Canada versus Russia

Most Canadians of a certain age can tell you where they were on the day in 1972 when they heard the call that Paul Henderson had scored the goal that gave the Canadian national hockey team a victory over the Soviet Union in the landmark Summit Series. The rivalry born of that series continues to be played out on the rinks at the Olympics, world championships, and junior championships (albeit with jerseys that say Russia, not CCCP or USSR), but it dates from this pivotal moment when the best players (save Bobbies Hull and Orr, who couldn’t play) from the world’s two foremost hockey-playing countries met for the first time. Never before had Canadian professional players from the National Hockey League taken the ice against the powerful Soviet team that was amateur in name only. Team Canada thought they would easily roll over the Soviets, but the Red Machine took a 3–1–1 lead in the series, and only by winning the final three games in Moscow were the Canadians able to triumph (4–3–1). Oh, Canada!