In September 1972, the wisdom of ice hockey was challenged. The Soviet National team arrived in Canada to play the first four of an eight-game series against the best Canadian ice hockey players of the day. The Red Army team had long dominated international ice hockey, regularly collecting gold medals at the Olympics and World Championships, with few exceptions. The professional stars of the NHL had not faced the Soviet team in these amateur tournaments. So leading up to the highly anticipated series, the Canadians expected to dominate the Soviets four times at home, and in four games in Moscow.
Ice hockey has a long history in Canada and the northern United States, stretching back to the late 19th century. Professional leagues had been formed in the first decades of the 20th century, and fans of the National Hockey League (which came to be through the merging and reorganization of several leagues before WWII) have long enjoyed following the exciting competition. So, as was typical of the Soviet experience, Russian hockey began with a large competitive disadvantage but quickly made up for lost time.
The North American style of hockey was decidedly simple- the strongest and fastest won. The game was played in an up-and-down fashion, often one skater attempted to carry the puck from end-to-end, shouldering body checks and fending off hacking sticks. Ice hockey was a violent game. In the 1972 competition - dubbed the “Summit Series”- the Canadian team played this same style. For most of the preceding twenty years, Gordie Howe had dominated North American hockey, utilizing his size, speed, and sharp elbows to win four championships with the Detroit Red Wings.
The Soviet team had developed its game differently. After originally importing the North American style, in Russia and throughout Europe, the preferred strategy changed. Diagonal passes, weaving skaters, and carefully structured five-man units were developed to take advantage of the whole ice surface, to advance the puck to the opponent’s net. Players practiced getting open - weaving up the ice to shake defenders and create gaps - and passing the puck to open areas, rather than to an individual. The repetition and the efficiency of the Soviet sport schools produced capable units of skaters that were greater than the sum of their parts.
And so, the Summit Series began. While fans noticed that the Soviet players did not have booming slap shots, or take dazzling end-to-end rushes to score goals, the Canadian players were stunned by the relentless methodology of the Soviet system. The Red Army teams criss-crossed back and forth, executing seemingly blind passes. They shot the puck into the unprotected net, as the goalie would be caught guarding the wrong side. The Soviet players were not attacking at the customary direct angles, but coming diagonally and across the ice rink. The Canadian team was stunned; they lost two, won one, and tied one game in Canada. The damage had been done the Canadian team was booed by their own crowd in the fourth game in Vancouver. After the loss, Phil Esposito told interviewers how hard they were trying telling fans just how good the Soviets were. The era of North American dominance of hockey was ending.
The Canadians saved face in Moscow winning the final three games in dramatic fashion, winning the series 4-3-1. Relying on the heroics of Paul Henderson who scored the game winning goal in the three wins, and the viciousness of Bobby Clarke who intentionally broke the ankle of Soviet star Valeri Kharlamov. Nonetheless, it was a hollow victory.
In the following decades the Russian style was integrated into North American hockey, especially with the collapse of communism, and the increasing numbers of European players coming to the NHL.
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