While it had its flaws, the closest to "Yakushev 72's best on best hits" was the 8-game, home and home, 1972 series between Canada and the Soviets. It had all the elements of fairness and equal competition, in addition to having the best available talent. Probably the next best are the Olympics, where Russia has not been competitive since the demise of the Soviet Union.
World Cup: the best hockey ever 1987 Canada vs USSR
- Thread starter lilidk
- Start date
-
Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
While it had its flaws, the closest to "Yakushev 72's best on best hits" was the 8-game, home and home, 1972 series between Canada and the Soviets. It had all the elements of fairness and equal competition, in addition to having the best available talent. Probably the next best are the Olympics, where Russia has not been competitive since the demise of the Soviet Union.
JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
- 19,785
- 15,428
I wouldn't include the Summit Series or most editions of the Olympics but at least your list is interesting to see.
RED ARMY EAST
Registered User
The 72 is Iconic, but it wasn't the best team from a Canadian perspective. No WHA participation, which meant, example no Bobby Hull, the most feared shooter arguably in the world. Probably would have included a few other stars, Gordie Howe? Bobby Orr didn't participate etc.
RED ARMY EAST
Registered User
The WHA, who tried to compete with the NHL, formed a Team Canada to compete against the Soviets, also in an 8 game series. It took place in 73 or 74?? They didn't have the same result.
Both of those teams would get their asses kicked today as in any other sport. Competition has become so much harder.
Orr was injured, so he couldn't have participated under any circumstances. Hull was the only player from the WHA who would have made a difference in 1972. The Canadian brass never dreamt that he would have been needed to beat a bunch of amateurs!
The Soviets were missing their best forward and scorer, Anatoli Firsov, who was also injured.
RED ARMY EAST
Registered User
Yes ORR was injured, but he also was the best player in Canada, perhaps the World at that time, I think most would agree, certainly from a NA perspective. He always wanted to play the Soviets and did get to to play them in the 1976 Canada Cup (MVP). 72 was also an exhibition series, not a tournament, that became much, much more.
Yakushev 72, as for Firsov, I am not familiar with him. Did he play in the 1976 Canada Cup?
Yakushev 72, as for Firsov, I am not familiar with him. Did he play in the 1976 Canada Cup?
Orr definitely, but bringing up Hull is a bit iffy in this discussion.
He played the same position as Paul Henderson.
We’ve covered this topic on this board about a million times I think.
There are people on this board that seem to think that Henderson was a slam dunk selection whether WHA players were available or not ... yeeeeah, I don’t know.
Neither team was at their best throughout the series in all honesty.
Canada was missing Orr, WHA guys and also players in the series who left to prepare for season (boy, do they regret that).
Soviet coach, Bobrov, also tinkered with the lineup constantly, even when Soviets were winning. I think he promised certain players that they would get to play before the tournament and didn’t want to break his word. I’m certain that was the case with old man Starshinov and Martinyuk, as Bobrov coached both at Spartak. Solodukhin and the “kids line” got their turns also. Soviets also had injury issues (I can get into the reasoning, but I don’t want to open that can of worms) throughout the tournament.
Honestly, I’m not surprised that Soviets lost the last 3 games with the likes of Volchkov, Mishakov, Bodunov, Shatalov and Lebedev.
Canada was missing Orr, WHA guys and also players in the series who left to prepare for season (boy, do they regret that).
Soviet coach, Bobrov, also tinkered with the lineup constantly, even when Soviets were winning. I think he promised certain players that they would get to play before the tournament and didn’t want to break his word. I’m certain that was the case with old man Starshinov and Martinyuk, as Bobrov coached both at Spartak. Solodukhin and the “kids line” got their turns also. Soviets also had injury issues (I can get into the reasoning, but I don’t want to open that can of worms) throughout the tournament.
Honestly, I’m not surprised that Soviets lost the last 3 games with the likes of Volchkov, Mishakov, Bodunov, Shatalov and Lebedev.
JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
- 19,785
- 15,428
Was Firsov injured, or was his situation more political, as in the case of Hull?
We will never know.
It sucks that he wasn’t there, not just for USSR team (maybe they would have lost anyway), but for his legacy.
In HHOF 2019 thread his name gets brought up, but I think there is NO WAY he has a chance. Guys like Mikhailov and Maltsev have a far better chance.
Peiskos
Registered User
- Jan 4, 2018
- 3,794
- 3,874
I wasn't alive during this series but I've seen highlights. Have to give respect to the Soviets, this was a Canadian team with Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Gilmour, Gartner, Hawerchuk, Anderson, Coffey, Bourque among many more, for the scores to have been so close is really a testament to just how good the Soviets were, I would say the closest thing to near equals at the time.
Firsov was 31 years old in 1972, which is considered to be still in his physical prime, but by 1976, he was considered to be too old. The Soviets chose to go with a younger, unproven roster in 1976. Kharlamov (injured), Petrov, Mikhailov, Yakushev, Shadrin, the core of the national team, were all kept out of the tournament so that younger guys could get a try-out, if you will. They apparently didn't consider the new tournament to be worth sending their best players.
From what I have read, he was a Tarasov loyalist who was subsequently removed from the national team, probably under the guise of a generic "injured" explanation.
JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
- 19,785
- 15,428
Big Phil
Registered User
- Nov 2, 2003
- 31,703
- 4,173
Those three games in 1987 were epic. All of them. I know the results of each game, when the goals are scored, and I STILL get shivers watching it. That overtime in Game 2...……….man oh man is that ever a perfect example of how Grant Fuhr could step up, and did.
Keenan built the team a little different, but it worked. Canada missed a lot of help from the back end. For a variety of reasons these were the missing Canadian defensemen: Robinson, Potvin, MacInnis, Stevens, Lowe, Wilson. Up front it isn't too shabby. I don't buy into the idea that Yzerman needed to be on the team, that was 1991. In 1987 the guy missing I thought was Denis Savard. Maybe they thought they had enough skill up front as it was and wanted more sandpaper, but I'd have loved to have seen Savard skate against that Soviet team.
Keenan built the team a little different, but it worked. Canada missed a lot of help from the back end. For a variety of reasons these were the missing Canadian defensemen: Robinson, Potvin, MacInnis, Stevens, Lowe, Wilson. Up front it isn't too shabby. I don't buy into the idea that Yzerman needed to be on the team, that was 1991. In 1987 the guy missing I thought was Denis Savard. Maybe they thought they had enough skill up front as it was and wanted more sandpaper, but I'd have loved to have seen Savard skate against that Soviet team.
By 87, wasn't Potvin starting to break down physically? He was about 34-35, which was considered old in 1987. But would be interesting to see people's idea for a Canada B team for that Tourney.
