Canada - Soviet Series 1972 - Part 3

We're back for our final installment of the Canada - Soviet Series of 1972. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven't read them. This post includes the final 2 games of the Series in Moscow.

Game 7 – Moscow – Soviets lead series 3-2-1

· Some lineup notes for Game 7
Valery Kharlamov is out with an ankle injury courtesy of Bobby Clarke.
Tony Esposito is in net for Team Canada with Ed Johnston on the bench.
Bill Goldsworthy is also in the lineup for Canada. Until seeing these games, I had never seen Goldsworthy play before, but I was well acquainted with him because his hockey card seemed to be in every pack of hockey cards that I bought as a kid. I must have had 50 Goldsworthy cards while he was playing for the Minnesota North Stars.

· Obviously, this is another must win game for Canada if they are going to emerge victorious in the series.

· First period is off to a slow start, however the play isn’t nearly as rough as it was in Game 6. The players look sedated in comparison with the intensity of the previous game.

· Just over 4 minutes into the game and Phil Esposito scores a brilliant goal. If a hockey player can perform a spin move in the slot then Esposito just did it. Esposito’s intensity in this series is remarkable. In one of the interview segments in the DVD collection, he says, and I’m paraphrasing, “I wanted to win so badly that I would have killed them [Soviets]. I had never felt that way before, I haven’t felt that way since and I hope that I never feel that way again.” Now that’s intensity, and it tells you how important this series was to the players.

· The pace of play is picking up now and the Soviets are over-passing a bit.

· Soviets strike back on a quick break and tie the game on a slap shot from Alexander Yakushev. The Russian crowd roars with delight and it’s the loudest that I have heard them thus far. They must be learning from the Canadian fans.

· The USSR has taken over the game now and they score a power play goal. It’s a very pretty goal from Vladimir Petrov, one of the few right-handed players on the Soviet squad. Petrov pulled Tony Esposito out of his net and slid a backhand shot in behind him. 2-1 for the CCCP.

· Canada doesn’t look as sharp in this game up to this point. Soviets look better than they did at the end of Game 6, but I think they miss Kharlamov. His puck handling skills took a lot of the pressure off of his teammates.

· I just noticed that play-by-play man Foster Hewitt uses the term “goalkeeper” instead of “goaltender”. When did “goaltender” come into vogue? That’s the term that is used almost exclusively these days, and I don’t remember anyone using “goalkeeper” when I was watching hockey in the mid to late ‘70s.

· It’s near the end of the first period and Esposito scores again to tie the game at 2. Predictably, Espo is in the slot when he fires a wrist shot just inside the post to beat Tretiak.

· Period ends tied at 2. It was a decent period of play as the teams improved throughout and the effort became more spirited.

· Second period has started and the Soviets are on a power play. I know I keep harping on this, but they miss Kharlamov in these situations. So much of their offensive flow went through him and they don’t seem to have another player who can step into that role.

· It’s about six minutes into the period and the game is opening up nicely. Soviets are breaking through center ice a little too easily right now. Canada isn’t doing as good of a job defending in the neutral zone.

· The chanting of the Canadian fans is getting louder and louder. It’s still hard to believe that there are only 3,000 of them in the arena. The rest of the crowd must be sitting on their hands.

· Tony Esposito is being called upon to make some good saves in this period. As I stated in an earlier post, his performance in this series impressed me greatly. He moves and reacts in a more athletic way than some of the other goalies of his time. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a goalie so I read about all of the famous goaltenders in hockey history. The one thing that sticks in my mind about Tony Esposito is that he believed that the goalie should be the best skater on the team. That might be why he is so athletic on the ice.

· The Soviet passing game is looking better in this game and their control of the puck is limiting the number of chances that Team Canada is getting.

· A very bizarre play just occurred. J.P. Parise was on a breakaway and then he passed the puck back to a trailing player! The Soviet defender broke up the pass at that point. Was he afraid to shoot?

· The video is losing horizontal control. Brings back such sweet memories of pre-cable video problems.

· Here’s another interesting terminology difference for me. Soviets are on what I would call a 4 on 3 power play – Canada with 2 men in the penalty box and the Soviets with one. Foster Hewitt calls it a 5 on 4 power play.

· Soviets seem to have lost their rhythm. They’re losing the puck a lot and the crowd is whistling loudly as they seem very frustrated with their team.

· As the period winds down, the game is getting more physical. I’m surprised that it has taken this long. No scoring in the second period and the game remains tied at 2.

· Two minutes into the third and Rod Gilbert has scored to give Canada a 3-2 lead. He came around the net and backhanded it through Tretiak. Soviets had very poor defensive zone coverage on this play.

· Television analyst Brian Connacher has just told us that it is snowing in Moscow. It’s September!

· Soviets tie up the game at 3 on a sweet power play goal by Yakushev. It’s his second goal of the evening and he seems to be stepping up as the Soviets leader on the ice. Very nice passing on the part of the Soviets on the goal.

· I just noticed that Soviet television has spelled Harry Sinden’s name as “G. Sinden”. I wonder if they think his first name is Gary.

· Some real fisticuffs between the two teams with about 4 minutes remaining in the period. Once again, it seems like the Canadian players instigated the incident and then overreacted. I’m sure this kind of play was somewhat deliberate, as they wanted to knock the Soviets off their game.

· Paul Henderson has scored one of the best goals of the series to give Canada a 4-3 lead with two minutes remaining in the game. He was able to beat three defenders on his own and then lift the puck over Tretiak. It was a spectacular individual effort and one that you would never see a Soviet player make. If you look at the scorers from all of these games, the names Henderson and Esposito appear consistently.

· The game ends in desperate fashion for both teams, and Canada hangs on for the win, 4-3. The series is now tied at 3-3-1 and will go to a decisive Game 8.

Game 8 – Moscow – Series tied 3-3-1

· Lineup notes
Valery Kharlamov is back and gets his usual resounding ovation from the fans.

Ken Dryden is in goal for this decisive game.
Frank Mahovolich is in the lineup as well.

· During the pre-game introductions, Gary Bergman gives the “V” sign to the crowd. Very clever.

· Before each game, the teams exchange gifts between players. This evening, the Canadian players are giving their Soviet counterparts white Stetson hats. Aren’t the bad guys supposed to have black hats?

· The referee choices for this game were controversial. The Soviets wanted to use the 2 West German refs from Game 6 who were horrible. After that game, at the insistence of Team Canada, the Soviets had agreed not to use them again, but now with the series on the line they reneged on that agreement. Eventually, a compromise was reached as the Canadians threatened not to play the game at all. Only one of the West German referees will work the game. The other ref is from the Czech Republic and has done a credible job up to this point in the series.

· Kharlamov makes his first appearance of the game and he doesn’t appear to be skating at full strength, but he does look better than he did at the end of Game 6.

· Uh-oh – Soviets draw a penalty off of a lame dive. Peter Mahovolich takes another penalty shortly thereafter and Canada is down 2 men. Soviets score a power play goal to take a 1-0 lead early in the first. Yakushev is the villain again.

· Canada takes another penalty and this time it is J.P. Parise. Parise is incensed and is completely losing his cool. He skates up to the referee and fakes swinging his stick at him. He’s justifiably tossed from the game. Brian Connacher thinks the penalty call is marginal, but I disagree. Parise clearly stuck out his leg and tripped the Soviet player. Even under old NHL rules, that’s a penalty. This incident takes several minutes to clear up and delays the game.

· Canada kills off the penalty.

· Canada gets a power play and scores quickly to tie the game at 1. Esposito scores on a rebound of a Brad Park shot. That’s his 6th goal of the series.

· The tempers have chilled out a bit now and the play is settling down nicely. Canada is putting a lot of pressure on the Soviets in their zone.

· Against the run of play, the Soviets have scored again and take a 2-1 lead. Luchenko scores on a slap shot and is assisted by Kharlamov.

· Something funny just occurred with the video. The picture of the game disappeared and you could see the hand of a Soviet TV production assistant placing a black card with the name of a player in white lettering in front of the camera. That must have been how they displayed their graphics on screen.

· The fact that Valery Kharlamov assisted on that last goal must have been more than the Canadians could take from him as they appear to have gone after his ankle again. There’s a minor scrum as Kharlamov’s teammates come to his rescue, but the Soviet star has to limp off the ice.

· Soviets have a 2 on 1, but once again are guilty of over-passing and they never even get a shot on net.

· Canada ties the game at 2 on a beautiful exchange between New York Rangers (and later Boston Bruins) teammates Jean Ratelle and Brad Park. Park slots it home and the period ends tied.

· It’s early in the second period and the netting behind the goal has become a factor. A Soviet player took a long-range shot that went into the netting and bounced out in front of Dryden. Vladimir Shadrin collects it and puts it past Dryden for a 3-2 lead just 21 seconds into the period.

· The style of play is very different from the first period. Up and down action with chances for both teams. Tretiak has made a couple of impressive saves to preserve the Soviet lead. Play goes on for long stretches without whistles from the referees.

· Brian Connacher just noted that Kharlamov isn’t at 100%. No kidding!

· Mid-way through the period, Canada ties it up on a beautiful goal from Bill White. Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle (damn Rangers) assist on the play. White was left all alone in front of Tretiak and the Soviet goaltender had no chance. Game tied at 3 with 30 minutes to go.

· Both goalies are keeping their teams in the game. Dryden denies Boris Mikhailov on a 2 on 1, and Tretiak robs Gilbert from point blank range.

· Alexander Yakushev does it again – he scores after being left alone in front of Dryden, and gives the Soviets a 4-3 lead. Brian Connacher is lauding Yakushev as the Soviets best player, and at this point he is correct. He is the leading goal scorer in the series and has stepped up his play in the last 2 games. He’s kind of a strange looking fellow; he has a coat hanger looking frame and he’s quite tall for a hockey player.

· Phil Esposito does his best impersonation of brother Tony as he slides across the goal line to save the puck from going in after Mikhailov had faked Dryden out of the net. That might be the biggest save of the game and once again, Phil Esposito to the rescue.

· The first penalty of the period comes after about 15 minutes and it’s against Canada.

· Soviets score on the power play to take a 2 goal advantage, 5-3. Shadrin tips it in nicely. This is the first 2 goal advantage for either team since Game 6.

· Canadians draw a penalty with about two minutes remaining in the period. Unfortunately, the Team Canada power play has been poor for the duration of the series and this one is no exception. We go into the final period of the series with the Soviets leading 5-3.

· Early in the third period, Dryden comes up with a big save on a 2 on 1 break for the USSR. That man Yakushev is on the play again; he’s having a great game.

· Soviets are controlling the play thus far and have the territorial advantage.

· The Canadians have an opportunity in the Soviet zone and they take advantage of it. Phil Esposito knocks the puck down in the slot and takes a few whacks at it before he deposits it in the net behind Tretiak. It’s the quick goal that Canada needed to get back in the game. They are only down by one goal with about 17 minutes to play.

· Our first real fight of the series just happened between Gilbert and Mishakov. Actual punches were thrown and Gilbert got a couple of good ones in. The crowd is whistling the entire time – I don’t think they are used to such shenanigans. As the two players sit in their respective penalty boxes, they are yelling at each other. Surely, neither one understands the other. For some reason, they aren’t ejected from the game and I’m not sure why. Hewitt and Connacher don’t understand it either. They only get 5-minute major penalties.

· Canadians get a power play so they will have a 4 on 3 advantage.

· Only one good chance comes on the power play and it’s Jean Ratelle all alone in front and he misses the net completely with a backhand. Connacher can’t believe he didn’t score.

· Apparently Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet Premier, is in the crowd. Do you think he is reacting like the Gorbachev character in Rocky IV?

· We reach the 10-minute mark and the Soviets still lead 5-4. The play in this period has not been aesthetically pleasing. Neither team has any offensive flow and there are a lot of whistles. The Soviets are doing their best to kill the clock, but there’s a lot of time left.

· Canada has tied the game at 5! Esposito and Yvan Cournoyer both put in a great effort on this goal, and Cournoyer gets credit for it as he backhanded it past the Soviet goaltender. The goal light doesn’t go on, but the Canadians celebrate enthusiastically and the referees seem to award the goal. Looking at the replay, Esposito could have been called for batting the puck with a high stick, but the refs let it go.

· Now there is a scrum over on the far boards. The Canadian players are leaning over the boards and seemingly are taking on the Soviet Militia. In reality, they are rescuing Team Canada official Alan Eagleson from the police. After the goal light didn’t go on for the last goal, Eagleson went on a rampage and attempted to get to the scorer’s table to demand that the goal be given. The police intercepted him and that’s when the players came to his rescue. Harry Sinden and other members of Team Canada’s staff escort Eagleson back to the Canadian bench. Eagleson is flipping off the crowd and the Soviet militia. That’s great Cold War stuff. By the way, do you think those players would have rescued Eagleson if they knew then what they know now?

· It just occurred to me that I haven’t seen Valery Kharlamov since the second period.

· The Soviets are getting shooting opportunities in this period, but they are consistently missing the net.

· Three minutes to go in the game and Vladislav Tretiak comes out of his net to stop Gary Bergman. Nice play from Tretiak. One of the criticisms of Tretiak prior to the series was that he stayed deep in his net, but I’ve noticed several instances where he has come out and challenged shooters successfully.

· Under two minutes to go and now Dryden is forced to make an important save.

· Foster Hewitt says that this is one of the best games he has ever seen. I think Hewitt is jumping on the hyperbole bandwagon with that comment. The play in this period has been tough to watch, but the level of drama is certainly very high.

· There’s a face-off in the Canadian zone and Esposito gets his mates into a huddle. You rarely see that from North American hockey players. That’s just another demonstration of how good a leader Phil Esposito was for his team – great stuff.

· One minute to go and there’s no flow at all to this period.

· And there it is! Paul Henderson has just scored the most famous goal in Canadian hockey history with 34 seconds remaining in the period to give Canada a 6-5 lead. Henderson is mobbed by all of his teammates including Ken Dryden who skated the length of the ice to get to him. The replay of the goal shows that Phil Esposito’s effort to get the puck on goal is the key. Tretiak gives up a rebound, and Henderson is unmarked in front and scores the decider.

· It’s all over now – hugs everywhere for the Canadians! They’ve won the series by taking three out of four games in Moscow. I don’t think many people would have predicted that this team would be able to accomplish that after the performance in Game 4 in Vancouver.

· The stars of the game for Canada as voted for by the press (I think) are Brad Park and Paul Henderson. It’s hard to believe that Esposito wasn’t one of the stars chosen.

Concluding Thoughts

Team Canada’s best players for the series – Phil Esposito, Tony Esposito, Paul Henderson, 3,000 Canadian fans who made the trip to Moscow

Soviet Union’s best players for the series – Valery Kharlamov, Vladislav Tretiak, Alexander Yakushev, Boris Mikhailov

Watching these games in 2006, it’s hard to appreciate the political tension that existed in 1972 between the West and the Soviet Union, and why this series was so important on multiple levels. Not only was it seen as a showdown of two very different ways of life, but also it was the first clash of the 2 hockey societies at the highest level. The Canadians felt that they absolutely had to win this series or else it would have been a massive embarrassment. After the clash in ’72, the hockey styles of the 2 countries would never be the same and that was, and has been, a good thing.

Were these the greatest hockey games ever played? From a pure hockey standpoint, I would have to say no, but the various sub-plots of the Series raised the tension and drama to heights that hockey fans will probably never experience again. For Canadians, Paul Henderson’s goal was one of those rare “where were you when?” moments in history. It was that important and because of that, it isn’t surprising that this team was voted Team of the Century in Canada.

As a follow up to this series, I am going to blog the 1987 Canada Cup finals between the Soviet Union and Canada. Many may disagree, but in my opinion, those 3 games represent the best hockey games ever played. Thanks for checking in and any feedback that you have would be appreciated.