Stars of 1972 Summit Series promises stories and memories of victory over Soviets | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Mostly Cloudy  2.3°C

Stars of 1972 Summit Series promises stories and memories of victory over Soviets

Team Canada 1972 player Serge Savard speaks to reporters as former teammates Pat Stapleton, left to right, Yvan Cournoyer, Peter Mahovolich, Guy Lapointe and Phil Esposito look on at a news conference, in Montreal on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Members of the 1972 Team Canada will tour the country in September to talk about the historic 1972 hockey series against the Soviet Union. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Original Publication Date February 09, 2016 - 1:40 PM

MONTREAL - Canada's Summit Series champions are going back on the road — 44 years after their iconic victory.

It will be about memories, story-telling and lots of laughs this time instead of the bitter on-ice competition of the first best-on-best hockey series between Canada and the Soviet Union.

The team that pulled off a dramatic victory in 1972 will take part in four stage shows in the Canadian cities where games were played. Three of the four will be on the same dates as in 1972 — Sept. 2 in Montreal, Sept. 6 in Winnipeg and Sept. 8 in Vancouver.

Game 2 of the series was in Toronto on Sept. 4, 1972, but as that is Labour Day this year, the Toronto stop will be on Sept. 10 at the Sony Centre.

"Who would believe that 44 years later we're still talking about a series, but it was that impactful to all Canadians," said Team Canada defenceman Pat Stapleton.

The shows will feature highlights of the series on giant screens, with players on stage to tell stories about what went on both on and off the ice. The second hour of each show will have players answering questions and otherwise interacting with the public.

Eight members of Team Canada will attend each stop, although not always the same players.

The news conference to announce the tour on Tuesday drew Stapleton, Phil Esposito, Serge Savard, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Peter Mahovlich and Guy Lapointe. Bobby Clarke and coach Harry Sinden are among others who are to be involved.

They wore exact replicas of the 1972 jerseys, except for a patch honouring the five players and coaches who have died — John Ferguson, Gary Bergman, Bill Goldsworthy, Richard Martin and J.P. Parise.

In 1972, at the height of the Cold War, a heavily favoured team of Canadian NHL stars suffered a shock 7-3 defeat in the series opener in Montreal.

They won in Toronto, tied in Winnipeg and lost again in Vancouver before heading to Moscow. They lost Game 5 only to sweep the final three games to win the series. Paul Henderson's winner late in the final game sent Canada into a frenzy.

"Forty-four years later, there are still people who tell me where they were when we won the series," said Cournoyer, who assisted on Henderson's goal. "For me, it was like my Olympics.

"The only sweater I had ever worn was the Montreal Canadiens. When I put on the Team Canada sweater, then I understood what the Olympics were, to represent your country."

The idea for the tour arose two years ago when players took part in an on-stage session before 450 people in St. Catharines, Ont. Team members had formed themselves into a corporation five years ago.

Sinden suggested the banquet. The players found themselves telling yarns for more than three hours and thoroughly enjoying it. Dryden said he heard stories that night that he didn't know at the time because he was entirely focused on how to stop the Soviet sharpshooters like Alexander Yakushev, Valery Kharlamov and Boris Mikhailov.

The shows were put together by veteran television producer Pierre Marchand, who promises a different experience in each city.

"They're here not to play hockey but to relive the series and talk about what happened," said Marchand. "Just from hanging around with them, they have so many stories."

Esposito said he has been to Moscow several times in recent years and that interest there is just as high.

"The Russians have never, ever forgotten this series," he said. " They replay this series once every six months and the kids know about it."

Tickets go on sale Feb. 13.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016
The Canadian Press

  • Popular penticton News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile