Before there was the 1980 Olympic “Miracle on Ice”, there was the 1972 Summit Series that pitted Canada vs. the Soviet Union. It was truly one of hockey’s biggest moments. Canada was a dominant force, with players like Bobby Clarke, Stan Mikita and Phil Esposito, among many others. Not to be outdone, the Soviet Machine was humming by ’72, lead by all-time great goaltender Vladislav Tretiak and long-time star Boris Mikhailov. It was an eight game series, set to take place in both Canada (first four games) and Moscow (second four games). The Canadians, though without stars like Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe, were expected to win handily.
As is universally true, real life is always a surprise.
The Soviets came out with a fast-paced scheme that put the Canadians on their heels, taking game one handily, 7-3. The USSR ended up winning two of the first four games and tied another, heading home to Moscow with a 2-1-1 series lead. When the Soviets erased a three goal lead in the third period of Game 5 to win 5-4, it looked as if all hope was lost for the Canadian squad.
Then the series took a bizarre turn. And of course the culprit was: beer.
As the story goes, the Canadian team became incensed because a shipment of beer and beef was apparently pilfered by the Soviet black market, and was sold to the locals. A word to the wise, never stand between a Canadian and their Molson. Funny as it may have been, this was very much a shift in the series.
From Game six on, the Canadians changed their strategy to a more wide open offense that focused on keeping the pressure on the Soviets by retaining the puck in the Soviet zone. Games 6 and 7 went to Canada, by scores of 3-2 and 4-3. The goalie tandem of Ken Dryden and Tony Esposito played two of the best games of the series. In a harbinger of what was to come, Paul Henderson scored the game-winning goal in the third period for Canada in Game 7.
The eighth and deciding game, September 28, 1972 would go down in hockey history, and would become a part of Canadian lore. It was an inauspicious beginning for the Canuck squad. Since coming to Moscow, they questioned the officiating, and it reached a boiling point in the first period. J.P. Parise (father of Zach Parise), after getting a misconduct penalty, charged after a referee, stick held high, presumably poised to send the official into stupefaction.
Once the dust settled, at the end of the second period the USSR led 5-3, and was looking to put the final nail in the coffin. The Canadians had other plans. Tony Esposito scored just over 2 minutes into the period, and later the game was tied on a goal by Roadrunner Cournoyer. 5-5. 7 minutes left.
The clock continued to dwindle. With less than a minute left, Paul Henderson jumped onto the ice, crashing the net. The rest was history:
Henderson’s goal did more than win the series. It became a key moment in the history of modern hockey. It helped pave the way for Russian players to make their way across the ocean in the post-Cold War era, ushering in the new NHL.
Photo Credits: Sports Illustrated
