1972 Summit Series (hockey)

The 1972 Summit Series was an eight-game ice hockey tournament. It took place in September of that year and was the first time National Hockey League players from North America were pitted against players from the Soviet Union. With the Cold War at its height, the series evoked a great deal of patriotism and was infused with ideological meaning beyond what would be expected from a sporting event. Although Team Canada was generally expected to win handily, the competition was far more intense than anticipated. The tournament play was split between the two countries, with Team Canada being forced to play on Soviet ice but winning three games and ultimately the hard-fought tournament. The victory spawned great national pride in Canada. It also changed how hockey is played in North America as many teams adopted Soviet-style conditioning and training methods.

Background

The idea for a tournament between Canadian players from the National Hockey League (NHL) and the professional team of all-stars from the Soviet Union came about at a time when the world was engaged in what is known as a Cold War. From the end of World War II in 1945 to 1990, most Western countries were involved in a non-violent conflict with the Soviet Union and the countries under its control. This Cold War involved propaganda and threats but no actual fighting. Although the greatest hostilities were principally between the United States and the Soviet Union, other countries aligned with these two superpowers were also affected.

At the time it was played, the tournament was referred to as the Super Series, or simply the Canada-USSR Series. Later, the political term "summit," meaning a direct, in-person negotiation between representatives of two or more governments, was applied to the series. In the midst of cold political interactions, some hoped that international sporting events might be a way to bring the countries together.

A 1971 Ping-Pong tournament between the United States in China was one such event. Also in 1971, Canadian and Soviet officials began discussing the possibility of the nine-time international champion Soviet hockey team finally facing off against the Canadians. The Soviets had dominated international competition, but at the time, the rules of these competitions prohibited professional players—such as those in the NHL—from competing in the Olympics and other international tournaments.

The Soviet team was sponsored by the government. Its players were paid to play hockey but in a manner that allowed them to qualify to play in international competition. As a result, they had never played against professional players from North America. Both sides agreed it was time to see how the Soviets matched up against the best players from Canada, home of most of the best North American players, and a month-long, eight-game series was planned for September 1972.

The first four games were scheduled to be played in Canada, and the final four would be played in the Soviet Union. After a series of negotiations, the two sides agreed to follow international rules. They also agreed to use amateur international officials for the Canadian games and European officials for the games in the Soviet Union. The first game was set for September 2 in Montreal. After three more games on September 4 (Toronto), September 6 (Winnipeg) and September 8 (Vancouver), the teams had a two-week break. The Soviet games were scheduled for September 22, 24, 26, and 28, all in Moscow.

Overview

Before the series began, it was generally thought that the Canadians, long considered the best in the world at the game, would easily win. However, in the opening game, the Soviets came back from an early 2-0 Canadian lead and won 7-3. The humiliated Canadians fought back in the second game and won 4-1. The third game ended in a 4-4 tie. The fourth game was considered an ugly and poorly played game by Canadian hockey devotees. When it ended with a 5-3 score favoring the visiting Soviets, Team Canada was booed off the ice.

Despite their expressed displeasure with the team's performance, more than three thousand Canadians made the trip to Moscow for the remainder of the series. Game five was hard-played but in the end the Soviets prevailed with a score of 5-4. This meant that if the Canadians were to win the series and any bragging rights, the team had to win the remaining three games.

By game six, the Canadians began adapting to the Soviet style of play. They dropped the traditional North American style of shooting the puck into the offensive zone and then going after it—known as dump and chase hockey—in favor of maintaining control of the puck when entering the scoring zone. The game ended with a 5-4 Canadian victory. Two nights later, the Canadians played an extremely physical game that earned them criticism for dirty play but also resulted in a 3-2 win for Team Canada. During the game, Canadian Bobby Clarke was penalized for a hard two-handed slash against Soviet Valeri Kharlamov that was said to break Kharlamov's ankle.

With the series now at 3-2-1 in favor of the Soviets, play continued to be intense. Team Canada won game seven 4-3, setting up a showdown for game eight. The battling began before the game in a dispute over the referees who were set to officiate. The officiating continued to be an issue after Canadian J. P. Parise was given a penalty for complaining about penalties given to his teammates. He reacted by nearly swinging his stick at one of the officials, and Canadian coach Harry Sinden threw a chair on the ice in anger. Team Canada fell behind but eventually tied the game. With just 34 seconds left to play, Paul Henderson recovered his own rebound to score the winning goal.

The come-from-behind series victory was a source of intense pride for Canada even though there was no official prize for winning beyond bragging rights. In a study by the Dominion Group, Canadians voted the game-eight winning goal as the fifth greatest event in Canadian history. The series also changed how North American players trained and prepared for games as they adopted the Soviets' more intense drills and practice schedule. The Summit Series also paved the way for other international hockey events as well as a number of reunion events for the 1972 players. The series has also been the subject of several video productions and a commemorative coin.

Bibliography

1972 Summit Series.com, http://www.1972summitseries.com/articles.html. Accessed 10 Feb.2017.

Kreiser, John. "Summit Series Shaped Modern Hockey." NHL.com, 1 Sept. 2012, https://www.nhl.com/news/1972-summit-series-shaped-modern-hockey/c-640724. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.

Macskimming, Roy. "Hockey Put Canada's Cold War Perceptions on Ice." Globe and Mail, 11 Sept. 2012, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/hockey-put-canadas-cold-war-perceptions-on-ice/article4510769/?arc404=true. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.

"Ping-Pong Diplomacy (April 6-17, 1971)." Public Broadcasting Service, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/china/peopleevents/pande07.html. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.

Sportak, Randy. "Summit Series Still Resonates with Canadians." Toronto Sun, 2 Sept. 2012, http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/02/summit-series-still-resonates-with-canadians. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.

Struth, Matthew. "When the Cold War Became Hot—The Summit Series between the USSR and Canada." History Is Now, 26 Feb. 2014, http://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2014/2/26/when-the-cold-war-became-hot-the-summit-series-between-the-ussr-and-canada#d=Fri+Feb+10+2017+10%3A48%3A16+GMT-0500+(EST)&g=0&.WJ3gv8s8Kf0=. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.

"Where It All Began: Revisiting the 1972 Summit Series." Hockey Canada, 10 Aug. 2012, https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/2012-crc-004-en. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.