Many hockey fans in Canada have been debating and discussing, where Sidney Crosby’s overtime and gold medal winning goal ranks, in Canadian sports history and specifically,Canadian hockey history. Having been around for a while, and having watched the entire Summit Series as a 17 year old, I can tell you without hesitation, that this gold medal win, as much as it excited the country, and shattered TV viewing records in Canada and the United States,that the Team Canada win in Vancouver during the Winter Games, can’t hold a candle, to the Summit Series, in any way, shape or form, for many reasons.
The NHL players competing in Vancouver all know each other, some play on the same teams, and many are friends off the ice. The Canadian and Soviet players from 1972 did not know each other, and not only were they not friends,in fact, as the series unfolded, the on- ice activity became quite hostile. The Canadian players were dealing with some very difficult circumstances. As the 4 games in Canada concluded, things were looking bad for Team Canada. They had only played really well in one game, that being their 4-1 win in game 2, at Maple Leafs Gardens. They were embarrassed in game one at Montreal by a 7-3 margin. After the win in Toronto, the teams played a 4-4 draw in Winnipeg. The Canadian side finished up their home schedule in rough shape, losing in Vancouver 5-3, and getting booed off the ice by the fans at the games conclusion. CTV’s Johnny Esaw, interviewed Phil Esposito after the game, and he gave a very inspiring and angry response, letting the Vancouver fans know that their negative reaction was not deserved. Some thought his speech rallied the team to pull together, as they got set to begin 4 games in Moscow.
The superb nature of the Canadian win in this 8 game series,is highlighted by the fact that Team Canada lost the first of the 4 games in Moscow, so with 3 games remaining in the series, Canada trailed their bitter rivals by 3 games to 1. Never again would their be a series of this caliber, where Team Canada would be left as major underdogs at any point in a confrontation with the U.S.S.R. Then the miracle happened, with Paul Henderson scoring the game winning goals in matches 6,7,and 8. The game 7 last goal, was scored at 17:54 of the third period, and then in the series finale, Henderson’s game winner clinched the series victory at 19:26 of the third period. To come back and prevail in the series in Moscow, with the Canadian hotel rooms being bugged, and with their phones ringing in the middle of the night, seemed like an absolute impossibility. Somehow, against a tough and talented foe, the Canadians found the strength and character to execute an incredibly dramatic win, right in their hated rivals backyard.
Another major difference between the 1972 Summit Series, and the Winter Games win in Vancouver, was the level of talent, of the respective opponents of the Team Canada squads. Team USA in Vancouver was an underdog team from the beginning of the Winter Games, with one exceptional world class player, in goalie and tournament MVP, Ryan Miller. The 1972 USSR Team, had a roster with some of the best Russian players, who had ever played the game. They included NHL Hall Of Fame and IIHF Hall of Fame goalkeeper Vladislav Tretiak, right winger Boris Mikhailov, whose USSR League 427 career goals remains unbeaten for more than 20 years. Also included on the Soviet side, were left winger Valery Kharlamov,a legend of Russian hockey, and a member of the I.I.H.F. Hall Of Fame,since 1998. Canada’s Bobby Clarke deliberately broke Kharlamov ankle, on orders from the Team Canada coaching staff, as an act of retaliation for what the Canadian side claimed, were the use of sticks and skates in a violent way by the U.S.S.R. Kharlamov was quoted on a Summit Series website about the former Flyers actions. “I am convinced that Bobby Clarke was given the job of taking me out of the game. Sometimes, I thought it was his only goal. I looked into his eyes, saw his stick which wielded like a sword and didn’t understand what he was doing. It had nothing to do with hockey.” Bobby Clarke, on the same subject commented that…..” I remember John Ferguson giving the pep talk between the first and second period. He kept repeating that someone had to take care of Kharlamov. I looked around the room, and realized he was talking to me. “
Another key component of the 1972 Soviet Union team, was their leader in total points in the 8 game series, left winger, Alexander Yakushev. “Big Yak” finished the Summit Series with 11 points, two less than Phil Esposito, and one more than Canadian hero Paul Henderson. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall Of Fame in 2002.
This tournament took place at the height of the “Cold War” and it was also tacitly considered a clash between Communism and Democracy. The battle of stars, of political platforms, added to a Canadian team that had been given up on, by many in their home country, along with the miraculous late game heroics of Paul Henderson, made this series, one that could never be paralleled or surpassed, at any point in time.