The legendary striker of the USSR national team Alexander Maltsev in an interview with , he talked about how Canadian hockey players fared in Super Series 72.
The USSR-Canada Super Series in 1972 was the first attempt to arrange meetings between Canada’s top professionals and the Soviet Union team. The series consisted of eight games. The first four matches were held in Canada, the next four – in Moscow. As a result, the Canadian team won 4, the USSR – 3, one meeting ended in a draw. The Soviet team scored 32 goals, the Canadian team scored 31.
The first game in Montreal ended in a sensational way with the victory of the Soviet team (7:3).
– Could you talk to the Canadian players off the ice, or was it really a war of two political systems that doesn’t allow for compromise?
“There was no contact during the series,” Maltsev told . – The only thing is that after the last game in Moscow there was a banquet, where we and the Canadians came. But he was not the same one they had arranged after meetings with other foreign teams. Yes, the Canadians themselves were not eager to be friends with us.
Were you afraid of the Communists?
– No, they couldn’t accept the fact that they lost at home. They didn’t even congratulate us for the victory after the first game, defiantly refused to shake hands with us and immediately went to the locker room. It was a blow to our ego. We are used to respecting the opponent and losing with dignity.
– After the series, did the Canadians apologize to you for this step?
– No, only Bobby Clark apologized to Kharlamov for hurting Valera, the only one of all.
At 1 p.m., watch a special broadcast on the 1972 USSR-Canada Super Series on the channel.
Source : MatchTV
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