About Cold War on Ice
Just three years after the ground-breaking and impactful 1972 Canada-Soviet Series, the NHL and the USSR’s ice hockey federation agreed to have the top two Soviet teams from 1974-75 play four games each versus eight different NHL clubs in their home buildings in late December 1975 through early January 1976. Such was the importance of the series in the USSR that the entire Soviet hockey league went on hiatus for three weeks while the perennial Soviet champions, Central Red Army, and their closest pursuers, Wings of the Soviet, were in North America. (Both clubs had augmented their rosters by borrowing top players from other Soviet teams for the occasion.) They would face the Rangers, the Penguins, the Canadiens, the Sabres, the Blackhawks, the Bruins, the Islanders, and the Flyers. At last, the NHL could say their players were in mid-season form with familiar teammates when they met the vaunted Soviet hockey machine. Although meeting of hockey’s powerhouses had no official name, the media dubbed the games “Super Series ‘76”—a catchy moniker that caught on. The anticipation was tremendous. Only the game in Pittsburgh failed to sell out.
As a prelude, the book tells the history of the Canada-Soviet international hockey rivalry from its shocking start in 1954 to the emotional 1972 Summit Series. This nicely leads to in-depth stories of all eight Super Series ’76 contests, with the highlights being the titanic New Year’s Eve battle in Montreal and the infamous “walkout” game in Philadelphia on January 11.
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Cold War on Ice - McFarland
Excerpt from Cold War on Ice
On Thursday, January 1, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Los Angeles Kings at Memorial Auditorium. The Sabres looked dreadful, losing 9-6, in a game where both teams’ defenses went completely out the window. Observing the contest from the stands was a group of VIP guests: the Soviet Wings. They would play the Sabres three days later in a memorable Sunday afternoon clash. Based on what they saw the Sabres do (or not do) against the Kings, the touring team did not think much of their upcoming opponents.
“When our guys watched the Sabres play that night,” admitted Wings coach Boris Kulagin on January 4, “our players thought it was an easy team to beat. They were mistaken.”1
It turned out they were more than just mistaken—they were badly mistaken. The Sabres rolled past the Soviet Wings, 12-6, in a wild game that would have been one of the highest-scoring in NHL history had it been a league game and counted in its statistics. Finally, after four games of Super Series ’76, an NHL team recorded a victory over a Soviet opponent. Furthermore, it was a spectacular one.
There was an international incident before the game started. It was a snub toward Canada. At Buffalo home games, Canadian hockey fans typically comprise a huge chunk of the attendance. The Sabres recognize and value this obvious fact by playing the Canadian national anthem as well as “The Star-Spangled Banner” before their home games regardless of which NHL teams are playing. It has been the case since the team began play in the NHL in the 1970-71 season. However, in accordance with the IIHF’s international hockey protocols, only the anthems of the participating teams could be played. During the opening ceremonies, the fans were apprised by the public-address announcer that “O Canada” would not be played that afternoon. They were a displeased bunch and loudly booed the omission. Typical of the demographics of the NHL in 1976, Buffalo had just one American on its roster, defenseman Lee Fogolin, who was born in Chicago. All the other Sabres were Canadians.
There were obviously many knowledgeable Canadian hockey fans in attendance at the Aud, as usual. When the Wings of the Soviet were introduced individually, the familiar names from the 1972 Canada-Soviet series—particularly Alexander Yakushev—received extended applause.
Emotions were running noticeably high in the Sabres’ antiquated and undersized arena. Even without the anthem controversy, the air was thick with anticipation and passion. “The tension is really building here at the Aud as the teams get ready for the first period,”2 noted play-by-play man Bill Hewitt. A significant snowstorm in the Buffalo area—hardly a rarity in western New York in January—did not keep anyone away from the sold-out arena. Hockey fans were keenly interested in seeing how the high-flying Buffalo Sabres would fare against the Soviet visitors. Beyond the Memorial Auditorium would be an estimated worldwide TV audience of 200 million people. The bulk of the viewership would be in the Soviet Union and Canada, but the game was also being televised in West Germany and Japan.
Buffalo was playing without their captain, Jim Schoenfeld. He was ill. There was a fear that he had contracted mononucleosis, but tests for that disease came back negative. It was a less serious infection. Buffalo general-manager George (Punch) Imlach, who was making a onetime appearance as a color commentator for Hockey Night in Canada, said the Sabres would be without Schoenfeld’s services for about ten days.
Perhaps two of Buffalo’s best players had something extra to prove against the Soviets that Sunday afternoon. Both Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin had been two of the disgruntled players who opted to leave Team Canada partway through the 1972 Summit Series because they were not getting enough ice time. When the Series was over, they caught hell for their decision from many unsympathetic Canadian hockey fans for not toughing it out.
Prior to the opening faceoff, the organist at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium entertained the capacity crowd with some Russian-themed music: “Somewhere, My Love” from Doctor Zhivago. There was not much love to be had, however, once the puck was dropped by NHL referee Ron Wicks.
Thirty-six seconds into the game there were offsetting penalties to each team for stick fouls, but more critical to Buffalo was the loss of Don Luce. He injured his leg after taking a solid and legal body check from Yuri Liapkin. Luce hobbled off the ice with the assistance of a trainer. He would miss the remainder of the first period, but Luce would be back on the ice for the faceoff to start the second stanza.
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Authors’ information
John G. Robertson is a 60-year-old sports history author who lives in Cambridge, Ontario. He has been researching and writing selected histories of various sports since the age of 19. Published in 2023, Cold War on Ice: The NHL vs. the Soviet Union in Hockey’s Super Series ‘76 is his fourth of five books thus far about hockey history. The other four are Too Many Men on the Ice: The 1978-79 Boston Bruins and the Most Famous Penalty in Hockey History (2018); Hockey’s Wildest Season: The changing of the Guard in the NHL, 1969-1970 (2021); The Bruins in 25 Games (2023); and most recently Five Overtimes: The Habs and the Leafs in the 1951 Stanley Cup Finals (2024). All four were published by McFarland. Other books by Robertson include several scholarly works on both baseball and boxing history.
Carl T. Madden is a 49-year-old longtime sports fan who lives in Welland, Ontario. He used to edit and proofread manuscripts before taking up the writing and research aspects of bringing such stories to life as something to do during the pandemic. The enjoyment discovered in the process has made it a continuous and rewarding venture.
