Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden’s new book discusses the historic Canada\u002DSoviet Summit Series — an eight\u002Dgame encounter played at the height of the Cold War…
“More and more stories filled the sports pages. The reporters yelled out their predictions,” Dryden recalls in The Series. “They, too, told us what we already knew — this would be a dominant, smashing, defining victory for Canada, likely eight straight.”This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.The Soviets won the series opener 7-3, then earned a tie and another win during the four-game first half of the summit in Canada.
“Their game, the Russian game, was ‘possession hockey,’ ” writes Dryden, a young Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens who shared Team Canada goaltending duties with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Tony Esposito.Article content The Soviets had built a commanding 3-1-1 lead by the end of Game 5, the first of four matches played in Moscow. But with Team Canada’s back against the wall and the country’s faith in its global hockey superiority badly shaken, Dryden and his teammates — led by Boston Bruins superstar Phil Esposito and Toronto Maple Leafs winger Paul Henderson in career-defining performances — pulled off a remarkable comeback and won the last three games of the series, each by a one-goal margin.
“That’s the breakthrough moment,” said Dryden, describing in the interview the enduring impact of the series on the evolution of the sport.Article content “It’s by far the most shared moment in the country’s history,” Dryden said. “Sixteen million out of 22 million Canadians alive at that time from age zero to over 100 were watching that eighth and final game . . . The entire game took place during work hours and school hours — on a weekday — all across the country.Article content
Dryden said that while he’s “horrified” by Russia’s belligerence and the “incredible damage” inflicted upon Ukraine, the ongoing war hasn’t tainted his memories of the Soviet-Canada showdown on ice 50 years ago.
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