Greatly anticipated by fans in both Canada and the USSR, the Summit Series was largely neglected by the world media because it was held concurrently with the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, which were tragically marred by the murders of 11 Israeli by Arab terrorists.
Over the years, the Summit Series has gradually been given its due in both the press and in video, the latter through the release of numerous commemorative cassettes and DVDs. |
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The series began on Sept. 2 in the Montreal Forum, with the Soviets shocking Team Canada -- indeed, the entire hockey world -- by outscoring the collection of NHL stars, 7-1, after falling behind 2-0 early on. An NHL administrator, overlooking two world wars and the Great Depression, told a reporter that “this is the catastrophe of the century.”
The Soviets, most of whom were veterans of international competition, impressed the Canadians with their style of play and approach to the game. “They would come up the ice with the puck and if they didn’t understand our counter-defensive play, they would skate back into their own zone and start again,” said Team Canada forward Paul Henderson in a documentary about the series titled “September 1972: The Silver Anniversary of the Summit Series.”
Canadian hockey fans say this was their country’s first exposure to the Soviet style: crisp passing, fast, tireless skating and a knack for creativity on offense. You would have thought that having watched the Soviets win gold medals in 1956, ’64 and ’68, someone in Canada’s hockey hierarchy would have noticed and understood just how talented and innovative the Soviets were.
Team Canada won the second game, the teams tied the third and the Soviets prevailed in the fourth. That loss, in which Team Canada elicited booing and catcalls from their countrymen in Vancouver after a dismal performance in a 5-3 loss, moved the Boston Bruins’ Phil Esposito to vent emotionally about what he called a lack of fan support in a memorable post-game interview on Canadian TV.
| With the Soviets ahead at 2-1-1 at the midway point in the series, the teams traveled to the Soviet Union for the remaining four games. Game five was more of the same for the Canadians, with the Soviets rallying from three goals down to improve to 3-1-1, forcing Team Canada to win three straight games to take the Series. |
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Team Canada won the next two, with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Henderson notching both winning goals. Deadlocked at 3-3-1, the two teams took the ice Sept. 28 in Moscow’s Luzhniki Ice Palace for the eighth and deciding game, and, in effect, the world hockey supremacy. Canada held its breath.
The Soviets scored first, on a power play. Esposito countered for Team Canada at the 6:45 mark. Another man-advantage marker put the Soviets up 2-1, but the New York Rangers’ Brad Park tied it again with three minutes to go in the first period, which was marked by aggressive play by both teams. Eight penalties were called, including a game misconduct on the Soviets’ Vladimir Petrov.
The game featured a showdown of two of the greatest goaltenders in hockey history: Team Canada’s Ken Dryden and the USSR’s Vladislav Tretiak. In eight seasons Dryden backstopped the Montreal Canadians to six Stanley Cups. The lanky goalie retired in 1979 with 258 wins, 46 shutouts and a career 2.24 goals against average.
Tretiak, who joined the dominant Soviet Red Army team at age 17, and Dryden would face each other again three years later in the famous Soviets-Canadiens matchup on New Year’s Eve in Montreal that ended 3-3. Tretiak retired after the 1983-84 season with three Olympic gold medals and having played on 10 World Championship teams.
Interestingly, neither goaltender played exceptionally well in the finale of the Summit Series.
The second period featured less hitting and more offense from both clubs. Only two penalties were called by the referee, Joseph Kampalla of West Germany, but four goals were scored. The Soviets got three of them, including one by lanky Alexsander Yakushev, who skated through the entire Team Canada squad before zipping a wrist shot past Dryden. The Soviets led 5-3 at the intermission.
Esposito gave his teammates a firey pep talk during the break, then went out and scored early in the third period to cut the Soviets’ lead in half. Montreal speedster Yvon Cournoyer sent the 3,000 thousand flag-waving Canadian fans in the stands into a frenzy when he tied the score at 5-5 with seven minutes to go. Enter Paul Henderson – again. With 40 seconds to play (the series didn’t permit overtime), Henderson got control of an Esposito rebound and poked the puck past Tretiak and into the goal. Series, Team Canada. It was the Maple Leaf star’s third consecutive game winner, and it established him as a bonafide Canadian hero for the ages and restored a measure of Canadian pride. |
