Summit Series 1972
The 1972 Summit Series was the first competition between professional Soviet and Canadian ice hockey players (at the time, the Olympics allowed only amateur players to compete and the amateur status of Soviet players was a constant issue). The series went over eight games, including four in Canada (venues: Montreal , Toronto , Winnipeg and Vancouver ) and four games in the Soviet Union (all in Moscow ).
course
In the first game, on September 2, 1972 in Montreal, Phil Esposito scored the first goal for Canada 30 seconds after the start of the game, after six minutes Canada led 2-0. But the Soviets came back into play. After the first period the score was 2-2, in the second period Valery Kharlamov scored two goals and the Soviet Union led 4-2. Bobby Clarke scored the next goal for Canada, but the Soviets scored three more goals and won 7-3. This defeat, especially at height, had surprised the Canadian public. The level of ice hockey in Europe and also in the Soviet Union, i.e. outside the National Hockey League , had been underestimated by the North Americans.
Canada won the second game 4-1 and in the third game it was enough for a 4-4 draw. Canada lost 3-5 in their fourth game and was booed for this performance by the 15,570 fans present. After a two-week break, the Canadian team went to the Soviet Union to play games five to eight. On September 22, Canada lost their fifth game in Moscow 4-5 and were two games behind.
Game number six was won 3-2 by the Canadians and was the most controversial of the series. In the second third, Bobby Clarke hit Valery Kharlamov's ankle with a stick to injure him. Although Kharlamov could continue to play, he had to sit out in the seventh game and was ineffective in the eighth game. Canada also won the seventh game, so game eight became the decisive game.
Before the eighth game, both teams had three wins, three losses and one draw. However, the Soviet Union had scored one more goal, so Canada had to win. On September 28th the time had come. After the first third it was 2-2, but after the second third the Soviet Union led 5-3. Phil Esposito and Yvan Cournoyer succeeded in connecting or equalizing in the third period. 34 seconds before the end of the game, Paul Henderson scored the winning goal for Canada. Canada had thus narrowly won the 1972 Summit Series in the final accounts.
Others
Bobby Orr , then one of the most important players in the Canadian squad, was nominated but was unable to participate due to a knee injury. The success of the Summit Series in 1972 was to contribute significantly to the development of the Canada Cup tournament. In the past, the importance of this event grew and the term "Summit Series" became an unofficial but widely accepted term.
The teams
Canadian national ice hockey team
Head Coach : Harry Sinden
Assistant Coach : John Ferguson
Soviet national ice hockey team
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Head coach : Vsevolod Bobrov
Assistant coach : Boris Kulagin ( Krylja Sowetow Moscow )
G = goalkeeper; D = defender; C = center; LW / RW = winger
See also
- Summit Series 1974
- Super Series 2007
- International Ice Hockey Federation
- National Hockey League
- World Cup of Hockey
- Ice Hockey World Championship