“The Canadians despised us: the bears came to play hockey. Maltsev recalls Super Series-72

Cult matches, a fight between the strongest hockey players on the planet, a new page in the history of world hockey… All this is true, and not everything is enough.

In 1972, the War of the Worlds took place on the ice, which blew the conscience of all hockey fans. The Canadian pros against the Russian communists! For North America, only the arrival of extraterrestrials would probably be cooler. But they did not arrive, and the USSR national team took to the ice of the “Forum” in Montreal and slammed self-confident professionals at home with a devastating score of 7:3.

That night, the hockey world changed. Perhaps it was then, in 1972, that the NHL ceased to be a Canadian league in the minds of its bosses. Overseas, they realized that in Europe there is no less talent in hockey. And the players of the USSR national team were “guilty” of this, who amazed their rivals with new high-speed tactics.

The Super Series has become the premier hockey event of the 20th century. This is recognized both in Russia and Canada.

“Kharlamov and I were like brothers. But we weren’t allowed to play together.”

“These matches have gone down in history, there will never be again,” says Super Serie-72 participant, famous Dynamo striker Alexander Maltsev. It was from his assists that Valery Kharlamov knocked on the doors of the Canadiens twice in the first meeting. – There was a dispute between two hockey schools – Canadian and Soviet. And if you look even further, two political systems fought on the ice.

“With what thoughts did you fly to Canada?” Was it interesting or scary? After all, the professionals considered themselves far above our team.

– First of all, it was very nice that Canadian professionals invited the USSR national team to visit them. At that time, it was an honor. were we worried? Before the game, the announcer represented the Canadian team for almost an hour. And he spent about five minutes on our team. Imagine how we felt then. And then they cashed in very quickly, from the first minute. Of course, everyone started shaking.

– And how long has jitters beaten our team?

– During the break, a serious conversation took place. At first, we had a deep conversation between us. Everyone was depressed, then with one voice: “We have to play! Following this, the coaches also cheered us up.

– What exactly did Vsevolod Bobrov tell the team?

– He started with a positive – he said we should show our skills. And then, as usual, scolded a little.

– In this match, you made two assists, which ended with the accurate throws of Valery Kharlamov. How did you play with Legend #17?

– Yes, we played a little with Kharlamov. In general, I had about seventy 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.

“After the Super Series, skirmishes and fights came to our hockey”

– The Canadians in these games acted so rudely and badly that even their goalkeeper was shocked. Who do you think was the main bone breaker?

– Yes, they all were. The Canadians didn’t let any of us pass. They had such a game – with constant violations. But after the Super Series, they changed their style. They took the best from us, but we, on the contrary, took the worst.

– It turns out that you then taught Canadians to play fast and pass?

– Well yes. And we adopted a more difficult game from them. After the Super Series, skirmishes and even fights also appeared on the ice in our USSR championship. Not like the Canadians, of course, but there were fights.

– Is it true that in the very first game Clark hit you on the hands and then he also added a club to the head?

The Canadians wanted to show by all means that they are the masters here. Before the Super Series, we had an open training session. The Canadians despised us there: “Oh, the bears came to play hockey. And Clark really hit my helmet at that point.

– Did you feel like skipping a few shifts later to recuperate?

– No, our team is not used to that.

— By the way, I have heard a story more than once that in training Soviet players deliberately pretended to be incompetent when the Canadians watched them.

– So that was it. It was our leaders who invented such a maneuver. And we totally agreed with their idea.

– Who benefited the most from the Canadians?

– Kharlamov was hit more than the others. It ended up being broken too. But the Canadians beat everyone.

– You didn’t want to answer them the same way?

– The coaches told us that we did not come here to fight, but to show our skills. The start-up period for the first game was chaotic. And then we started playing hockey.

“Only Bobby Clark apologized”

– 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. 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.

– In 1972, you competed in the Olympic Games, the world championships and the Super Series. Which tournament was the most important at that time?

– For us, national team players, the Olympics and world championships have always been more important. We always had to win over them. And the Super Series was an experience for everyone.

“After four games in Canada, we were given a bonus of one hundred dollars”

– It turns out that you didn’t take a vacation in 1972.

– At that time, we were sitting in training camp 250 days a year and we got used to this routine.

But after the Super Series, they started to express their opinion about it. If we play at the same level as the professionals, we are already professionals ourselves and should be treated accordingly. So why do families constantly have to wait for us, fatherless children, to grow up? They’ll let you go for one night and then take you back to base.

– And what did the coaches tell you?

Nothing has changed, everything remains the same. Players were allowed to return home much later.

– I heard that the players of the USSR national team received a bonus of 2,000 rubles for the Super Series. It’s true?

“Yeah, but we got paid after that. And in Canada, after four games, which we played very well, the players received, if I’m not mistaken, a hundred dollars. And we shared them with our team doctor and masseur. They paid them with money from their own pocket.

What did you spend your money on?

– I don’t remember and we didn’t have time to go shopping – we were in a hurry to return to our homeland.

– Modern players have much better earnings than yours. But the glory of the Russian team is not the same. How to return it?

– The development of hockey should be taken much more seriously. Especially for children. Now it has become very expensive for the boys. And there are too many foreigners in our league. And sometimes our young guys weren’t allowed to play. But I think things will be different now. Coaches will begin to trust young Russian hockey players.

Statistics

Canada – USSR – 3:7

Canada – USSR – 4:1

Canada – USSR – 4:4

Canada – USSR – 3:5

USSR – Canada – 5:4

USSR – Canada – 2:3

USSR – Canada – 3:4

USSR – Canada – 5:6

Total – four wins for Canada, three wins for the USSR, one draw.