Peter Mahovlich, a participant in the 1972 Super Series, said that Valery Kharlamov , Vladislav Tretiak Valery Petrov and Alexander Yakushev would be the best in the NHL.
On Wednesday, Russian Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretyak met online with 1972 Super Series participants Makhovlich and Dennis Hull. The friendly series ended with an overall victory for the Canadian team. The Canadians won four games, the Soviet team won three, and one game ended in a draw.
— What did you know about the Soviet team before the start of the Super Series?
– Nothing at all. But a few days later they realized that it contained top-class players. If Tretyak, Yakushev, Kharlamov, Petrov played in the NHL, they would be the best there too. These guys were able to shine in Europe and North America. Since then, the Canadian public has always given Tretyak a standing ovation. And it was deserved. After all, both in the Super Series and in subsequent games against Canadian hockey players, the Soviet goalie always played wonderfully. And our fans understood how great he was.
After playing eight Super Series games, we not only learned to respect and admire each other. We gave a huge gift to the entire hockey world. The systems that lived in confrontational conditions became more open and began to come closer. After the Super Series, the Canada Cup project was launched, and then NHL players began to go to the Olympics. As a result, the system of hockey tournaments for national teams became much more interesting and richer.
But the greatest hockey of all time still happened during the Super Series. It was interesting, it was unforgettable! These games will forever be etched in the memory of the whole world. Here is a striking example: in the 90s, Jagr, then a superstar of the league, approached me in the arena. And he began to talk about the events of the Super Series, telling him which moments of my personal game had particularly delighted him. Jaromir remembered so many details, so many interesting episodes – as if he had watched all eight games live. But Jagr was not even a year old when the Super Series was taking place!
— What do you remember from the New Year’s match between Montreal and CSKA?
– This is the best game I have ever played. Both teams showed the highest level of skill. The Russians had a lot of chances, and we had even more. Without Tretyak, we would have scored not three, but six or seven goals. It is interesting that another participant of the Super Series, Ken Dryden, does not like to remember the New Year’s game against CSKA. After all, while defending the Montreal goal, he conceded three goals after 13 shots.
But I want to emphasize that no one blamed Ken then – neither coach Bowman nor the team. Statistics are misleading. For the Russians, every throw was fatal. They combined, constantly improved the moment – and shot only when the chances of scoring were close to one hundred percent. But our “Montreal” attacked in a slightly different style, we did not hesitate to shoot on the move if we saw a good opportunity, “Mahovlich told .
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Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
