Member of the 1972 Super Series Boris Mikhailov spoke about the impact of the confrontation between the USSR and Canada on the development of world hockey, and also underlined the importance of the World Cup for the Russian team.
The Canadian team won 4 in the series, the USSR – 3, one meeting ended in a draw.
– What was the first reaction of Soviet hockey players after the eighth game of the Super Series, which you lost?
– We were sitting in the locker room and silence reigned in the room. And then we all said in unison, “What kind of oddballs we are, what… I don’t even know how to properly describe it that we lost.
And then our head coach Vsevolod Bobrov came and said, “Guys, you lost to Volga.
And I said to myself: “This is really the first time that they want to give us cars? If they had said it sooner, they probably would have won!
And so the Canadians were stronger, beat us by one point. There is nothing to discuss here. And this Super Series has given impetus to the development of world hockey, and that is a fact.
And we Soviet hockey players were amateurs. It was then that the series began to be called “Super”. Because the league leader of the NHL has suddenly opened their eyes to the fact that not only in their league do they know how to play hockey. And after 1972, the NHL started inviting players to their home, so that was kind of a breakthrough.
– What do you think of the NHL relaunching the World Cup?
– In this situation, in which all our sports found themselves, the World Cup would become an outlet for the national team. We will show how we can play. But there are a number of questions: Who will organize our team? Who will lead?
When we went to the World Cup in 1996, there were different things that were incomprehensible. And so the World Cup is necessary, and it unites all Russian sports. Like it or not, the best game in the NHL. Another thing is how they will relate to this event. And so I think the Russian team has to be there. The World Cup without our team is an empty place,” Mikhailov told a press conference at the Hockey Museum in Moscow.
The Ice Hockey World Cup is scheduled to take place in February 2024. Earlier it was reported that Russian hockey players will be able to play in the tournament, but without the flag and the national anthem.
Source : MatchTV
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