The legendary striker of the USSR national team Alexander Maltsev in an interview with he explained why in Super Series 72 the Soviet team changed their triple combinations so often.
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).
Alexander Maltsev spent most of his career at Dynamo Moscow, Valery Kharlamov – at CSKA.
– In the first game, you made two assists, which ended with the accurate throws of Valery Kharlamov. How did you play with Legend #17?
“Yes, we played a bit with Kharlamov,” Maltsev told . 0 In general, I had about 70 partners in the national team during the whole time. And it didn’t work out with Valera. We weren’t just friends, but brothers. On the ice, they understood each other very well. But we weren’t allowed to play together.
– Why?
– CSKA had its own strong bond, the coaches did not want to break it. And so I had a great relationship with Kharlamov. Again, we were like brothers.
– The USSR national team has always been known for its teamwork. Why have the triple combinations been changed so often in Super Series matches?
– At the beginning of 1972, before the Sapporo Olympics, Arkady Ivanovich Chernyshev called us together and said that this tournament would be his last in the team. After the Winter Games, which we won, the coaching staff changed. And during the play, along with Chernyshev, a number of top players also announced their retirement.
At the Olympics, we had mock triples. More in the Super Series. The team then got decently rejuvenated, so the coaches were looking for new combinations.
At 1 p.m., watch a special broadcast on the 1972 USSR-Canada Super Series on the channel.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
