Ken Dusenbury

ON THIS DAY IN CANADIAN HISTORY On September 28, 1972, Paul Henderson scored the most famous goal in Canadian hockey history. But the Summit Series had become about much more than hockey. The eight-game series matched Canada’s leading NHL professionals against the Soviet Union’s state-supported national team. It was played at the height of the Cold War, when the two countries represented opposing political and economic systems. Many Canadians expected an easy victory. Canada considered hockey its game, and NHL players were widely regarded as the world’s best. The Soviet team was dismissed by some as a collection of amateurs. That confidence disappeared in Game 1. The Soviets stunned Canada 7–3 in Montréal, revealing a fast, disciplined and highly skilled style of play. By the time the series moved to Moscow for its final four games, the Soviet Union held the advantage. The contest became a national drama. Schools and offices paused to watch. Millions of Canadians followed games being played thousands of kilometres away, seeing the result as a test of national identity and even of the Western system itself. Canada won Games 6 and 7, setting up the deciding game on September 28. In Game 8, the Soviets led 5–3 after two periods. Phil Esposito and Yvan Cournoyer tied the score in the third. Then, with only 34 seconds remaining, Henderson lunged at his own rebound and lifted the puck past Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. “Henderson has scored for Canada!” The goal gave Canada a 6–5 victory and the series, four games to three, with one tie. The Summit Series changed hockey. Canada learned from the Soviets’ emphasis on conditioning, puck possession and teamwork. The Soviets demonstrated that hockey excellence existed beyond the NHL. It also revealed how easily sport can become a stand-in for politics, ideology and national pride. Paul Henderson scored the winning goal. But what Canadians celebrated that day was larger than the final score: reassurance that the game they believed belonged to them was still, at least for that moment, theirs. Winning Goal, 1972 Paul Henderson scored the dramatic goal in Moscow to give the Canadians the series victory.(photo by Denis Brodeur)