Category: North America (Page 1 of 7)

Jamaica’s ice hockey team after their success in the success 2021 LATAM Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Source: Jamaica Observer

Discussions have been under way for some time now in an effort to find dates and rinks to hold the event, the Jamaica Ice Hockey Federation said in a news release.

“The dates have now been set for June 8 to the 11th, with matches scheduled to be played each evening of the 8th, 9th and 10th,” the federation said, adding that the tournament venue will be announced by the end of this week.

According to the federation, the Jamaicans are very excited about being together on the ice again after the resounding success of their participation in the 2021 LATAM tournament. Now, the Hockey Operations Committee is working to ensure the availability of approximately 20 of the best players for the series.

The Jamaica Ice Hockey Federation has close to 80 players of Jamaican descent who are registered with it and who have been engaged over the last few months in anticipation of the announcement of playing opportunities.

Announcement of the Jamaica-Puerto Rico series has been met with positive responses from the core of the team that last played together in Fort Lauderdale in 2021 for the LATAM Cup.

“In that tournament Jamaica, as defending champions, played as an exhibition team as we were considered too strong for the opposing teams. The Jamaica team proved the organising committee correct by convincingly winning all six games, scoring 58 goals with seven against, beating Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Lebanon, and Venezuela,” the federation stated.

The federation said the matches in New York are expected to generate significant interest amongst the Jamaican Diaspora in the tri-state area and that there is a plan to engage all the civic, business and cultural organisations in an effort to whip up support for the team over that weekend.

Prior to the June matches Jamaica will be represented at the annual congress of the international federation scheduled for Tampere, Finland. This will coincide with the World Championship set for May 13 to 28.

This is the second World Championship that Jamaica ice hockey delegates will attend, the first being in Bratislava, Slovenia in 2019 when local Ice Hockey Federation President Don Anderson was on hand to watch those games and represent Jamaica. This year Jamaica will be represented by EJ Phillips, board member and accredited coach.

In July the second summer camp for local players will be held in Kingston. Last year 50 children between the ages of 10 and 14 were part of a week-long camp held under the auspices of the Government’s Institute of Sports, exposing them to the rudiments of ice hockey.

By Andrew Cruickshank – Cottage Life

At a summit in Toronto this past January, in front of a crowd of 400, the non-profit organization the Carnegie Initiative announced that it was partnering with Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) to conduct a study on how to establish the first professional hockey franchise led by First Nations owners.

The Carnegie Initiative, which is named after Herb Carnegie, a black hockey star in the 1940s and 50s who spent much of his life fighting for equality in the sport, aims to make hockey more diverse and inclusive. This was the organization’s second annual summit.

The study referred to as The Spirit Project is being led by TMU professors Richard Norman and Cheri L. Bradish. According to Norman, the study will involve undergraduate students connecting with stakeholders, such as Ted Nolan, a former NHL star, a Carnegie Initiative board member, and a member of the Ojibway tribe. The stakeholders will provide the students with a broader knowledge of the current hockey landscape and First Nations culture. Using this information and their own research, students will develop a viable plan for creating a First Nations-led hockey franchise. The plans will be presented to the Carnegie Initiative in April.

“It’s not necessarily looking at playing at the NHL level,” Norman says. “Although, I think down the road, there’s always the possibility of an expansion franchise. But really, what I think it’s looking at is multiple leagues, men’s and women’s, and also how this might play out on the international side.”

First Nations have a long history with hockey. According to the nonprofit organization Native Hockey, Europeans first observed ice hockey being played by Mi’kmaq Indians in Nova Scotia in the late 1600s, using a frozen apple as a puck.

Fred Sasakamoose from Saskatchewan was the first Native player in the NHL, lacing up for the Chicago Blackhawks in the mid-1950s. He was followed by other great players, including Theo Fleury and Carey Price.

One of the goals of The Spirit Project, which will be carried on by graduate students after the April presentations, is to see whether an Indigenous team could play as its own nation on the international stage. “There are examples around the world, like Maori nations playing rugby as a separate entity from New Zealand,” Norman says. This could include men’s and women’s First Nations teams squaring off against Canada in the Olympics.

The international stage, however, may still be a few years off. In the short term, Norman says he hopes the study will provide grassroots initiatives to help connect First Nations youth to hockey. “The professional franchise would act as a conduit so that there’s representation from the front office to the coaching staff to everywhere, showing how Indigenous folks can be connected with the game and the different aspects of how that comes together,” he says. “Then also looking at on-ice and off-ice activities for indigenous youth to help their skills and development throughout the process.”

To support these initiatives, students will look at travel time to games, how to create leagues that provide different levels of play, and what the development of the sport, in terms of social change, looks like for First Nations youth.

“Looking into the future, there are going to be tensions,” Norman says. “But if we’re looking at true reconciliation and the decolonizing of our sports systems, and what that looks like, I think it does ask those deeper questions of what does nationhood look like, and what is sovereignty going to mean within the Canadian context.”

An ice hockey rink at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

By Richard Parchment – Jamaica Observer

Tropical Ice Ventures Chief Executive Officer Jason Swales says he still has plans to set up an ice hockey programme in Jamaica, although privately.

To do this though, he plans to first build a multipurpose arena that will house an ice hockey rink.

Swales, a Canadian now based and building rinks in South East Asia, says he wants to partner with a major hotel to build the facility on the north coast. Privatizing this venture, for him, would mean creating a venue that hosts various events, allowing it to generate revenue throughout the year.

“It would be a multipurpose arena,” Swales told the Jamaica Observer. “We could use it for all kinds of different events — trade shows, expos, basketball, music shows. The plan is that that hotel would fund it, and we’ll build it for you and attach it to the hotel, and in return, we will keep your hotel full by running adult and kids’ hockey tournaments, all the multipurpose events that we could run through there.

“The hotel wins because we’re keeping it full and the country wins because now, they have the facility to start training in and learning the game of hockey, ice skating, short track speed skating, and also part of my plan, too, is to build a bobsled run-off as they have in Calgary, Canada — not an actual bobsled track, just a run-off where they can pratice their run-offs and time themselves.”

Swales previously visited Jamaica to partner with the Jamaica Olympic Ice Hockey Federation (JOIHF) nearly a decade ago, but those plans fell apart because of differences with the JOIHF board, which is headed by Don Anderson.

Anderson declined to comment on the matter when contacted by the Observer, but he did say in a previous interview that he had wanted a rink built in Jamaica as it is one of the requirements by the International Olympic Committee for participation in the Winter Games. But Anderson told the Observer in January that those plans have been suspended.

Donovan Tait is a former national player, and former member of JOIHF, now serving as a gazetted police executive in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but based in Turkey, where he coaches in the Turkish Ice Federation. He is disappointed in Anderson’s recent comments that there were construction plans which were then put on hold.

Don Anderson’s announcement in the Jamaican newspapers a month ago is really a moot point because there really was no rink conversation happening behind the scenes,” Tait told the Observer.

But he however says he is excited by the prospect of Swales’ project being a private venture as he has lost faith in JOIHF and the Government’s ability to get a rink created, especially after Swales’ recent attempt to work with both parties yielded no result.

“There was no shortage of roadblocks and barriers thrown up for Mr Swales and he eventually moved on,” Tait said. “That was really the beginning of the end for a number of us in JOIHF – myself, Graeme Townshend, Lester Griffin, and CJ Bollers, who were, for a lack of a better term, the real operational people in JOIHF moving the hockey operation forward and identifying Mr Swales as the number one person to build the rink and have those legitimate conversations with the Government and the leadership of the JOIHF group. Unfortunately, those fell on deaf ears and it became clear that JOIHF was just interested in keeping Jamaican ice hockey at one level and in the hands and control of just a few people.

“In my view, with the current leadership of JOIHF, there will be no ice hockey rink built because there’s just no interest in building the rink. It would take away total control and influence of what is Jamaican ice hockey, which in my view is dormant and has been dormant a while now, save for a lackluster and embarrassing performance at the [2021] LATAM Cup.”

Swales says that Jamaica playing ice hockey at the Olympics any time soon is far-fetched as it would take decades to develop a program.

“I have zero interest in entertaining the idea that in my lifetime, Jamaica is going to play ice hockey in the Olympics,” he said. “My interest is in getting the proper facility built in Jamaica and giving the kids and the youth a fresh new sport to play and to develop in. It gets them off the streets, gives them something else to get involved in, and gives them a team atmosphere to develop.

“With the right people such as Graeme Townshend, the first Jamaican-born ice hockey player, you develop the game in the country and that’s what we want to do.

Jamaica’s ice hockey team, which Tait was a senior member of, took the LATAM Cup with a win over Colombia in the final in 2019. It returned to the competition in 2021 but was only allowed to play exhibition matches because the squad was made up of professionals, which organizers of the tournament said was not allowed.

By Bruce Callow – Tico Times

It is not widely appreciated or publicized but it is possible to ice skate and play ice hockey in Costa Rica and an ice hockey program has managed to survive at the Castillo Country Club for over two decades. Access to the rink is limited to Castillo Club members and their guests with the exception of hockey tournaments.

I have many happy memories of my days coaching at the Castillo and seeing the new rink being built in 2013 was one of the best. In this interview current Castillo youth hockey program coach Alexei Denysov and Castillo Recreation Director Kathia Bolanos Pacheco talk about the only place in Central America where Winter Olympic dreams are being pursued.

The Castillo Club is unique in having the only ice rink in Central America. Tell us a bit about its history and the programs that are offered there currently.

El Castillo is a mountain club that was created 52 years ago. As part of the recreation and sports areas, the ice rink was built approximately 30 years ago. This rink had very small dimensions, so in 2014 the administration made the decision to remodel the new rink with semi-Olympic dimensions.

This investment was more than 1 million dollars. Currently there is a figure skating school and a hockey school. In addition, members can use the rink recreationally and have the experience of being able to skate on an ice rink that is unique in all of Central America.

How can the general public get involved in ice hockey and figure skating? Can tourists visiting Costa Rica come visit the rink?

Kathia:

The hockey school was formed in 1996 by you (Bruce Callow) and since that year hockey classes have been taught at the club to children and adults. Players start as beginners where they are taught the basic techniques of skating and hockey. At the beginning of each year a sports class fair is held at the club, where the disciplines of hockey and figure skating are made known to attract new athletes to these Winter Olympic sports.

Since 2017 the international hockey tournament has been held, where we have the participation of different teams from Canada, the United States, and the Falkland Islands. The Ice Castle skating school has different levels of SAM, Basic, Free Skate, Pre Free Skate, Advanced and adult skating.

As part of the technical and artistic evaluation, at the end of each year a skating show is held where the skaters stage everything they learned during the year. The club, being private, is not open to the public, so only members or their guests can attend.

If someone is interested in becoming a member of the Castillo Club what do they need to do?

Kathia:

To become a member of the club it is necessary to purchase a share and pay a monthly or annual maintenance fee. At the moment there are no shares available, but if you want information you can contact our colleagues from members services and they will help you with the guide in case you are interested in being part of such a prestigious club.

An exhibit from the Castillo hockey program including a uniform and other memorabilia is on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame museum in Toronto. What does the Castillo Club think about this international projection?

Kathia:

Dayton Gems forward Rick Bragnalo moves in to score the game-winner with 40 seconds left in the second overtime as part of a 3-2 victory over the Des Moines Capitols in International Hockey League playoff action on April 2, 1975.

By Tom Annelin – The Chronicle Journal

Back in the days of the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League, the Fort William Canadiens were a team that continually produced a plethora of on-ice talent.

One such player on the local squad was a diminutive, yet tenacious and highly-skilled forward, Rick Bragnalo.

Bragnalo produced at well over a point-per-game with Fort William with 105 points in 59 outings in his time there. He was even picked up by the Westfort Hurricanes after they won the TBJHL title in 1970 and went on the Memorial Cup trail.

Bragnalo registered 12 points in as many outings for the Herks, who eventually fell in the western Canadian final to the Weyburn Red Wings in six games.

Recognized for his skill and his intensity, Bragnalo went on to earn a NCAA Division I scholarship to the University of Denver, playing alongside fellow local products and future NHLers, Mike Busniuk and Vic Venasky.

Bragnalo helped lead DU to three Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff crowns and equally as many top-three finishes in the NCAA tournament.

In 1974, Bragnalo started his pro career by signing with the International Hockey League’s Dayton Gems.

That initial campaign in the IHL saw him light it up offensively, finishing with a league-best 113 points on 41 goals and 72 assists.

Bragnalo’s efforts also earned him IHL Rookie of the Year laurels.

Of note, another alumnus of the Fort William Canadiens, who was a stellar performer in the IHL in the 1960s and early 70s was Kenora product Bryan McLay.

That crafty forward spent four seasons with the local Habs from 1953-57 prior to shining with the Muskegon IHL franchise where he was a star, and was the fifth-highest point producer in league history with 1,100 points to his credit.

The following season in which Daytona went on to win the Turner Cup, Bragnalo was well on his way to another solid run, despite an upper-body injury that sidelined him for a month.

However, his play had already caught the eye of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, whose new bench boss, Tom McVie, was his coach with the Gems.

Bragnalo went on to make his NHL debut with the Caps on Feb. 22, 1976 against the New York Islanders, then collected his first point, with an assist two nights later versus the Philadelphia Flyers.

Bragnalo would then notch his first NHL goal on March 16 of that year in a 5-2 home ice victory over the New York Rangers.

Going on to play four seasons with the Capitals, Bragnalo supplied 50 points on 15 tallies and 35 assists.

Bragnalo made a few stops later on with the Hershey Bears of the AHL and an 83-point run, in 67 games played, with the Port Huron Flags (IHL) in 1979-80. Bragnalo next played internationally, where he spent the following 12 seasons.

Competing in Italy with such clubs as Brunico/Bruneck and Milan, his heritage also gave him the chance to play for the Italian national team, where he finished third highest among that country’s point producers with 50 in 145 outings.

Included in those contributions was a one-goal, two-assist effort in a 3-3 tie against Canada at the 1982 world hockey championship in Finland.

Bragnalo went on to post 1,292 points throughout his time on the ice in 1,074 games played.

He later went into coaching and guided the Thunder Bay Kings to back-to-back Air Canada Cup national under-18 championship medal finishes, mining silver in 1996 and bringing home gold in 1997.

Inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 in recognition for his distinguished career achievements, Rick Bragnalo certainly earned his place on the honour roll of the Lakehead’s best.

Sam Uisprapassorn ’05 (center), assistant head coach of Chapman’s club hockey team, was a guest coach at the Anaheim Ducks’ development camp this summer.

By Staci Dumoski – Chapman University Newsroom

As a young hockey player, Sam Uisprapassorn was always told that he’d make a great coach. For a player who dreamed of being in the National Hockey League, that’s the kind of backhanded compliment that wasn’t always great to hear.

But now that Uisprapassorn is the head coach of the Colombian national hockey team and associate head coach for Chapman Hockey as well as in an NHL mentorship program, the idea of becoming a great coach seems like something that was always meant to be. 

Uisprapassorn, whose father is Thai and mother is Colombian, started playing hockey when he was 9 years old –  just about the time that Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky came to play for the Los Angeles Kings and popularized the sport in Southern California.

As a student majoring in public relations and advertising, he joined the hockey team at Chapman, where hockey is a club sport and the team plays at the nearby Anaheim Ice.

“We were really underground,” says Uisprapassorn about his undergraduate team. “But we had this cool little group of guys, and we would set up these exhibition games against other universities.”

His coaching career kicked off shortly after graduation, when he was approached by a friend who needed help coaching a peewee hockey team. Once he started coaching youth hockey, it didn’t take long for Uisprapassorn to end up back at Chapman, this time as an associate coach for a renewed and increasingly competitive hockey team.

Uisprapassorn has a day job in the solar industry, plus a growing business manufacturing golf balls, so coaching hockey has always been a side gig, one that wouldn’t have gone any further than Chapman Hockey if he hadn’t gotten curious about the world of international hockey. A little investigation led him to the Colombian national team, which had debuted in 2014.

Inspired by the connection with his family heritage, Uisprapassorn fired off an email, offering his help.

“It’s one of those emails that you send and you’re like, OK, I’ll never hear back from these people,” says Uisprapassorn.

But he did hear back. “They were getting ready to go to a tournament, and they called me maybe five weeks before and they’re, like, ‘Hi. We’re having a tournament and we need you to meet us in Mexico City,’” he says.

And so he went to Mexico City and, with Uisprapassorn as the new head coach, the Colombian team won the tournament.

“I knew I was going to have a mixed bag of players,” he says, just as he’d had working with the Chapman team. “I’m a keep-it-simple-stupid kind of person, and that’s how I approach coaching. Hockey is a simple game. You just put it in that net and keep it out of the one behind you. I took that approach with them, and lo and behold, we won. At that point, Mexico was ranked 33rd in the world, and we beat them in the championship game for our first Pan American Championship.”

After winning six international championships with the Colombian team, Uisprapassorn started to get noticed and recognized by people in the NHL. He was nominated to participate in the NHLCA BIPOC Coaches Program, an initiative that supports Black, indigenous and coaches of color in hockey, and this summer he was invited to participate as a guest coach at the Anaheim Ducks development camp.

“A year ago, if you had interviewed me, I would have told you I coach a team that’s so close to me and my heritage, and I coach at my alma mater. What else could you want? I always used to say, short of the [Los Angeles] Kings calling, I have my ideal job as a coach,” says Uisprapassorn.

Now, though, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get a shot at coaching in the NHL.

“Hockey made me the person that I am today,” he says. “I’m not a natural athlete. I had to work really hard to be a good skater. It’s not like I put on skates and I was whizzing down the ice like some kids can do.”

But persistence is one of his main character traits, he says, whether it’s getting into Chapman, getting ahead in his career or, now, pursuing success as a hockey coach. 

“In May I went to the coaches association. I said, ‘Look, I want to find a way, a path to possibly working in hockey as a coach on some sort of level,’” he says. “I basically used the line, ‘I’ll pour coffee in LA or Anaheim.’ I just want to get some experience under my belt at a higher level. I just want to help out, contribute, learn.”

As the 2022-23 NHL season kicks off this month, Uisprapassorn will be getting the experience he craves, under the mentorship of Dallas Eakins, head coach of the Anaheim Ducks. No matter how well the team does this season, you can bet he’ll be shooting for the net. 

Team Canada defenceman Gary Bergman (2) celebrates the game-winning goal by teammate Paul Henderson, not shown, in Canada’s 6-5 win in Game 8 in Moscow on Sept. 28, 1972. (The Canadian Press)

By George Da Silva – National Teams of Ice Hockey

Momentum was clearly on Canada’s side after back-to-back wins in Game 6 and 7, but it still had to win Game 8 to claim victory.

After a controversy over the referees nearly resulted in cancellation of the game, the teams skated onto the ice side-by-side for the final set of pregame ceremonies. Canada’s concerns about the officiating were well-founded when Bill Whiite and Pete Mahovlich received questionable penalties in the first 3:01, leading to a 5-on-3 power-play goal by Alexander Yakushev, who had emerged as a star in the series and backhanded a rebound into the net.

J.P. Parise received another questionable call a few seconds later for interference. When he was given the penalty, he went to the box. Then he came out of the penalty box, skated around and worked himself up. And then he charged the referee, with his stick over his head — he was threatening to bring down his stick on the West German referee Kompalla .

Parise was given a misconduct and a game misconduct. And the crowd started up, ‘Let’s go home, let’s go home.’ I think if at that moment, Eagleson had said ‘let’s go,’ the players would have gone off the ice. But he didn’t, so we carried on. The incident fired up Canada.

GAME 8: CANADA 6, SOVIET UNION 5

Paul Henderson’s goal for the ages in Game 8 capped a stunning Canadian comeback over the Soviets to win the 1972 Summit Series.

First Period: 1, Soviet Union, Yakushev 6 (Liapkin, Maltsev), 3:34 (pp). 2, Canada, P. Esposito 6 (Park), 6:45 (pp). 3, USSR, Lutchenko 1 (Kharlamov), 13:10 (pp). 4, Canada, Park 1 (Ratelle, Hull), 16:59.

Second Period: 5, USSR, Shadrin 3, :21. 6, Canada, White 1 (Gilbert, Ratelle), 10:32. 7, USSR, Yakushev 7, 11:43. 8, USSR, Vasiliev 1, 16:44 (pp).

Third Period: 9, Canada, P. Esposito 7 (P. Mahovlich), 2:27. 10, Canada, Cournoyer 3 (P. Esposito, Park). 12:56. 11, Canada, Henderson 7 (P. Esposito), 19:26.

Shots on Goal: Canada 14-8-14–36. Soviet Union 12-10-5–27

Goalies: Canada, Dryden 2-2-0 (27 shots on goal, 22 saves). Soviet Union, Tretiak (36-30)

Attendance: 15,000

By William Douglas –NHL.com

Scott Vargas remembers the looks he and other members of the Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association got when they marched in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York in June.

“A lot of people were utterly confused and a lot of people that were at the parade still don’t know we exist, probably,” said Vargas, the PRIHA’s president and executive director.

Vargas said he believes the profile of the association, dedicated to promoting and expanding hockey within the Puerto Rican community throughout the Americas and the Caribbean, is about to be raised.

Puerto Rico’s men’s team, captained by Vargas, won the Amerigol LATAM Cup on Sept. 18 with a 3-2 win against Argentina 3-2 at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs, Florida.

The men’s victory followed Puerto Rico’s women’s team winning the LATAM Cup in 2020, defeating Colombia 2-0.

Buoyed by the LATAM Cup performances, the PRIHA is looking for a larger platform. It applied for membership for Puerto Rico in the International Ice Hockey Federation, the sport’s governing body.

The IIHF could decide on the application during its Semi-Annual Congress, which begins in Belek, Turkey, on Thursday.

“We thought long and hard about what the purpose was of the association and, simply put, it’s to represent Puerto Rico at the highest level possible on the international stage,” Vargas said. “In order for us to do that, we’ve got to get into the IIHF. … We feel we can be a competitive organization, move up those world rankings and truly represent Puerto Rico that way.”

But Puerto Rico must overcome some serious hurdles before that can happen. The island doesn’t have a suitable ice rink — a requirement for full membership in the IIHF — and the U.S. territory has a balky electrical power grid.

The Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena, which opened in 2005 and was the only ice skating facility in the Caribbean, was damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and hasn’t reopened.

The Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Argelot in San Juan, where the New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 in the first and only NHL game played on the island on September 23, 2006, has ice-making ability but is a large multi-use venue.

“That’s at least definitely there,” said Vargas, a 31-year-old Tampa, Florida, native who played NCAA Division III hockey at Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan, from 2012-15. “We’re trying to see if there are other places that have permanent chillers. If we could find a smaller facility, that would help us a lot.”

In the meantime, the PRIHA continues its drive to recruit more players and raise awareness of hockey on the island. The association was founded in 2020 with 11 players and now has more than 200 registered players, Vargas said.

It hosted its first evaluation camp in Chicago in May that attracted 105 players. In 2021, the PRIHA became part of Puerto Rico’s National Olympic Committee’s Federation of Puerto Rican Winter Athletes.

“If we have Olympic teams in baseball, basketball and skeleton, why not ice hockey?” said Jazmine Miley, 27, who captains Puerto Rico’s women’s team and who coaches women’s hockey at Paul Smith’s College, an upstate New York school that competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. “Why not ice hockey? Skeleton, you don’t even have (facilities) on the island. It’s much easier to put a rink on the island when we have the funds.”

The PRIHA plans to host its first event on the island in October, a roller and inline hockey gathering in San Juan designed to introduce residents to the sport and whet their appetite for ice hockey.

“We’ll do 3-on-3, no goalies, and we’ll have small pond hockey nets,” Vargas said.

“The grassroots level is extremely important. That’s how you start, that’s the beginning. And then we’ll see where we can get to.”

Canadian and Soviet hockey players pile up during a game in Moscow.

By George Da Silva – National Teams of Ice Hockey

Team Canada made 2 changes for game 7: Tony Esposito was back in for Ken Dryden, and Red Berenson is out for Bill Goldsworthy. The Soviets meanwhile made 5 changes to their lineup, most notably Valeri Kharlamov, his already sore ankle cracked by the slash of Bobby Clarke in the last game. The Soviets also pulled Shatalov, Lebedev and Bodunov and replacing them with Gusev, Kuzkin, Blinov and Mikhailov. 

GAME 7: CANADA 4, SOVIET UNION 3

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