People took the day off work on September 28, 1972 to watch Canada play the Soviet Union. In the game's last seconds, their hero Paul Henderson scored an epoch-making goal. But the hockey series was more than just that final game. The fast and skilled Soviets surprisingly showed up Team Canada in eight gruelling games that changed Canadian hockey forever. It became faster, better. And the drama began in game one when Team Canada skated onto the ice self-admiring and mighty, only to be knocked down hard, 7-3, by the Soviet Union.
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History > 1972 Summit Series
Added: Mon Sep 25 2006 Hits: 17
The final hockey game takes place in Moscow so most Canadians catch it on television. Some watch at local pubs. Children listen with squeals in school gymnasiums. Foster Hewitt's play-by-play echoes from a ballet studio's TV set as girls practice at the bar. The series is in the eighth game and we're down to the wire. Team Canada matches the Soviet Union goal for goal in the first period but they fall to a 5-3 deficit by the second. Then, Phil Esposito scores for Canada! Yvan Cournoyer follows up with another goal.
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Added: Mon Sep 25 2006 Hits: 14
Evelyn Henderson, the mother of 29-year-old scoring hero Paul, watched the final hockey game between Team Canada and the Soviet Union from her home in Lucknow, Ont. "When Paul scored that goal it was like an atom bomb going off," she says. And to celebrate her son's victory, she sits down with a cup of tea. Her son, speaking from Moscow, has celebratory plans of his own. "It's got to be the biggest thrill of my life. I just can't believe it," he says in a quick, excited voice. "It'll be a long time getting to sleep tonight."
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Added: Mon Sep 25 2006 Hits: 17
Even though home-team fans booed Phil Esposito and his crew off the ice after game 4, there are still the loyal Canadians who travel to Moscow for the away games. With two days to game 5, Canadian hockey fans arrive onto Moscow's landing strip via an Air Canada jet. They carry their luggage and they have "Beat Russia!" buttons pinned to their lapels. One Canadian hopes for the best but doesn't want the series to end too quickly, "I'd like them to win three and break even."
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Added: Mon Sep 25 2006 Hits: 13
Phil Esposito pops one into the net 30 seconds after faceoff in game 1 at the Montreal Forum. The Soviets are up against professionals tonight, the best hockey players in the world. But halfway into the first period the Soviets stun the Canadians with relentless skating, precisely-planned offence and shooting that nearly slices the goalposts. The Soviet secret: hard work. They practice year-round, unlike the Canadians who reported to training camp just one month prior to the series.
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Added: Mon Sep 25 2006 Hits: 14
Phil Esposito skates onto the ice and bows with a huge grin for the Soviets. He quickly becomes a crowd pleaser in this first away game at Moscow's Luzhniki Ice Palace. The puck drops and Team Canada takes control. By the second period, they have the game's only two goals. Paul Henderson (left) raises the score to 3-0 but shortly after, he smashes into the boards and falls to the ice.
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