Edmonton Oilers Heritage Website

Each hockey-playing nation has a defining moment in its history. For the Americans, it is the "Miracle on Ice," when a group of lowly regarded amateurs upset the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics. For the Czechs, it was beating Canada and Russia on their way to Olympic gold in 1998.

Canadians have many great international hockey moments to choose from, including classic Canada Cups, Olympic wins, World Junior triumphs and legendary Canadian National Hockey League franchises. However, the greatest single moment in our nation’s hockey history occurred not in Canada but in Moscow. In late September of 1972, Paul Henderson banged a rebound past Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, breaking a 5-5 tie and giving the Canadian national team victory in the eight-game Summit Series. The victory occurred despite the Canadian team winning only once and tying another in the first four games held in Canada.

After a 5-3 loss in Vancouver, the fans of the increasingly frustrated Canadian team mercilessly booed Team Canada off the the ice. Phil Esposito was enraged. In an impassioned nationally televised speech to his countryman, he criticized the booing fans for their behaviour and lack of support. "If the Russians boo their players like some of their Canadian fans—not all, just some—then I’ll come back and apologize," said Esposito. With an air of disappointment, the team was prepared to leave Canada and play in the Soviet Union.

The Canadians roared back in Moscow, evening the series at 3-3-1, and setting the stage for an all-or-nothing Game 8. Up 5-3 in the third, the Soviets were already celebrating victory. But goals by Phil Esposito, and Yvan Cournoyer tied the game. This set the stage for Henderson’s winner in the dying seconds of the deciding game, and Foster Hewitt’s legendary call of "Henderson has scored for Canada!"

Politics played a huge role in the legendary Summit Series, and not just the black-and-white issue of Capitalism vs. Communism. The Canadian team was not up of the best players from the country, for the composition of the team only included NHL players. Those who had already declared their intent to move to the rival World Hockey Association (WHA) were not welcome on Team Canada. Two players denied a roster spot included scoring legend Bobby Hull and goaltending hero Gerry Cheevers, both already committed to the new WHA.

A deepening feud developed between the WHL and NHL over the Summit Series. Bill Hunter, investor and front-person of the new WHA, claimed that NHL players’ representative Alan Eagleson, who was instrumental in organizing the Summit Series, acted to upstage WHA plans to have the Soviets play its all-stars.

In 1971, Hunter traveled to Moscow to meet with Soviet hockey officials, breaking the ice on what had been a very cool relationship between the two nations. Canada had long protested that the Soviets, as well as Czechoslovakia, were allowing their veteran professionals to masquerade as amateurs in international events. Canada would eventually boycott the 1972 and 1976 Olympic competitions in protest, and from 1970-1977 Canada refused to send a team to the World Championships. Hunter pitched a new idea, that instead of facing Canadian amateurs, the Soviets would face Canadian pros. He had sold International Ice Hockey Federation president Gunther Sabetzki on the idea, and a tentative 1974 series date was set, allowing the World Hockey Association two years to establish itself before taking on such a contest.