
Paul Henderson celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winner against goalie Vladislav Tretiak in Game 7 on Sept. 26, 1972 in Moscow. Canada won 4-3. (Melchior DiGiacomo/Getty Images)
By George Da Silva _ National Teams of Ice Hockey
Team Canada changed strategies for game six getting away from the straight-line tactics that was normal in the NHL and pushing the tempo with head-man passes and criss-crosses to take advantage of the Soviets’ biggest weakness: their play in their own zone. The Canadian players were also starting to get into shape heading into game Six in Moscow.
Game 6, was a very heated game with a lot of pushing and shoving going on. Then the famous incident where Bobby Clarke of Team Canada two-handed chop on forward
Valeri Kharlamov’s ankle. Clarke came up from the side and laid the chop on Kharmalov’s ankle. Clarke was given a misconduct. Kharlamov finished Game 6, but he didn’t appear in Game 7. He came back to play in Game 8 but he was nowhere near the player he was earlier in the series.
GAME 6: CANADA 3, SOVIET UNION 2
Canada left the ice after Game 6 with a 3-2 victory that gave them renewed confidence and kept alive their hopes of winning the 1972 Summit Series.
First Period: No scoring
Second Period: 1, USSR, Liapkin 1 (Yakushev, Shadrin), 1:12. 2, Canada, Hull 2 (Gilbert), 5:13. 3, Canada, Cournoyer 2 (Berenson), 6:21. 4, Canada, Henderson 5, 6:36. 5, USSR, Yakushev 3 (Shadrin, Liapkin), 17:11 (pp).
Third Period: No scoring.
Shots on Goal: Canada 7-8-7-22. Soviet Union 12-8-9–29
Goalies: Canada, Dryden 1-2-0 (29 shots on goal, 27 saves). Soviet Union, Tretiak 3-2-1 (22-19)
Attendance: 15,000