Canada - Soviet Series 1972 - Part 1

File this under “Who cares”, but in anticipation of the Olympic Hockey tournament, I recently read "Cold War" by Roy McSkimming, which is a review of the Team Canada – Soviet Hockey Series from 1972. I’ve read several books on this important chapter in Canadian Hockey history, and this one got me intrigued enough to invest in the 4 DVD set of the eight game series. I had seen some highlights of these games over the years, but I had never seen the games in their entirety.

For some background, the 1972 series between Canada and the Soviet Union was a groundbreaking event because it was the first time that Canada’s NHL stars would meet the world’s foremost “amateur” side, the Soviet hockey machine, and it occurred at a time when the West and the Soviet sphere of influence were diametrically opposed. The series consisted of 8 games – 4 in Canada and 4 in the USSR. The Canadian press and public were confident that their stars would have their way with the Soviets on the ice and that an 8-0 sweep was possible. The players weren’t so sure and the scheduling of the event meant that they wouldn’t be in the best possible shape as the series started in early September, several weeks before NHL camps were scheduled to open.

At this point, I’ve watched the first 4 games of the Series, which were played in Canada and it was very interesting viewing. With that, let’s dive into Game 1.

Game 1 – Montreal Forum

· It’s nice to see a game from the Forum again – that was such a special building with so many historic moments.

· Our play-by-play announcer is Foster Hewitt, who was known in Canada as the father of hockey play-by-play. Hewitt is calling the game for both radio and TV simultaneously which I believe is one reason why hockey announcers on television today call the game as if they are working radio. It all goes back to Hewitt calling games for Hockey Night in Canada on both radio and TV.

· A lot of the Team Canada stars bring back memories for me – several are Hall of Famers: Phil Esposito, Tony Esposito, Ken Dryden, Bobby Clarke, Frank Mahovolich, Yvan Cournoyer, Brad Park, etc.

· Bobby Orr is not playing although he is on the roster. Orr is still recovering from knee surgery at this point. Bobby Hull isn’t playing either. He just signed with the Winnipeg Jets of the newly formed WHA and he has become persona non grata in this NHL endorsed event.

· Bruins fans will be very familiar with Team Canada’s head coach – Harry Sinden.

· The game’s just started and the Canadians have scored after 30 seconds. That will only fuel the over confidence of the Canadian fans and quite possibly some of the players.

· Canada’s up 2-0 after 7 minutes. The Soviets look a little tight at this point although they are starting to settle into their passing game.

· Anyone who has seen the movie Miracle will recognize the name of Boris Mikhailov, the so-called best Soviet player in 1980. I’m not sure where the movie got that from as Mikhailov was a good player, but by 1980 he was well past his best and was on the downside of his career. You would never know that from the actor that portrayed him in the movie. Nevertheless, Boris is playing in this series and he’s definitely one of the key contributors for the USSR.

· Soviets score their first. Canadians are starting to tire. They don’t look like they’re in shape yet and the Russians are starting to come at them in waves.

· At the end of one period, it’s tied 2-2, but the Soviets have turned this game in their favor.

· This is the first time I’ve heard a game called by Foster Hewitt, and with all due respect, he’s not in mid-season form either. He’s mispronouncing “Cournoyer” and the Soviet goalie “Tretiak”. He’s saying “Tretriak” instead. It’s not a good performance.

· The audio from this game is a little off. There was a 7 minute gap at one point and at other times the quality is poor. I read that these tapes were only re-discovered in 1998 and have been re-mastered as much as possible based on the quality of the tapes.

· Great quote – Team Canada defenseman Gary Bergman asked Brad Park after the first period what he thought. Park’s response: “We’re in big trouble.”

· Soviets really have it clicking in the second period. At this point, the Canadians have to be ruing the fact that they have taken this team lightly. The Soviets have been training together for months/years and the Canadians only got together a few weeks ago. It’s not surprising they are getting dominated physically.

· It’s 4-2 for the CCCP.

· Canada gets one back and is really energized as they try and tie the score. They have several chances, but the Soviets score again to end the threat. They score twice more to win the game 7-3. That’s pretty humbling for the NHLers.

Game 2 – Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens

· Another game and another building no longer used by NHL clubs.

· I forgot to mention this earlier, but there’s a disturbing production note about these broadcasts. Every time a player starts to take a shot on goal, the camera angle shown to the viewer is changed to one that is a close up on the net. I definitely remember this from the 70’s. Watching it now is a little jarring and I don’t like it at all. The viewer loses perspective when the switch in angle is done.

· Team Canada has made some changes for this game. Tony Esposito replaces Ken Dryden in goal. Dryden was decidedly shaky in Game 1. A couple of muscle guys are added to the lineup including former Bruin, Wayne Cashman. By the way, did Cashman ever score a goal with his stick? It seemed to me that he kicked all his goals in the net.

· Phil Esposito is easily Canada’s best player and their clear leader. I didn’t realize what a good passer he was.

· This game belongs to the Esposito brothers and the Mahovolich brothers. Tony is spectacular in goal and Phil scores Canada’s first. Frank and Peter Mahovolich each score a goal to help secure a 4- 1 Canada win.

· Team Canada was far more energized in Game 2. Soviets weren’t quite as sharp as they were in Montreal.

Game 3 – Winnipeg Arena – Series tied 1-1

· Every time I see a game from the Winnipeg Arena, I get a kick out of the huge portrait of Queen Elizabeth that hangs at one end of the arena. There must be some significance to why that picture hangs there and not in the arenas of other provinces, but I haven’t bothered to research it.

· The production quality of the Toronto broadcast was much better than the one from Montreal. This one is a step back, but it’s still better than Game 1.

· Both teams played well in this game and put on a good show for the fans. The Canadians were buoyed by their performance in Toronto and the Soviets made some adjustments to get themselves back in gear. The game ends in a tie which seems a fair result.

· The series stands at 1-1-1, which is a long way from the 8-0 sweep that many Canadians had predicted. Team Canada has to win the 4th game in Vancouver to win the series in Canada before the scene shifts to Moscow for the final 4 games.

Game 4 – Vancouver Pacific Coliseum – Series stands at 1-1-1

· Ken Dryden is back in goal for Canada after Tony Esposito played in games 3 and 4. Dryden was extremely shaky in Game 1 and it’s a little surprising to see him in the net again.

· In the first period, the Canadians look awful and the Soviets are skating and passing well. The USSR goes up 2-0 and you can hear some boos from the fans. On the days between games, the fans and press have been extremely critical of Team Canada’s performance in the series thus far. Based on that, it’s not surprising that the boo-birds have made an appearance in Vancouver.

· The Canadian performance is reminiscent of Game 1 in Montreal. They look tired and are not playing at all like a team. Dryden actually looks worse than he did in Game 1. He is so nervous every time the puck comes near him. It’s surprising that he only lets in four goals.

· The final score of the game is 4-1 although it could have been much worse. The score somewhat belies the dominant performance of the Soviets in this game.

· The most newsworthy event of this game is the post-game on-ice interview with Phil Esposito. He’s incensed that the team is being booed by the fans and criticized by the press, when they are doing their best and playing for their country. One factor in the criticism of the players is that many of them earn their living in the United States and that somehow has affected their love for their country. Esposito addresses that topic too and states that the players love their country and wouldn’t be playing in this series if they didn’t. Many of the players point to Esposito’s statements as the beginning of this team coming together as a cohesive unit. They’ll need that when they get to Moscow and it will really be an us versus them mentality.

· The Soviets lead the series 2-1-1 and are heading home for the last 4 games. With the performance in Vancouver, it’s possible that they began to get a little over confident in their ability to win the series, which is interesting as before the series started most of the Soviet players didn’t think they would win it.

· Team Canada has a couple of games in Stockholm, Sweden before traveling to Moscow. The games are an opportunity to get used to the change in time zone and the larger ice surface found in European arenas.