Crushed the Canadiens, scoring 5 goals on 11 shots! The USSR’s last victory in the legendary Super Series
Moscow’s first match of the cult showdown began with the epic downfall of Esposito and ended with a comeback for Russian hockey players.
49 years ago, the Super Series between the national teams of the USSR and Canada toured the world loudly – the first ever clash between two great hockey powers. During the first half of September, the games took place in four Canadian cities: Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The Soviet national team lost in these matches only once (1: 4 in match 2), one of the matches ended in a draw (4: 4), and the Russians also had two victories, including the legendary Canadian in tear. the very first game, which took place in Montreal “Forum”.
After the Canadian portion of the Super Series, the two teams had about two weeks to rest and move halfway around the world – to Moscow. For the first time, the players of the “Maple Leaf” team entered the capital of the communist world, and their emotions and feelings from this visit finally became a separate chapter of the cult showdown.
“Third World countries”. Moscow through the eyes of Canadian hockey players in the 1972 Super Series
The Canadian national team arrived in Moscow on the evening of September 20 and has already made it to the ice at the Luzhniki Sports Palace on the 22nd for the fifth game of the Super Series. About 3,000 Canadian fans arrived in Moscow, who stood out vividly against the background of Soviet spectators, and representatives of the ruling elite of the USSR, led by the Secretary General, watched the match from the VIP box. of the stadium. Leonid Brezhnev.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Even before the whistle for departure, there was a famous embarrassment. Before the first meeting in Luzhniki, the Canadians received flowers. Phil Exposito received her bouquet from a little Russian girl. And when a performance was performed under the arcades of the Palais des Sports: “Number 7, Phil Esposito”, he tried to go to the center of the site and wave a bouquet to the audience. However, several flowers from the bouquet fell under his skates, he tripped and ended up on the fifth point. With such an epic fall, Moscow’s first match of the cult showdown began.
“I got up and bowed to the Russian audience, but they started to laugh. Then I looked around and saw Brezhnev on the podium. I looked him straight in the eye, and when I saw him looking at me, I gave him a kiss, ”recalls the legendary Canadian.
Until the third period, the USSR national team did not play well. Canada opened an account at the end of the first segment (distinguished Jean-Paul Parise), then, thanks to pucks from Clark and Henderson, the score was 3-0 in favor of the “maple leaves”. The Canadians have yet to enjoy such an advantage in games of this Super Series, and going into the last period they were beaming with self-confidence.
“No, it won’t be difficult for us to keep our head. Now the usual adrenaline has started to kick in on us: you don’t get tired when three thousand fans are cheering you on like crazy, ”said the goalkeeper. Ken dryden (he remained in reserve for this game) in an interview on Canadian television during the second half.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Even before the game, however, Soviet coach Kulagin argued that the Canadian pros weren’t enough for all three periods. And, in the end, our specialist’s analysis turned out to be more accurate than Dryden’s bravado – in the last twenty minutes, Soviet hockey players simply crushed Canada, and Dryden’s colleague Tony Esposito , managed to miss 5 goals on 11 shots!
A comeback started with a goal Yuri Blinov at the 4th minute of the period. And although Henderson quickly scored a brace and re-established the lead, the USSR national team, which felt renewed strength, could no longer be stopped. In the 50th minute of the game, Anisin and Shadrin scored twice in eight seconds, and soon the defender Alexander Gusev makes the score 4: 4!
As a result, the Canadians did not even have the strength to hold on to the draw. In the 55th minute, Vikulov, having won a beautiful single fight in the corner of a foreign zone, found himself head to head with Esposito and calmly dominated the goalkeeper. 5: 4 – the third victory of the USSR national team in the Super Series, which in fact guaranteed the final victory for the Russians. The realization of this fact has upset the Canadian coach so much. Harry sindenthat he did not show up at the post-match press conference.
Photo: RIA Novosti
The Soviet national team in the three remaining games on their ice had just one point left to secure victory in the Super Series. But … The pupils of Bobrov and Kulagin could not solve this problem which seemed so simple, and lost three fights, all with a difference of one goal. And this match, which took place on September 22, 1972, has gone down in history as the date of the last victory of the USSR national team in the legendary confrontation with the founders of hockey.
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