with us. At the end of the scrimmage, we'd do a couple of figure eights and then go to the bar. That was the NHL and pro mentality." Mark Howe
Mark Howe
Mark Steven Howe is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League and 6 seasons in the World Hockey Association . He is the son of Colleen and Gordie Howe, and early in his career was a teammate of his father...
commented that the Soviet national team must have trained six hours on the day of a game in the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
. On the other hand, Swedish sports journalists were extremely impressed by the toughness and "never say die" fighting spirit of the Canadians, who lost only one game out of seven on European ice despite usually trailing in the third period.
As time passed, the significance of the series grew in the public consciousness, and the term "Summit Series" became its unofficial accepted name. In Canada today, the Summit Series remains a source of much national pride, and is seen by many as a landmark event in Canadian cultural history. In Canada, Paul Henderson's goal is likely the most well-known in the history of the game.
Marcel Dionne
Marcel Dionne
Marcel Elphege "Little Beaver" Dionne is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers...
was the last active player from the Canadian roster. He retired in 1989 as a member of the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
. The series is also seen by Canadians as an important win in the Cold War, far surpassing the American "Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
" in 1980.
In 2005, the team was honoured, en masse, as members of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
On April 9–10, 2006, the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
aired a two part mini-series called Canada Russia '72
Canada Russia '72
Canada Russia '72 is a 2006 Canadian documentary-style miniseries about the 1972 Summit Series. The two-part miniseries was directed by T. W. Peacocke and written by Barrie Dunn and Malcolm MacRury...
, directed by T. W. Peacocke
T. W. Peacocke
TW Peacocke is an award-winning Canadian television and film director. Raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, he studied painting at the Banff Centre, French civilization at the Université de Caen in France, and then went on to Yale University, from which he graduated in 1983...
, a film which details the 1972 Summit Series.
Henderson's goal in 1972 has been described as the "goal that everyone remembers" by the Canadian rockers The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
in their song "Fireworks
Fireworks (The Tragically Hip song)
"Fireworks" is the third single by The Tragically Hip from the band's sixth album, Phantom Power. The song was very successful in Canada, peaking at #9 on Canada's RPM Singles chart. The song makes references to the 1972 Summit Series and also mentions hockey legend Bobby Orr....
" from their album Phantom Power
Phantom Power (The Tragically Hip album)
Phantom Power is the sixth full-length album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. The album was released in 1998. It won the 1999 Juno Awards for Best Rock Album and Best Album Design. The song "Bobcaygeon" won the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 2000...
. The song describes the national eruption of celebration over the goal.
On June 22, 2010, the sweater Henderson wore while scoring the decisive final goal of the series was put up for auction by an anonymous American collector. The 42nd and winning bid of US$1,067,538 ($1,275,000 with auction fees, believed to be a record for hockey memorabilia) was placed by Mitchell Goldhar, a Canadian shopping mall mogul. It was also announced that Goldhar would be taking it on a tour of Canada, the locations of which to be decided by voters on Facebook.
Forwards (and position)
Phil EspositoPhil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
(C), Frank Mahovlich
Frank Mahovlich
Francis William "The Big M" Mahovlich, CM is a Canadian Senator, and a retired NHL ice hockey player, nicknamed the "Big M." He played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams and is an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Playing career:...
(LW), Peter Mahovlich
Peter Mahovlich
Peter Joseph "Little M" Mahovlich , known in his playing years as "Little M", is a retired Canadian professional hockey forward and head coach.-Playing career:...
(C), Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for seventeen seasons with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters, he was regarded as one of the...
(C), Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Serge "The Roadrunner" Cournoyer is a retired Canadian hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens from 1963 to 1979. Cournoyer was born in Drummondville, Quebec. He was nicknamed "The Roadrunner" due to his small size and blazing speed, which he...
(RW), Bobby Clarke
Bobby Clarke
Robert Earle Clarke, OC , better known as Bobby Clarke or, in later life, Bob Clarke, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team...
(C), Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames...
(LW), Ron Ellis
Ron Ellis
Ronald John Edward Ellis is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs.-Playing career:...
(RW), Bill Goldsworthy
Bill Goldsworthy
William Alfred Goldsworthy was a professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for 14 seasons between 1964 and 1978, most notably for the Minnesota North Stars.-Playing career:...
(RW), Stan Mikita
Stan Mikita
Stanislav "Stan" Mikita , is a Slovak-born Canadian retired professional ice hockey player, generally regarded as the best centre of the 1960s. In 1961, he won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he played his entire career.-Early life:Mikita was born in Sokolče, Slovak Republic...
(C), Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and a former NHL head coach.-Playing career:Cashman played his junior hockey as a teammate of Bobby Orr's on the Oshawa Generals of the OHA...
(RW), Vic Hadfield
Vic Hadfield
Victor Edward Hadfield is a retired professional ice hockey player. One of the most popular players in New York Rangers history, Hadfield had a sixteen-year career in the NHL, tallying 323 goals and 389 assists with 1154 penalty minutes in 1002 career games with the Rangers and the Pittsburgh...
(LW), Jean Ratelle
Jean Ratelle
Joseph Gilbert Yvon "Jean" Ratelle is a former Canadian ice hockey player and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. It has often been said of Jean Ratelle that he was so consistently effective at a high level of play day in and day out that he has been overlooked by some as one of the greatest to...
(C), Marcel Dionne
Marcel Dionne
Marcel Elphege "Little Beaver" Dionne is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers...
(C), Rick Martin
Rick Martin
Richard Lionel Martin was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1982...
(LW), Jean-Paul Parise (LW), Red Berenson (C), Rod Gilbert
Rod Gilbert
Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. He played right wing on the GAG line that also featured Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle...
(RW), Dennis Hull
Dennis Hull
Dennis William Hull is a retired professional ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League...
(LW), Mickey Redmond (RW).
Defencemen
Serge SavardSerge Savard
Serge Aubrey "The Senator" Savard, OC, CQ is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman, most famously with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . He is also a local businessman in Montreal, and is nicknamed the Senator.-Playing career:Savard played minor league hockey with the...
, Guy Lapointe
Guy Lapointe
Guy Gerard "Pointu" Lapointe is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League...
, Gary Bergman
Gary Bergman
Gary Gunnar Bergman was a professional ice hockey defenceman playing in the NHL mostly for the Detroit Red Wings...
, Bill White, Rod Seiling
Rod Seiling
Rodney Albert Seiling is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman.Signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1962, Seiling played only one game with the Leafs and spent most of his time in the minors. The next year he would participate with the Canadian hockey team that played in the 1964 Winter...
, Dale Tallon
Dale Tallon
Dale Tallon is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and current General Manager for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League ....
, Jocelyn Guevremont
Jocelyn Guevremont
Jocelyn Marcel Guevremont is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played nine season in the National Hockey League...
, Brian Glennie
Brian Glennie
Brian "Blunt" Glennie is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL from 1969 until 1979. Glennie was a master of the hip-check.-Amateur career:...
, Pat Stapleton, Don Awrey
Don Awrey
Donald William "Elbows" Awrey is a former professional hockey player, who played 979 career NHL games with the Boston Bruins, St...
, Brad Park
Brad Park
Douglas Bradford Park is a retired ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings...
. (Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...
was also on the roster, but did not play due to injuries).
Forwards
Boris MikhailovBoris Mikhailov (ice hockey)
Boris Petrovich Mikhailov is a former Soviet ice hockey player. He played for Kristall Saratov from 1962–65, Lokomotiv Moscow from 1965–67, and CSKA Moscow from 1967-1981...
, Vladimir Petrov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Petrov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Petrov is a Soviet ice hockey player, two times Olympic Champion , who is currently retired....
, Yury Blinov
Yury Blinov
Yury Ivanovich Blinov is a retied ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for HC CSKA Moscow. He was also a member of the Soviet team for the Summit Series against Canada. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.-External links:*...
, Valeri Kharlamov, Alexander Yakushev
Alexander Yakushev
Alexander Sergeyevich Yakushev was an ice hockey player for the Soviet Union.Born in Moscow, Soviet Union, Alexander Yakushev is best known to North American hockey fans as one of the stars for the Soviet team that played Team Canada in the famous 1972 Summit Series...
, Yevgeni Zimin
Yevgeni Zimin
Yevgeni Zimin is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for HC Spartak Moscow. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1968.-External links:*...
, Vyacheslav Starshinov
Vyacheslav Starshinov
Vyacheslav Ivanovich Starshinov is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for HC Spartak Moscow, scoring 405 goals in 540 league games. He led the league in goals in 1966-67 and 1967–68, and in points in 1967-68...
, Vladimir Vikulov
Vladimir Vikulov
Vladimir Ivanovich Vikulov is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He was born in Moscow, Soviet Union and played for HC CSKA Moscow. Vikulov led the Soviet league in goals in 1971-72, and was top goal scorer at the IIHF World Championships the same year...
, Yevgeni Mishakov
Yevgeni Mishakov
Yevgeni Dmitrievich Mishakov was an ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He was born in Moscow, Soviet Union and played for HC CSKA Moscow. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1968. He died in Moscow, Russia.-External links:*...
, Alexander Maltsev, Vladimir Shadrin
Vladimir Shadrin
Vladimir Nikolaevich Shadrin is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for HC Spartak Moscow. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971....
, Yuri Lebedev
Yuri Lebedev
Yuri Vasilievich Lebedev was a Russian hockey player, who competed for the Soviet Union. He scored a hat trick against the Netherlands during the 1980 Winter Olympic games.-External links:...
, Alexander Volchkov, Vyacheslav Anisin
Vyacheslav Anisin
Vyacheslav Anisin is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League.Anisin played for HC CSKA Moscow, Krylya Sovetov Moscow, and HC Spartak Moscow. He also played for the Soviet team during the 1972 Summit Series against Canada. He was inducted into the Russian...
, Alexander Bodunov
Alexander Bodunov
Alexander Bodunov is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for Krylya Sovetov Moscow. He also played for the Soviet team during the 1972 Summit Series against Canada....
, Alexander Martynyuk
Alexander Martynyuk
Alexander Akimovich Martynyuk is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for HC Spartak Moscow with linemates Alexander Yakushev and Vladimir Shadrin...
, Viacheslav Solodukhin
Viacheslav Solodukhin
Viacheslav Solodukhin is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for SKA St. Petersburg. He also played for the Soviet team during the 1972 Summit Series against Canada.Solodukhin committed suicide in 1980 in his car by carbon monoxide...
.
Defencemen
Valery Vasiliev, Alexander RagulinAlexander Ragulin
Alexander Pavlovich "Rags" Ragulin was a defenseman for the Red Army ice hockey team, CSKA Moscow , a 10 time World Champion, and a 3-time Olympic champion ....
, Viktor Kuzkin, Vladimir Lutchenko
Vladimir Lutchenko
Vladimir Yakovlevich Lutchenko is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for HC CSKA Moscow. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970-External links:...
, Gennadiy Tsygankov
Gennadiy Tsygankov
Gennadiy Dmitrievich Tsygankov was a Soviet and Russian ice hockey player and coach. He trained at the Armed Forces sports society.-Career achievements:* Olympic champion, 1972* Olympic champion, 1976...
, Yuri Lyapkin
Yuri Lyapkin
Yuri Evgenievich Lyapkin is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League as a defenseman. He played for HC Spartak Moscow. He won a gold medal playing for the Soviet Union at the 1976 Olympics, as his team was undefeated. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey...
, Yuri Shatalov
Yuri Shatalov
Yuri Shatalov is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for Krylya Sovetov Moscow. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974....
, Aleksander Gusev, Vitaly Davydov
Vitaly Davydov
Vitaly Semenovich Davydov is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He was born in Moscow, and played his entire club career for HC Dynamo Moscow. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.-External links:...
, Yevgeny Paladiev
Yevgeny Paladiev
Yevgeny Ivanovich Paladiev Евгений Иванович Паладьев was an ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He was born in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakh SSR, USSR....
.
Goaltenders
Vladislav TretiakVladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...
, Victor Zinger
Victor Zinger
Viktor Aleksandrovich Zinger is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for HC Spartak Moscow. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1967....
, Alexander Sidelnikov, Alexander Pashkov
Alexander Pashkov
Alexander Konstantinovich Pashkov is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for HC Dynamo Moscow, HC Lokomotiv Moscow, HC CSKA Moscow, and Krylya Sovetov Moscow. He was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.-External links:*...
.
Games
Game 1: September 2, 1972, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USSR | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Canada | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| W: Tretiak (1-0-0) L: Dryden (0-1-0) | ||||
| USSR: Zimin (2), Petrov (1), Kharlamov (2), Mikhailov (1), Yakushev (1) Canada: P. Esposito (1), Henderson (1), Clarke (1) |
||||
Game 2: September 4, 1972, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USSR | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Canada | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| W: T. Esposito (1-0-0) L: Tretiak (1-1-0) | ||||
| USSR: Yakushev (2) Canada: P. Esposito (2), Cournoyer (1), P. Mahovlich (1), F. Mahovlich (1) |
||||
Game 3: September 6, 1972, Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USSR | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Canada | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| T: Tretiak (1-1-1), T. Esposito (1-0-1) | ||||
| USSR: Petrov (2), Kharlamov (3), Lebedev (1), Bodunov (1) Canada: Parise (1), Ratelle (1), P. Esposito (3), Henderson (2) |
||||
Game 4: September 8, 1972, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USSR | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Canada | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| W: Tretiak (2-1-1) L: Dryden (0-2-0) | ||||
| USSR: Mikhailov (2, 3), Blinov (1), Vikulov (1), Shadrin (1) Canada: Perrault (1), Goldsworthy (1), Hull (1) |
||||
Game 5: September 22, 1972, Luzhniki Ice Palace, Moscow, USSR
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| USSR | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| W: Tretiak (3-1-1) L: T. Esposito (1-1-1) | ||||
| Canada: Parise (2), Clarke (2), Henderson (3, 4) USSR: Blinov (2), Anisin (1), Shadrin (2), Gusev (1), Vikulov (2) |
||||
Game 6: September 24, 1972, Luzhniki Ice Palace, Moscow, USSR
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| USSR | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| W: Dryden (1-2-0) L: Tretiak (3-2-1) | ||||
| Canada: Hull (2), Cournoyer (2), Henderson (5) USSR: Liapkin (1), Yakushev (3) |
||||
Game 7: September 26, 1972, Luzhniki Ice Palace, Moscow, USSR
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| USSR | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| W: T. Esposito (2-1-1) L: Tretiak (3-3-1) | ||||
| Canada: P. Esposito (4, 5), Gilbert (1), Henderson (6) USSR: Yakushev (4, 5), Petrov (3) |
||||
Game 8: September 28, 1972, Luzhniki Ice Palace, Moscow, USSR
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| USSR | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| W: Dryden (2-2-0) L: Tretiak (3-4-1) | ||||
| Canada: P. Esposito (6, 7), Park (1), White (1), Cournoyer (3), Henderson (7) USSR: Yakushev (6, 7), Lutchenko (1), Shadrin (3), Vasiliev (1) |
||||
Canada wins series 4-3-1
See also
- 1974 Summit Series1974 Summit SeriesThe 1974 Summit Series was the second of two competitions between Soviet and Canadian professional ice hockey players. Canada was represented by World Hockey Association players instead of National Hockey League players, as it had been in the 1972 Summit Series. The Soviet team won the series 4-1-3...
- Canada CupCanada Cup (ice hockey)The Canada Cup was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that allowed the best players from participating nations to compete regardless of their status as professional...
- Super SeriesSuper SeriesThe Super Series were exhibition games between Soviet teams and NHL teams that took place on each NHL opponents' home ice in North America from 1976 to 1991. The Soviet teams were usually club teams from the Soviet hockey league. The exception was in 1983, when the Soviet National Team represented...
- Ice Hockey World ChampionshipsIce Hockey World ChampionshipsThe Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
- List of international ice hockey competitions featuring NHL players
- World Cup of HockeyWorld Cup of HockeyThe World Cup of Hockey is an international ice hockey tournament. Inaugurated in 1996, it is the successor to the previous Canada Cup, which ran from 1976 to 1991...
- Canadian national men's hockey teamCanadian national men's hockey teamThe Canadian national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and participates in international competitions. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior...
- Soviet Union national ice hockey team
- International Ice Hockey FederationInternational Ice Hockey FederationThe International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
- National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
External links
- Canada Versus the Soviet Union The heyday of the battle for world hockey supremacy (1972–1987)
- CBC Digital Archives - Canada-Soviet Hockey Series, 1972
- Short clips from a Chicago Area broadcast of Game 8