how USSR hockey players beat Canada’s “invincible” national team

The debuts of hockey players of the USSR at the World Championship turned out to be triumphant. Our team took first place, showing a great game and beating the Canadian national team, which was considered invincible.

REQUIRED GUARANTEES

One can only guess how our hockey players would have performed at the 1953 World Cup. No one dared to guarantee management medals. In addition, the leader of the national team, Vsevolod Bobrov, due to an injury, was unable to help the team, which significantly reduced their chances of success.

Instead of the World Championship, the USSR national team played at the World Winter Universiade, taking first place. And in 1954, the sports bosses finally ventured to send the ice team to the championship of the planet, moreover, the Central Committee of the CPSU no longer needed guarantees.

MAXIMUM GOAL

The 1954 World Cup was hosted by Stockholm. Our team was led by Arkady Chernyshev and Vladimir Egorov, Vsevolod Bobrov became the captain. From the first games, Soviet hockey players showed that they were up to the highest tasks. In the first match, the Finnish national team were beaten – 7: 1.

Then went to the teams of Norway (7-0) and Germany (6: 2). Already familiar “friends” of Czechoslovakia put up stubborn resistance, but were defeated – 5: 2, like the Swiss (4: 2). We failed to beat the tournament hosts, the Swedes. The match took place in an open area of ​​the national stadium.

The ice melted due to the thaw, during the game it rained, turning into snow, this prevented the spectacle of the fast game, as a result – 1: 1. Before the final round, the hockey players of the USSR and of Sweden scored 11 points apiece, but our national team had a game with the Canadians, the main favorites, and the “trekrunur” finished its performance. Everyone was sure that the Soviet national team would lose to the founders of hockey. An additional match for the title of European champion would therefore take place. The Swedes were quick to announce ticket sales for the extra game. But it was not enough for Soviet hockey players to become European champions, they wanted to become the best in the world.

CONFIDENTIAL FAVORITES

The Lyndhurst Motors amateur team from the suburbs of Toronto played under the flag of the Canadian national team. This should not be underestimated, as there were only six clubs playing in the NHL at the time, and hundreds of top players were not professionals. In addition, participants in the 1954 World Cup included “recovered amateurs”, that is, hockey players with experience in the NHL – goaltender Don Lockhart, defenseman Tom Jamieson and forwards Eric Unger and Bill Schill.

The day before the game, a cartoon was printed in one of the Swedish newspapers in which a Canadian giant gives a lesson to a little Soviet hockey player who looks like Vsevolod Bobrov, sitting at a school desk. The rivals’ coaches also made no secret of their confidence in the victory, who assured reporters they would beat the Russians with a difference of at least four goals. Considering that the Canadians beat the Swedes 8-0 and the Finns won 20: 1, the threats seemed serious.

The Canadians played aggressively, if not brutally, not only using forceful techniques permitted by the rules, but also inflicting prohibited strikes. Judges often turned a blind eye to this. But our hockey players were not intimidated, with the fighting qualities of Soviet athletes, everything was in order.

THE RUSSIAN HOCKEY REVOLUTION

The deciding match took place on March 7.

It was a sensation that hit the hockey world. After the first half, the USSR national team led by 4-0 and brought the matter to victory – 7: 2, having won the titles of world and European champions. Our hockey players outperformed the formidable Canadians in speed, did not give in to them in technique and in the struggle for power, to everyone’s surprise, turned out to be very capable students.

Canadian national team captain Thomas Campbell said immediately after the game: “The Soviet athletes played brilliantly. We just didn’t imagine hockey could be played like this. We were amazed at the hard work of the Russians, their ability to play at an unusually fast pace. The Russian Revolution took place in hockey. As the West German newspaper Der Kurir writes: “Canada’s hockey kings have been dethroned.

In the homeland of hockey, the defeat has been painfully taken, the Ottawa Journal sounded the alarm: “Humiliation of the nation! National disaster! A member threatens the crisis in the House of Commons! And the Montreal Star admitted, “The Russian team gave nervous Canadians a lesson in stick handling, ice skating and precise puck control. The Russians learned in eight years all the techniques of the game, which were considered the monopoly of the Canadians. “

Vsevolod Bobrov called the team spirit the main reason for the victory: “Everyone gave themselves completely to the game. The victory in this championship has given back confidence to the hockey players of future generations, who hold the title of stronger for many years. “

REFERENCE

17 players became world champions in 1954. Ten of them played for CSK MO (now CSKA), four for Krylia Sovetov, three for Dynamo.

2 goalkeepers played for the USSR national team in the 1954 World Cup. Grigory Mkrtychan started the tournament, in the third game he was replaced by Nikolay Puchkov, who played until the end of the championship. Both conceded 5 goals.

The USSR national team scored 37 goals in seven matches. The most productive was Vsevolod Bobrov, who distinguished himself 8 times, Viktor Shuvalov has 7 goals, Alexey Guryshev – 5.

USSR national team captain Vsevolod Bobrov was recognized as the best striker at the 1954 World Cup, although he scored half as many goals as the tournament’s top sniper, the Canadian Maurice Galan (16 goals).