The Great One
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- Опубликовано: 2018-08-18
Two most popular sports in Russia are football and hockey. Well, in football, the Russian national team is even worse than the Three Lions. In hockey, though, it is a completely different picture.
Unlike football, Russians don’t suck in hockey. The golden epoch started in 1972 and lasted till 1991 when Canadian and Soviet teams were fighting each other to claim who is best in world hockey. I don’t mean the Olympic Games/World Championships of that time because the NHL players were not allowed to play there, so all the Soviet achievements didn’t really matter.
What I mean is the so-called Super Series between the NHL dream teams and the Soviet ‘Red Machine’. Probably the most legendary series – and the first one, before I was even born, was in 1972. There were four games in Canada and four games in Moscow. It was more than hockey, it was the ‘Cold War’ battle on ice. The very first game in Montreal was a shock to arrogant Canadians as they lost it 3-7. An ultimate debacle. All their arrogance towards Soviet ‘amateurs’ vanished that day. Finally, Team Canada managed to win the whole thing with 4 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw. This was the beginning of one of the most dramatic sporting encounters of the 20th century.
I entered this magic world in September 1981 when the USSR team won the Canada Cup, the most prestigious international hockey tournament, now known as the World Cup. We lost to Canadians 3-7 at the group stage but in the final the ‘Red Machine’ demolished Team Canada 8-1.
This was the first time when I, a six-year old then, got to know that rising Canadian superstar, Wayne Gretzky, number 99. He was twenty at the time.
In December 1983 I was watching the game on TV when Edmonton Oilers, his club, were hosting the USSR national team in another hockey series. Gretzky scored twice and the Oilers won 4-3. In the same year, I was watching bits and pieces of –what the Soviet TV sports news could afford to show – the Edmonton Oilers losing to great New York Islanders led by Mike Bossi in the Stanley Cup final.
Unlike football, Russians don’t suck in hockey. The golden epoch started in 1972 and lasted till 1991 when Canadian and Soviet teams were fighting each other to claim who is best in world hockey. I don’t mean the Olympic Games/World Championships of that time because the NHL players were not allowed to play there, so all the Soviet achievements didn’t really matter.
What I mean is the so-called Super Series between the NHL dream teams and the Soviet ‘Red Machine’. Probably the most legendary series – and the first one, before I was even born, was in 1972. There were four games in Canada and four games in Moscow. It was more than hockey, it was the ‘Cold War’ battle on ice. The very first game in Montreal was a shock to arrogant Canadians as they lost it 3-7. An ultimate debacle. All their arrogance towards Soviet ‘amateurs’ vanished that day. Finally, Team Canada managed to win the whole thing with 4 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw. This was the beginning of one of the most dramatic sporting encounters of the 20th century.
I entered this magic world in September 1981 when the USSR team won the Canada Cup, the most prestigious international hockey tournament, now known as the World Cup. We lost to Canadians 3-7 at the group stage but in the final the ‘Red Machine’ demolished Team Canada 8-1.
This was the first time when I, a six-year old then, got to know that rising Canadian superstar, Wayne Gretzky, number 99. He was twenty at the time.
In December 1983 I was watching the game on TV when Edmonton Oilers, his club, were hosting the USSR national team in another hockey series. Gretzky scored twice and the Oilers won 4-3. In the same year, I was watching bits and pieces of –what the Soviet TV sports news could afford to show – the Edmonton Oilers losing to great New York Islanders led by Mike Bossi in the Stanley Cup final.
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