Players on hand as Canada Post commemorates Canada-USSR hockey showdown

“Their way to live was so different. They were communists, we were on this side of the (ocean),” said Cournoyer, who won 10 Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens.

Bobby Clarke was just three years out of Manitoba junior hockey when the series started, and didn’t realize the emotional impact the series had on Canadians when he returned to the Philadelphia Flyers.

“Two days after we landed, I was back in Philly,” Clarke recalled.

“Anybody who played in the States on that team never knew the impact on this country until years later. It became more and more special each year.”

Pete Mahovlich remembered the emotion the players felt after the Soviets shocked Canada in what everyone initially expected to be a lopsided series. After Game 4, the series switched to Moscow, Canada lost the next game and was on the ropes.

Still, Mahovlich recalled, 3,000 Canadians had made the trip to Moscow and loudly cheered on their team. After the loss, the fans sang O Canada as the team left the ice.

“That is the proudest moment of my life, going off the ice, knowing full well that we had the support of all Canada,” Mahovlich told the ceremony, pausing as he choked up.

Canada came back to win the final three games, capped by Henderson’s goal with 34 seconds to play. The drama was “like a movie,” Cournoyer said.

After 45 years, Clarke said he is grateful the team is still being commemorated.

“We’ve been honoured a number of times in this country, and this may be the highest honour that you could ever get.”

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Players on hand as Canada Post commemorates Canada-USSR hockey showdown

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