From the other side…

Perhaps, I’m the only member of this community coming from the USSR. But nevertheless…

Back in 1972, I was 16, and a big hockey fan. To begin with, I was a fan of Team Canada, believe it or not. At that time, it was acceptable. But still, there were very few.

I waited for the Series eagerly. There was not much information coming through the Iron Curtain. When I read the roaster of Team Canada, I was surprised since many names had been omitted. In the USSR all hockey fans knew the names of Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Jean Beliveau, Brad Park, Dennis Hull, Ed Giacomin, Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden. Not alla of them were on the roaster, no reasons were given. That surprised me. There were a lot of speculations among hockey ‘experts’. The official media was however, cautious. 

The first game, was televised in delayed broadcast on Sunday morning. Nobody knew the result. I was mesmerized by the jerseys of Team Canada. I’m still convinced that these are in the class of themselves. I have one in my collection.

The beginning of the game was something unbelievable, when Phil Esposito rushed from the right wing, switched hands and shot, and seconds later scored.

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