It was 40 years ago...

[Cornuck]

when the Ruskies invaded Canada. We beat them back and defeated them in Moscow. It was war on ice and the whole country watched.

I know that a LOT of this board was around back then, what are you memories from this series?

I was 12, and even though my memory banks were mostly erased in the 80s, some memories remain. Back then I was a huge Tony Esposito fan, and was disgusted that they put that damned Canadien in net - no wonder we lost the first game! I remember the other Esposito making a big speech after the Vancouver game - damn right! Booing Canada's team?? I sure as wouldn't have if I was there!

Even my parents watched - and never watched hockey.

If only we had Bobby Orr...

[Fred]

Final Game

The part I recall was i was working ( new job sort of still tentative) I looked around and the place was almost empty. So the heck with it. I lived in the West end and started to walk back to the apartment, but you could hear the roars coming from all the apartments. My walk went into a jog and then as the noise increased a flat out sprint up Thurlow and along Berclay. It was deafening and I was in the panic mode by the time I reached the apartment thinking I might miss "the goal" I didn't

[rats19]

as horrible as "booing" of our team was...It was decided that this was the turnaround point for our out of shape not taking it serious canadian hockey team..Boo Birds succeeded in this situation

[Fred]

as horrible as "booing" of our team was...It was decided that this was the turnaround point for our out of shape not taking it serious canadian hockey team..Boo Birds succeeded in this situation

In that Vcr game I recall the Cdn defense were so mortified by the Russian attack they were positioning themslevs out side the blue line when Cnada had it in the Russian Zone.

[rats19]

as horrible as "booing" of our team was...It was decided that this was the turnaround point for our out of shape not taking it serious canadian hockey team..Boo Birds succeeded in this situation

In that Vcr game I recall the Cdn defense were so mortified by the Russian attack they were positioning themslevs out side the blue line when Cnada had it in the Russian Zone.

mortified and unable to catch them..(out of shape) because this did change

[Cornuck]

as horrible as "booing" of our team was...It was decided that this was the turnaround point for our out of shape not taking it serious canadian hockey team..Boo Birds succeeded in this situation

True - but I'm looking for memories here. Was Rats around back then?

[Topper]

We got to watch the games in the school gymnasium. I've since bought the dvd collection and re watched a couple of times. For the most part, slow clutch and grab hockey by todays standards.

Zach's dad with the two hander towards Kompalla in Game 8 is still my favourite memory.

I have the newspaper clipping of Henderson's series winning goal and booklet of the Soviet team. For years afterwards the team posters occupied wall space in my room.

[Fred]

as horrible as "booing" of our team was...It was decided that this was the turnaround point for our out of shape not taking it serious canadian hockey team..Boo Birds succeeded in this situation

In that Vcr game I recall the Cdn defense were so mortified by the Russian attack they were positioning themslevs out side the blue line when Cnada had it in the Russian Zone.

mortified and unable to catch them..(out of shape) because this did change

I attended a coaching work shop at UBC and the speaker was the old fat coach that used to coach the USSR team from the front of the bench ( he was over for a hip replacement at the invitation ofthe Canucks ) he showed work out's using the Burnaby Blue Hawks ( I bleive) on off ice conditioning that shocked many. Tom Watt was also a speakers at the workshop.

[rats19]

as horrible as "booing" of our team was...It was decided that this was the turnaround point for our out of shape not taking it serious canadian hockey team..Boo Birds succeeded in this situation

True - but I'm looking for memories here. Was Rats around back then?

oh yah rats was around...but the funny thing is I cannot remember very much..I remember my dad yelling fuck you to the russians while we played in russia. I remember the big couple of goals and eventually winning.. but in 72 i was in grade 9 i guess.. and chics turned cute....and had stuff...so i think i may have been distracted somewhat, i recall more of the games in russia than the ones here.

I do remember a sense of pride and also a sense of 'holy shit" we better watch ourselves from now on the world is catching up...

[Strangelove]

I was just a kid at the time. I was surprised the fans in Vancouver booed the hell outta Team Canada, but then not really. Surprised: Because as horrid as your Vancouver Canucks were for their first two years, one heard nary a boo outta the crowd during Nuck games. Not surprised: Because I attended almost all the BC Lions games in those days when major booing was the norm. See in '71 fans at Empire Stadium would boo Paul Brothers RIGHT OFF THE FIELD and cheer when he was replaced by Don Moorhead. And then vice-versa in other games. They were frustrated, the Lions had been stinking for years. When the Summit Series was happening in '72 the CFL season was half done, the Lions were something like 1-7, and the Boo Birds were howling at old Empire. Not surprised: Because my dear ole dad (lord of the Boo Birds) (RIP) was in attendance for Summit Series Game 4.

I used to get seriously pissed off at the Boo Birds at BC Lions games, especially at Pops. But when he got enough Crown Royal in him (every single game) (micky in his boot) he wasn't gonna listen to anyone, ESPECIALLY not some punk ass kid.

I was shocked at first when Vancouver fans...

BOOED TEAM CANADA IN THE WARMUP AND THEN PROCEEDED TO CHEER ON THE RUSSKIES!!

I mean FFS the series was tied 1-1-1 going into that game!

Thing was, Canadian fans expected Team Canada to win every single game (coach Sinden: “Anything less than an unblemished sweep of the Russians would bring shame down on the heads of the players and the national pride."). Thing was, folks didn’t understand that this was September and NHLers had been lying around drinking beer and eating potato chips for 6 months... and those damned Russkies skated almost year-round. Thing was, that Soviet team had been playing together for years - they didn’t need time to gel like our heroes.

Thing was, those bastards were liable to nuke our great nation any fucking day!

That last sentence can’t be emphasized enough, that’s EXACTLY how folks felt.

As Corny said in the OP, this was WAR, toe to toe with the commies.

The US had their Space Race and we had the Summit Series.

It was Democracy versus Communism.

In a democracy when an opposing player spears you, you offer to drop the gloves and he accepts.

Apparently in Communism, the gutless puke just skates away.

Make no mistake, the Soviets were kicking, slashing, spearing their dirty little asses off!

The Canadians were forced to change their game because the Russians were getting away with murder. It became dirty deed for dirty deed (although the Canadians didn’t resort to kicking). It’s amazing how revisionists paint a picture of Team Canada being the dirty team. Seriously folks it was just the opposite! Valeri Kharlamov was a great hockey player, but he was also one of the dirtiest players to ever lace em up. Bobby Clarke was considered a Canadian hero for decades after “The Slash”. Hell, say the phrase “The Slash” for decades after the Summit Series and no hardcore hockey fan even knew what the hell you were talking about! Revisionism.

In actuality “The Slash” was just one of literally hundreds of cheap shots, the worst of which perpetrated by players for the Evil Empire. The fact of the matter is Kharlamov’s ankle had been bothering him for months before the Series. He had hurt it at some previous tourney, I used to know where that was but it escapes me right now. Anyway he was missing plenty of games BEFORE the Summit Series. He finished Game 6 after “The Slash”, skipped Game 7, but was back for Game 8 (broke his ankle MY ASS!). 23-year-old Clarkie was retaliating as had become the norm in the Series. The refs were missing calls all over the ice (hey they even missed “The Slash”).

Anyway... they brought a half-dozen TVs to school so’s we could all watch the games played in Russia, THAT’S how huge this was to Canadians. “Da, da, Canada!! Nyet, nyet, Soviet!!”.

Magic.

And I think Dad did the right thing, the booing woke Team Canada up.

Twas booing killed the beast.

[Cornuck]

40 years ago today - game 4.

[Strangelove]

40 years ago today - game 4.

Paul Henderson: WOT a pussy!

Not to mention a revisionist...

So Paul, the players never saw nor heard Phil's whining, but "Oh what a leader, if only we had heard that!"

Yes but you DIDN'T hear it so guess wot: NOT A FACTOR!

It wasn't the 16,000 boo birds that woke the team up eh Paul??

Nah, it was the 3000 cheering Canadians in Russia??!!

Fuckin Henderson had only good things to say about Bobby Clarke until 30 years after the Summit Series.

At which point he got onboard the Revisionism Bandwagon and stabbed his good buddy in the back.

I wish he'd never scored that goal, Clarkie would've scored eventually

.... and no one would give a shit about what Pussy Henderson ever had to say.

Yup, folks such as Henderson give us Christians a bad name.

[Strangelove]

http://www.canada.com/Canada+1972+hockey+triumph+played+role+ending+Cold+Harper+says/7214677/story.html

Canada’s 1972 hockey triumph played role in ending Cold War, Harper says

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia — In its own way, Canada’s come-from-behind triumph over the Soviet hockey team in 1972 played a role in the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of communism across eastern Europe.

Hmmm so if one buys the theory that the booing in Vancouver woke Team Canada up, spurring them on to victory.... and one buys Harper's theory above.... one could reach the conclusion that my dear ole dad (RIP) (King of the Boo Birds) brought down eastern European communism.

[Cornuck]

That would also mean that you believe everything that Harper says.

[Strangelove]

That would also mean that you believe everything that Harper says.

Nah could just go with wot Fred always says, even a broken clock is right twice a day.