The 1972 Summit Series
A 4 Part Series by Bruce Kish
Brought to you buy Decisive-Action Sports

SUMMIT PART 4: SHOWDOWN

PERIOD 1: ATTACK AND COUNTERATTACK

It was only appropriate that both teams skated out onto the ice side by side for the final set of pregame ceremonies. Overhead, the loudspeaker system blared out a popular Russian song: "Cowards Don't Play Hockey." Electricity filled the air as spectators buzzed in anticipation of the final opening face-off.

Back home in Canada, parents kept children home from school to watch the final game. To the joy of those who had to go to school, however, principals allowed TV sets to be brought into classrooms. The adults crowded into bars and the appliance sections of department stores to catch the action.  They lined the sidewalks outside electronics shops and watched on dozens of stacked TV sets. In Moscow, too, an informal national holiday was declared and many workers stayed home to watch.

Both teams started their best players, Cournoyer-Esposito-Henderson for Canada, Vladimir Shadrin-Alexander Yakushev-Vyacheslav Anisin countering for the Soviet Union.

Team Canada had reluctantly agreed to accept the Soviets' selection of officials for Game 8. It only took 2:25 for their suspicions to be confirmed. Bill White collided with Alexander Maltsev and received a dubious holding call. Only 36 seconds later, while forechecking at the Soviets' blue line, Peter Mahovlich rammed into Yakushev and also received a questionable holding call.

Playing two men short, the Canadian defenders clustered in front of the goal as the Russian pointmen manoeuvred the puck. Yuri Liapkin whistled a long slap shot the Dryden blocked with his pads. The rebound came to Alexander Maltsev, whose shot clanged off the post. Dryden dove at the same time and missed, leaving an open net for Yakushev to backhand the puck in at 4:09.  1-0, Soviets.

Thirty-six seconds after the goal, Joseph Kompalla whistled off Jean-Paul Parise for interfering with Maltsev on yet another doubtful call. Parise barked at the referee and slammed his stick to ice, collecting an additional 10-minute penalty for misconduct. Esposito stormed into Kompalla's face and began berating him while Guy Lapointe shepherded Parise to the Penalty box.

Parise, however, had not calmed down. He charged out of the box and headed for Kompalla. Lapointe blocked his route and diverted him toward center ice.  There, Parise romped around like a mad man, swinging his stick in great circles overhead. He looked over at his teammates, hoping for encouragement.

Finding none, the player suddenly turned and charged Kompalla, taking the referee and everyone else by surprise.

As he approached his intended victim, Parise raised his stick overhead like a lumberjack.  The referee cowered next to the boards and raised a leg to deflect a blow. At the last second, Parise pulled up and angled away. He was promptly ejected.

The crowd went ballistic. Sinden was beside himself in a rage. He grabbed a wooden stool from behind the bench and hurled it onto the ice, followed by the folding chair Ferguson had vacated a moment earlier. The players followed with dozens of towels. With nothing left to throw, Sinden began making the "choke" sign. Soviet troops massed behind the Team Canada bench area. All around the arena, the Canadian fan started a chant:

"DA, DA CAN-A-DA, NYET, NYET, SOV-I-ET!"

From their designated area at center ice, the officials hunkered down, completely taken aback from the fury they had caused.

When they regained their nerve, Kompalla ordered Esposito to serve the two-minute penalty, plus the misconduct. He claimed that international rules permitted him to select any player who was on the ice to go to the box. No one had ever heard of such a rule. Sinden, accompanied by Eagleson, went down to the timekeeper's bench. Both refused to accept the decision.  Finally, Kompalla decided to have Dennis Hull serve the two minutes.

Fired up by events, Team Canada redoubled their efforts and tied the score at 6:54. After killing off the penalty, the Canadians counterattacked on an odd-man rush. Park one-timed a long pass from Lapointe that Tretiak kicked out.  Esposito promptly picked up the rebound and stuffed it into the net.

Kompalla had not yet swallowed his whistle. He called off Cournoyer at 12:51 for interference.  On the ensuing power play, Kharlamov, still playing on a crippled ankle, backhanded a pass to Vladimir Lutchenko. His slap shot worked through a screen and beat Dryden stick-side at 13:10.

The Canadians, kept in the game by several big stops by Dryden, fought back.  The G-A-G line managed to work the puck deep into the Soviet end. Park and Ratelle continued to pass back and forth as they closed in on Tretiak.  At 16:59, Park's top-shelf blast evened the score at 2-2.  

1972 Summit Series
A 4 Part Series by Bruce Kish