"Hockey became for us more than a game: it became a symbol, an emblem of our uniqueness as individuals and as a society. "

    Roy MacSkimming,
    Cold War



Impressions


Summit 72

Major World Sports Events 0f 1972
Source: History Central and more

- NBA Champions: LA Lakers vs. NY Knicks, 4-1
- NCAA Football Champs: USC, 12-0-0
- Heisman Trophy Winner: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, Fl; 1,310 Points
- Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins vs. NY Rangers, 4-2
- Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins, 24-3
- U.S. Open (Golf): Jack Nicklaus Score: 290 Course: Pebble Beach GL Location: Pebble Beach, CA
- World Series: Oakland A's vs. Cincinnati Reds, 4-3
- Winter Olympics (hockey): USSR wins its 3rd consecutive gold medal in Sapporo
- Summer Olympics (basketball): USSR beats United States in 1972 men's basketball final in Munich
 

 

The 1972 Summit In Canadian History

PersonalitiesTOP 10 TEAMS
OF THE 20th CENTURY

The Canadian Press Survey

Team Canada 19721. 1972 Team Canada
    (1,102 pts)
2. 1983-84 to 1989-90 Edmonton Oilers (865)
3. 1955-56 to 1959-60 Montreal Canadiens (775)
4. 1992-93 Toronto Blue Jays (716)
5. 1975-76 to 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens (642)
6. 1978-82 Edmonton Eskimos (587)
7. 1987 Canada Cup team (570)
8. 1995-97 4x100 track relay team (553)
9. 1993-98 Sandra Schmirler curling rink (337)
10. 1976 Canada Cup team (260)
    - Full List -

CanadaTOP 10 CANADIAN NEWS EVENTS OF THE 20th CENTURY
The Canadian Press Survey

1. D-Day, June 6, 1944 (817 pts)
2. The Patriation of the Constitution/Charter of Rights and Freedoms, April 17, 1982 (732)
3. The October Crisis, Oct. 5, 1970 (653)
4. The battle of Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917 (619)
5. Women get the vote, May 24, 1918 (531)
6. The Free Trade Agreement with the United States, Jan. 1, 1989 (482)
7. 1995 Quebec Referendum, Oct. 30, 1995, (475)
USSR8. Paul Henderson's winning goal in the Canada-U.S.S.R. hockey series, Sept. 28, 1972 (452)
9. The creation of medicare in Saskatchewan, July 1, 1962 (446)
10. The Canadian military raid on Dieppe, Aug. 19, 1942 (318)

  Related Articles at the Summit in 1972

- Team Canada '72: Historical Prospective
- Team USSR '72: Historical Prospective
- The 1972 Summit in Russian Hockey History
  and more

For Canada, the Summit 1972 meant much more than just some won hockey series. There were many fascinating games won by the nation that invented hockey. Yet, something different was triggered among Canadians when Paul Henderson of the 1972 Team Canada scored that goal in Moscow in Game 8 . The goal became known as the "Goal of the Century" and every Canadian regardless of his or her date of birth knows about it. It was a symbolical event that marked this incredible feeling of being a proud Canadian.

Celebrating the beginning of the new millennium, Canadian Press conducted various national surveys of newspapers and broadcasters that showed that the 1972 Summit remains an unforgettable event in the history of Canada. The millennium polls named Team Canada as the "Team of the Century" and the 1972 Summit was voted as the 8th among the overall Top Canadian News Events of the 20th Century. In December 1999, 1972 Team Canada was honored at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto as the greatest team of the century.

It's a truly amazing score for the Series that took place 30 years ago and didn't actually have any "official" significance in terms of being a part of an established sports competition. It was neither Stanley Cup finals, nor Olympics, nor one of the Canada or World Cups that came after the Summit in 1972. Officially, it was just some exhibition games that were actually supposed to end with a quite predictable result.

I am not a Canadian. I can only speak about the Series' impact in Canada based on what I read in the books or heard from my Canadian friends. But, it seems to me that any nationality can relate to the effect that big sports events have on people's pride and national identity. The Cold War environment and the dramatic on and off the ice events just made these emotions more vivid.
   

 

Besides political and geographical borders, one has to admit that the Summit was one of the biggest sports spectacles with a pendulum-like game results curve within each game and the Series overall. The game of hockey was changed forever after that historical clash between two distinct hockey styles. In my opinion, no other hockey event caused more radical changes in the game than the 1972 Summit did.

Thirty years past the 1972 Summit, the Series remains the most fascinating spectacle that gave so much to the Canadian, Russian and, no doubt, international hockey.