1981 Canada Cup

[Rob]

Out of all the Canada Cup/World Cups that have been played this is probably the least talked about. Of course most Canadians would rather forget the 8-1 loss to the Soviets. Probably the most devastating loss for Canada in a 'best on best' tournament.

The tournament came on the heels of the Soviets easy victories over the NHL all-star teams in 1979. There must have been a lot of pressure on team Canada to reassert its place as number 1 in the hockey world.

The US was coming off its gold medal miracle from the year before and were probably considered a dark horse.

Too young to remember any of this so I would like to read some reflection of the national mood at the time of the tournament.

Also, were the games broadcast in the Soviet Union or in the US?

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[Rob]

Almost forgot to mention the disgrace of Eagleson not allowing the Soviets to take the Canada Cup back to the Soviet Union.

 

[PhillyBluesFan]

What was Canada's roster?

 

[Theokritos]

What was Canada's roster?

G: Mike Liut (6 games), Don Edwards (1), Billy Smith (0).
D: Larry Robinson (7), Denis Potvin (7), Barry Beck (7), Craig Hartsburg (7), Ray Bourque (7), Brian Engblom (5), Paul Reinhart (2).
F: Bryan Trottier (7), Mike Bossy (7), Clark Gillies (7), Wayne Gretzky (7), Guy LaFleur (7), Rick Middleton (7), Daniel Gare (7), Bob Gainey (7), Butch Goring (7), Ron Duguay (7), Marcel Dionne (6), Gilbert Perreault (4).

 

[brianscot]

Out of all the Canada Cup/World Cups that have been played this is probably the least talked about. Of course most Canadians would rather forget the 8-1 loss to the Soviets. Probably the most devastating loss for Canada in a 'best on best' tournament.

The tournament came on the heels of the Soviets easy victories over the NHL all-star teams in 1979. There must have been a lot of pressure on team Canada to reassert its place as number 1 in the hockey world.

The US was coming off its gold medal miracle from the year before and were probably considered a dark horse.

Too young to remember any of this so I would like to read some reflection of the national mood at the time of the tournament.

Also, were the games broadcast in the Soviet Union or in the US?

I remember watching it here in the US, but have no recollection if a US cable company covered it or we just received Canada's feed.

Mike Liut was coming off the year of his life with St. Louis, but Billy Smith was coming off his second Stanley Cup. Why not more Smith? Injury? Personality rub with Bowman?

 

[Big Phil]

I remember watching it here in the US, but have no recollection if a US cable company covered it or we just received Canada's feed.

Mike Liut was coming off the year of his life with St. Louis, but Billy Smith was coming off his second Stanley Cup. Why not more Smith? Injury? Personality rub with Bowman?

Smith was injured during the tournament. I can't recall what it was. I don't know if that would have changed anything because Liut had just won the Pearson, but either way he didn't play. Don Edwards, who was Bowman's goalie in Buffalo played the round robin game against the Russians and won 7-3. It is easy to look back now, but Edwards should have been put in the championship game. I can't imagine Smith in a winner take all scenario being on the wrong end of a blowout either. I am not blaming Liut entirely, as he has never been forgiven for this, but he did not have a strong game at all.

Canada had a really good team here which is what I think gets lost often. Lots of HHOFers on the team. Perreault going down to injury hurt them a lot though and who knows how much that affected them mentally.

But the mood prior to the series was a nervous one I think. I own the 1981 Canada Cup tournament guide and if you read articles there is a lot of reference to the 1979 Challenge Cup and just how shellacked the NHL got. The 1976 Canada Cup at that time was talked about as a distant memory and had no bearing on this tournament. Bottom line is they weren't going out of their way to predict Canada would win.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Billy Smith

I remember watching it here in the US, but have no recollection if a US cable company covered it or we just received Canada's feed.

Mike Liut was coming off the year of his life with St. Louis, but Billy Smith was coming off his second Stanley Cup. Why not more Smith? Injury? Personality rub with Bowman?

Billy Smith was injured in a pre-tournament game and could not play in the series:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Smith_(ice_hockey)

 

[MS]

Smith was injured during the tournament. I can't recall what it was. I don't know if that would have changed anything because Liut had just won the Pearson, but either way he didn't play. Don Edwards, who was Bowman's goalie in Buffalo played the round robin game against the Russians and won 7-3. It is easy to look back now, but Edwards should have been put in the championship game. I can't imagine Smith in a winner take all scenario being on the wrong end of a blowout either. I am not blaming Liut entirely, as he has never been forgiven for this, but he did not have a strong game at all.

Canada could have put 1993 Patrick Roy in a time machine and sent him back to play this game and it still would have been at least 5-1.

Canada was absolutely terrible in the final, completely outclassed from start to finish, and Liut was made the scapegoat for it. Easier to claim that 'we lost because our goalie stunk' than 'we lost because our greatest rival absolutely dismantled us'.

Every goal was either a point-blank shot from inside of 10 feet or a breakway/2-on-1. Maybe the 7-1 goal was a bit weak. But the score reflected the play, and the Soviets were at a different level at this point.

As an aside, this is probably the low point of Guy Lafleur's career - single-handedly gave away two of the goals with a shocking defensive effort that would have seen a peewee player benched.

 

[Pominville Knows]

As far as i remember Canada played very good in this tournament, while the soviets did not. Of course the final was another matter lol.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Also, were the games broadcast in the Soviet Union or in the US?

I remember something in Lawrence Martin's book The Red Machine that the Final was shown in the USSR on delay

 

[thom]

Hate to agree with Ms but Lafleur had a poor game despite having a good tournament.Liut sucked missing perrault was a big deal.But yes Lafleur played poorly hate to agree.can'-t blame 99 he was a youngster.Robinson was so so

 

[Zine]

Also, were the games broadcast in the Soviet Union or in the US?

Outside of Canada the CC was rather obscure.

Canada was absolutely terrible in the final, completely outclassed from start to finish, and Liut was made the scapegoat for it. Easier to claim that 'we lost because our goalie stunk' than 'we lost because our greatest rival absolutely dismantled us'.

Not all game.

Canada clearly outplayed the Soviets in the 1st, but for some reason the wheels fell off once Soviets turned up the heat in the 2nd.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Hate to agree with Ms but Lafleur had a poor game despite having a good tournament.Liut sucked missing perrault was a big deal.But yes Lafleur played poorly hate to agree.can'-t blame 99 he was a youngster.Robinson was so so

When Perrault was injured in the 4th game against Sweden, he was leading the tournament with 9 points. Lafleur & Gretzky were right behind with 8 each. With Dionne now on the line, Lafleur scored only 3 points in the final 3 games.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Canada clearly outplayed the Soviets in the 1st, but for some reason the wheels fell off once Soviets turned up the heat in the 2nd.

Shots were 12-4 in the 1st for Canada, it was still only 2-1 until late in the 2nd. Then the floodgates opened

 

[Pominville Knows]

Outside of Canada the CC was rather obscure.

Quite surpricingly i through time have come to the understanding that many swedes did watch the Canada Cups, late in the evening or in the middle of the night. It all started with Salmings tribute in 1976, and they talk pretty mythical about pros like Lafleur, Bobby Hull, Gretzky and Robinson amongst more. Salming got everybody fired up about north american hockey, and i'm sure Hedberg and Nilsson the older as well.

 

[Hammer Time]

Hate to agree with Ms but Lafleur had a poor game despite having a good tournament.Liut sucked missing perrault was a big deal.But yes Lafleur played poorly hate to agree.can'-t blame 99 he was a youngster.Robinson was so so

Also, I believe Ray Bourque was -3 or -4 that night. He was just never as dominant in international hockey as he was in the NHL.

 

[Pominville Knows]

Also, I believe Ray Bourque was -3 or -4 that night. He was just never as dominant in international hockey as he was in the NHL.

Hard for anyone to dominate as much when the oppositional players are on average better. Bourque had 17 points in 24 Canada Cup games, and 3 in 6 in the 1998 olympics. Marginally worse than Coffey so i'd say that looks allright.

 

[shazariahl]

Canada could have put 1993 Patrick Roy in a time machine and sent him back to play this game and it still would have been at least 5-1.

Canada was absolutely terrible in the final, completely outclassed from start to finish, and Liut was made the scapegoat for it. Easier to claim that 'we lost because our goalie stunk' than 'we lost because our greatest rival absolutely dismantled us'.

Every goal was either a point-blank shot from inside of 10 feet or a breakway/2-on-1. Maybe the 7-1 goal was a bit weak. But the score reflected the play, and the Soviets were at a different level at this point.

As an aside, this is probably the low point of Guy Lafleur's career - single-handedly gave away two of the goals with a shocking defensive effort that would have seen a peewee player benched.

Canada certainly didn't play well, but it was a close game until mid-way through the 2nd. Liut played horribly, though I'm not sure having anyone else in net would have helped. Canada came out flying in the 1st, but couldn't sustain it. They looked like an MMA fighter who gases out in the 1st round. As you say though, it wasn't all Liut's fault. Canada just seemed to stop skating in the 3rd.

 

[nutbar]

Why wasn't Carlyle on the team?

 

[Big Phil]

Why wasn't Carlyle on the team?

He was the Norris winner. I don't know. Injury? Was just cut naturally? Either way there were some weird selections on this team. Clarke, Barber, Sittler, McDonald and Shutt weren't there. I know Clarke was older but you know he would have given his left arm to beat the Soviets again and I can't imagine him dropping the ball in a defensive role. McDonald still had some good years left, and while the rest of them dropped quite a bit after 1981 no one knew this at the time, plus there was some championship pedigree.

I am not sure what else could have been done with the goalies. Liut, Edwards and Smith weren't bad picks. This was an era in the NHL after Dryden and before Fuhr and Roy. Maybe Pete Peeters is a wise selection but that's it. We all saw what he did in the 1984 Canada Cup.

Canada could have put 1993 Patrick Roy in a time machine and sent him back to play this game and it still would have been at least 5-1.

Canada was absolutely terrible in the final, completely outclassed from start to finish, and Liut was made the scapegoat for it. Easier to claim that 'we lost because our goalie stunk' than 'we lost because our greatest rival absolutely dismantled us'.

Every goal was either a point-blank shot from inside of 10 feet or a breakway/2-on-1. Maybe the 7-1 goal was a bit weak. But the score reflected the play, and the Soviets were at a different level at this point.

As an aside, this is probably the low point of Guy Lafleur's career - single-handedly gave away two of the goals with a shocking defensive effort that would have seen a peewee player benched.

I am not blaming Liut for all of it because the team played poor as well, but there are times when a goalie has to bail out a team. Liut didn't do this in the 3rd period with a big save. Mike Richter bailed out the Americans in the 1996 World Cup when they were being schooled by Canada in the deciding game. Just an example. Liut didn't have to play like that, but he too could have done better.

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

Why wasn't Carlyle on the team?

He wasn't the greatest skater plus he was pretty one dimensional - all offense, little defense. Not that he was responsible for Pittsburgh's woes on the blue line in that era. Kind of like if Dustin Byfuglien made the CC team in the past couple of years.

 

[canucksfan]

The goals. Almost every goal came from about 10 feet out and the quality of shots were very good. This Soviet team was a fantastic team. They beat a Canadian team that was stacked.

 

[donnie pfaster]

The Canadians had a tough team, with three bonafide heavyweights in Clark Gillies, Barry Beck and Larry Robinson as well as a decent middleweight in Danny Gare. I wouldn't like any teams chances of trying to play rough against them no matter how many goons there were on that team.

I can recall watching Barry Beck play for the first time in the game against team Sweden, and thinking what a strong guy he must be. At one point in the game, he was in the corner battling for the puck with a few Swedish players and he just put out his arms and the Swedes went flying like bowling pins.

I also recall Peter Helander of the Swedish team absolutely levelling Clark Gillies with a perfect shoulder check. He stepped up at the exact right moment and sent Gillies flying. It was beautiful to watch.

In the final game against the Russians at the Forum, I remember thinking that Larry Robinson in particular looked slow against the quick Russian forwards.

Pierre Trudeau looked uncomfortable to say the least when he handed over the trophy to the Russians after the game.

If Canadians were dissapointed after their team were outplayed by the Russians, so were fans and media here in Sweden as they had high hopes for the overrated Swedish squad. I think they lost to the Americans in the first game and then lost three more games and only beat Finland.

The general impression here after the tournament was that the NHL and North American hockey is overrated, including the Swedish "star" players who plied there trade in the US and Canada.

 

[canucksfan]

The Soviets also beat the NHL in the final of the Challenge Cup 6-0.

 

[brianscot]

Outside of Canada the CC was rather obscure.

Talk about obscure. The only reason that I was able to watch the 1976 Canada Cup and see Orr's last go round was because Maine's local Public Television Network picked up the feed --- probably pirated it off a spy satellite or something.

After doing some more internet digging (and isn't that always fruitful?) I believe here in the US, the 1981 Canada Cup was offered as individual package sold to any network and the then fledgling USA network bought it.