Summit Series
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Template:Alternateuses Image:Tretiak Cournoyer 1972.jpg The 1972 Summit Series (in French, La Série du siècle), as it eventually came to be known (officially called The Friendship Series), was the first competition between Soviet and Canadian professional ice hockey players (only amateurs were allowed in the Olympics, although professional Soviet hockey players were amateurs by strict definition only). The eight-game series consisted of four games in Canada, held in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver, and four games in the Soviet Union, all of them held in Moscow. The Cold War background of this series was significant, and intense feelings of nationalism were aroused by the contest, both in Canada and the Soviet Union. Some observers felt that the series would serve to contrast two different ways of life; the centrally planned society of the Soviets (hockey players were trained from a very early age in a very militaristic manner) and the free society of Canada (and by extension, the West). Victory in this series would thus be interpreted by some as a validation of their society.
Canada's Bobby Orr, the most dominant NHL player of the day, was made part of the team but did not play because of a knee injury that eventually ended his career. Bobby Hull, another dominant player that probably would have been named to the team otherwise, was eliminated from consideration due to his defection to the World Hockey Association. This prevented other big names (in the west) from participating, including Gerry Cheevers and Derek Sanderson. Player agent and future head of the National Hockey League Players Association Alan Eagleson was involved in the planning, although less so than he later came to take credit for. He was also largely responsible for the decision to exclude Hull and other WHA stars.
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The Games
In Game One, held in Montreal 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, Valery 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.
Canada came back strong in Game Two, winning 4-1. An identical score was tallied in Game Three, but Canada let the lead slip away, with the Soviets scoring three times to get a 4-4 tie. Canada played poorly in Game Four in Vancouver, 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. Phil Esposito's famous emotional outburst went out on 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've 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."
This lit a fire under Team Canada and the whole country. After a two-week hiatus, during which the Canadians played exhibition games in Sweden, Team Canada went to the Soviet Union for the final four games as a team, accompanied by 3,000 proud Canadian fans. On September 22, in Game Five in Moscow, Canada led 4-1, but ended up losing the game 5-4. Team Canada was now faced with the hard fact that with three games remaining in the series, the Soviets were ahead by two victories.
Game Six was a Canadian 3-2 victory. The Canadians complained that the West German referees were biased since Canada was handed 31 penalty minutes during the game, while the Soviets only received four [1]. This game also saw the most controversial play of the entire series. In the second period, Bobby Clarke deliberately slashed Valery Kharlamov's ankle, fracturing it. Kharlamov was the Soviet's best player; although he played the rest of the game, he missed Game Seven and was ineffectual in Game Eight.
Canada won Game Seven by the score of 4-3.
Heading into Game Eight, each team had three wins and three losses, in addition to the tie. Only a win in Game Eight would deliver victory in the series. Canada just about shut down for the game on September 28, with many watching it at work or school. The score was 2-2 after the first period, but the Soviets pulled ahead 5-3 after two. Things looked grim for Team Canada.
But the Canadians came out roaring in the third period, and Phil Esposito and Yvan Cournoyer scored to even it up.
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.
But with 34 seconds remaining in the game, Paul Henderson, in perhaps the most famous moment in Canadian sports history, scored for Canada, jamming in a rebound behind Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. This goal is widely known as "the goal heard around the world". Canada held on for the win in the game and the series, and the entire country erupted in celebration. The Soviets had given Canada a scare and a run for its money, but Canada had prevailed in the end. This score 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.
In addition to the eight games against the Soviets, the Canadians also played exhibition games against Sweden and Czechoslovakia. The games against Sweden took place on September 16 and September 17 at the Hovet. Canada won the first game and tied the second. The game against Czechoslovakia took place on September 29 at the T-Mobile Arena, and ended in a tie.
Legacy
The success of the 1972 Summit Series would lead to the development of the Canada Cup hockey championships.
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.
Marcel Dionne was the last active player from the Canadian roster. He retired in 1989 as a member of the New York Rangers.
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 [2], directed by T.W. Peacocke, a film which details the 1972 Summit Series.
Rosters
Canada
Forwards
Phil Esposito, Frank Mahovlich, Pete Mahovlich, Bobby Clarke, Gilbert Perreault, Yvan Cournoyer, Paul Henderson, Ron Ellis, Bill Goldsworthy, Stan Mikita, Wayne Cashman, Vic Hadfield, Jean Ratelle, Marcel Dionne, Rick Martin, Jean-Paul Parise, Red Berenson, Rod Gilbert, Dennis Hull, Mickey Redmond.
Defensemen
Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Gary Bergman, Bill White, Rod Seiling, Dale Tallon, Jocelyn Guevremont, Brian Glennie, Pat Stapleton, Don Awrey, Brad Park.
Goaltenders
Tony Esposito, Ken Dryden, Ed Johnston.
Coaches and Managers
Head Coach & General Manager: Harry Sinden. Assistant Coach & Asst. GM: John Ferguson
Notes
Paul Henderson remains best known for scoring the winning goals in the sixth, seventh and eighth (deciding) games of the 1972 Summit Series.
Only seven Canadians played in all eight games: Phil Esposito, Bobby Clarke, Yvan Cournoyer, Paul Henderson, Ron Ellis, Gary Bergman, and Brad Park. In goal, Tony Esposito and Ken Dryden each played four games.
Team Canada defenseman Serge Savard has a unique claim to fame -- Canada won or tied all five games in which he played, but lost all three games in which he sat out.
Soviet Union
Forwards
Boris Mikhailov, Vladimir Petrov, Yuri Blinov, Valery Kharlamov, Alexander Yakushev, Evgeny Zimin, Vyacheslav Starshinov, Vladimir Vikulov, Yevgeny Mishakov, Alexander Maltsev, Vladimir Shadrin, Yuri Lebedev, Alexander Volchkov, Viacheslav Anisin, Alexander Bodunov, Alexander Martyniuk, Viacheslav Solodukhin.
Defensemen
Valery Vasiliev, Alexander Ragulin, Viktor Kuzkin, Vladimir Lutchenko, Gennadiy Tsygankov, Yuri Liapkin, Yuri Shatalov, Alexander Gusev, Vitaly Davydov, Evgeny Paladiev.
Goaltenders
Vladislav Tretiak, Viktor Zinger, Alexander Sidelnikov, Alexander Pashkov.
Coaches
Head Coach: Vsevolod Bobrov. Asst. Coach: Boris Kulagin
Games
| Game | Results |
| Game 1 | USSR 7 - Canada 3 |
| Game 2 | Canada 4 - USSR 1 |
| Game 3 | Canada 4 - USSR 4 |
| Game 4 | USSR 5 - Canada 3 |
| Game 5 | USSR 5 - Canada 4 |
| Game 6 | Canada 3 - USSR 2 |
| Game 7 | Canada 4 - USSR 3 |
| Game 8 | Canada 6 - USSR 5 |
See also
- 1974 Summit Series
- Canada Cup
- Canadian national men's hockey team
- Soviet national ice hockey team
- International Ice Hockey Federation
- National Hockey League
- World Cup of Hockey
- World Professional Hockey Championships
- Ice Hockey World Championships