1976 Canada Cup

Last updated

1976 Canada Cup
1976 Canada Cup Logo.gif
Tournament details
Host countryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Venue(s)6 (in 6 host cities)
DatesSeptember 2–15, 1976
Teams6
Final positions
Champions  Gold medal blank.svg Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada (1st title)
Tournament statistics
Games played17
Goals scored125 (7.35 per game)
Attendance244,970 (14,410 per game)
Scoring leader(s) Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Viktor Zhluktov (9 pts)
MVP Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Bobby Orr
1981  →

The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2 to 15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec City in Canada as well as in Philadelphia, in the United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991, organized by Alan Eagleson, and sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Hockey Canada and the National Hockey League (NHL).

Contents

The six-team, round robin tournament ended with a best-of-three final between the top two teams. Canada finished atop the standings and defeated Czechoslovakia in the final in two consecutive games. Bobby Orr was named the most valuable player of the tournament, and Viktor Zhluktov was the leading scorer.

The Canada Cup was the first true best-on-best world championship in hockey history as it allowed any player to represent their team regardless of amateur or professional status. The hockey was both exciting and entertaining, with one of the games being declared "best game of all time" by fans. Bobby Orr and Lanny MacDonald both claimed that winning the Canada Cup was more important to them than their Stanley Cup wins. Consequently, it marked the end of Canada's six-year boycott of the IIHF. The success of the event paved the way for greater use of professional players in the World Championship and Winter Olympics.

Background

The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) had complained for years that Team Canada faced a competitive disadvantage in international tournaments as it was restricted from using its best players, who were professionals in the National Hockey League (NHL), while European teams masked the status of their best players. [1] The issue came to a head in 1970 when International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) president Bunny Ahearne reneged on a promise to allow each team to use up to nine professional players at the 1970 World Championship. [2] In response, the CAHA withdrew Canada from all international competition until the IIHF gave it the right to use its best players as the European teams could. [3]

Around the same time, talks were begun to hold a friendly tournament between Canada's top players and the Soviet national team. [1] These talks culminated in the Summit Series in 1972 that was narrowly claimed by Canada's NHL all-stars. [4] A second Summit Series in 1974 saw the Soviets easily defeat the World Hockey Association's (WHA) top all-stars, but the two series created demand for a true best-on-best world championship. [5] It was during the 1974 Summit Series that National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) executive-director Alan Eagleson began negotiations with Soviet and European authorities to create such a tournament. [6] The negotiations, which grew to include the IIHF and Hockey Canada and lasted over two years, resulted in numerous agreements: Canada would return to international competition in 1977, the World Championships moved to an open format that allowed professionals to play and club teams of the Soviet League would tour North America and face NHL teams in exhibition games in what became the Super Series. The key agreement was the creation of the Canada Cup, to be held in 1976. [7]

Having gained international approval, Eagleson then convinced the NHLPA's players to support the tournament with promises of increased pension contributions resulting from their participation. The NHL's owners supported the concept after agreeing that half of the proceeds from the games would go to them. Some teams remained uneasy, however. The Philadelphia Flyers were afraid their players might suffer injuries in the tournament and vowed that no player from their roster would be permitted to play. They were convinced to back down on their threats after being promised two games would be played in Philadelphia with the Flyers receiving their share of the revenue. [7] Though the tournament was held in September so as not to interfere with the NHL season, league president Clarence Campbell remained skeptical of the tournament's viability, calling it "wasteful". [8]

Teams

Six teams competed in the 1976 Canada Cup. Canada was favoured to win as they had brought what was argued to be the strongest team in the nation's history to the tournament – 18 of the 25 players on the roster would later be elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. [5] Seeking its best possible roster, the Canadian team put aside the bitter rivalry between the NHL and WHA, selecting players from both leagues, though almost entirely from the NHL (Winnipeg Jets winger Bobby Hull was the only WHA player to skate in the tournament, while Cleveland Crusaders defenseman Paul Shmyr participated in training camp only). [9] Bobby Orr, plagued by growing knee problems nearly turned down the invitation to play before reconsidering, while goaltender Rogatien Vachon, who was not initially invited to join the team, wound up playing every minute in the Canadian goal. [10]

While the fans hoped for a Canada-Soviet Union final, analysts ranked the Soviets as only the fourth best team entering the tournament. [11] They chose to leave most of their elite players home for reasons that remain unclear. The potential of defections, or losing stars to North American professional hockey, are two possibilities. Officially, Soviet officials said many of their players were suffering from fatigue, though goaltender Vladislav Tretiak later claimed the omissions were the result of a power struggle between Olympic coach Boris Kulagin and Canada Cup team coach Viktor Tikhonov and that the former sought to undermine the latter by forcing him to coach a weaker team. [11]

The Soviets downplayed the importance of the tournament, stating their true focus was the World Championships and the Winter Olympics. [12] As a result, they sent a much younger, "experimental" team to Canada. [5] Valeri Kharlamov, considered by many to be their best forward, also did not play in the series, as he was recovering from serious injuries suffered in a car accident.

The Czechoslovak team was predicted to face Canada in the final by most experts as they brought the same team that won the 1976 World Championship a few months prior. Their goaltender, Jiří Holeček, was considered the best in the world outside the NHL. [13] Czechoslovak coach Karel Gut anticipated his team would emerge to show the world that there was "more to international hockey than Canada and the Soviet Union". [14] Sweden was ranked third entering the tournament and had a large mixture of amateurs and professionals who were playing in the NHL and WHA. [15] The United States and Finland rounded out the tournament and were not expected to be competitive. [16]

Round robin games

The tournament opened in Ottawa on September 2 as Finland faced a Canadian team focused on avoiding a sense of complacency following defeats against the Soviets in 1974 and 1975. [17] Rick Martin scored a hat trick to lead Canada in a rout of the Finns, 11–2. [18] Sweden then defeated the United States, 5–2, on the strength of four first period power play goals. Swedish star Börje Salming, who played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, was greeted with a five-minute standing ovation by the Toronto crowd prior to the game. [19]

The third game featured the world champion Czechoslovaks against the Olympic champion Soviets. Czechoslovakia justified pre-tournament expectations by winning 5–3 while the Soviets complained about the scheduling, claiming organizers deliberately matched them up against the Czechoslovaks in their opening game to set them at an early disadvantage in the tournament. [20] The Soviet complaints grew louder following a 3–3 tie against Sweden. While the Swedish press was hailing Salming as the greatest player in their nation's history after his second consecutive dominant effort, [21] the Soviets threatened to quit the tournament as they were upset about the officiating of Canadian referee Andre Legace. Organizers did not take the Soviet threats to quit the tournament seriously. [22]

The Czechoslovaks remained dominant, defeating the Finns 8–0 in a game where they out-shot their opponent 49–15. Czechoslovak goaltender Holeček recorded the first shutout in the tournament's history. [23] The Finns were similarly decimated by the Soviets, who did not withdraw from the tournament, by an 11–3 score. [24] Meanwhile, the Americans, criticized in the media as being "team useless" over their perceived lack of talent, earned a measure of respect when they lost to Canada 4–2 in a game where the outcome was not certain until the final minute of play, [25] then earned a 4–4 tie against the Czechoslovaks, and the respect of their coach, in a game played at Philadelphia. [26]

A 4–0 loss to Canada followed by a shocking 8–6 defeat at the hands of their Scandinavian rival Finland eliminated Sweden from contention. The Finns, who overcame a 4–1 deficit, felt the result vindicated their placement in the tournament while the Swedes considered the result an embarrassment. [27] The Soviets remained alive by defeating the United States 5–0 in Philadelphia while Canada faced the Czechoslovaks at the same time in Montreal. The game featured a goaltender battle between Canada's Rogatien Vachon and the Czechoslovak's Vladimír Dzurilla and was immediately claimed to be one of the greatest games of all time. [28] Milan Nový scored with less than five minutes to play to lift the Czechoslovaks to a 1–0 victory and assured them a place in the final. [29] The result meant that the winner of the Canada–Soviet Union game would claim the second spot in the final. [30]

Three games marked the final day of the round robin on September 11. The United States overcame a 2–0 deficit to defeat Finland 6–3 to finish fifth in the tournament. American co-general manager Tommy Ivan expressed his pride in his team's tournament, and predicted that this tournament had set the stage for the United States to grow into a contender in hockey. [31] The Swedes, meanwhile, earned a 2–1 victory over Czechoslovakia in a game that had no impact on the standings. [32]

While fans expected Canada and the Soviet Union would meet in the final, ultimately, they squared off in an unofficial semi-final. The two teams played the game at a furious pace, trading goals in a first period from which Canada emerged with a 2–1 lead. Canada extended their lead in the second period then relied on defenceman Bobby Orr's stellar play to hold off the Soviets and advance to the final. [33] As they had earlier in the tournament, the Soviets complained of biased officiating playing a role in the outcome of the game. [34]

Final

The 1976 Canada Cup final was a best-of-three series. The first game was played September 13 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The Czechoslovaks started Dzurilla in goal after his brilliant display against Canada in the round robin. [35] Dzurilla was unable to duplicate his success as Gilbert Perreault opened the scoring one minute into the game en route to a four-goal onslaught by the Canadians in the first period. [35] [36] The Czechoslovaks were stronger in the final 40 minutes, but were unable to beat Canada's Vachon, who recorded his second shutout of the tournament in a 6–0 victory for Canada. [35] During the game, the Czechoslovaks were angered when Canada's Steve Shutt crosschecked Jiří Novák from behind. Novak suffered a concussion and was unable to play the remainder of the series. Shutt, a skill player of smaller stature, was apologetic after the game, claiming he had not intended to hit his opponent in the fashion he did. [37]

Game two was played in the Montreal Forum on September 15. Jiri Holeček, who replaced Dzurilla in goal after the first period of the first game, started game two for Czechoslovakia, while Vachon remained in the Canadian net. [38] As they had in the first game, Canada jumped out to an early lead, scoring two goals in the first three minutes of play. Holeček was quickly pulled and replaced with Dzurilla, who completed the game. [38] The Czechoslovaks replied with a second period goal and another early in the third to tie the game. Bobby Clarke re-established the Canadian lead midway through the period before Josef Augusta and Marián Šťastný scored goals one minute apart to give Czechoslovakia its first lead, 4–3, with four minutes remaining in the third period. [39] Dzurilla was strong in net as the Canadians put 39 shots on goal in regulation time, but made a critical mistake with less than three minutes remaining. His attempt to clear a puck from his zone went instead to Canada's Bill Barber, who scored into an open net to tie the game and send it to overtime. [40]

The teams played an intense overtime period filled with end-to-end rushes and brilliant saves by the goaltenders. At one point, Canada's Guy Lafleur put a shot on net that snuck through the Czechoslovak goaltender, but Ivan Hlinka deliberately shoved the net out of place before the puck crossed the line. He received a delay of game penalty, but prevented a Canadian win. A few moments later, Guy Lapointe rifled a low shot that again beat Dzurilla, however this goal was also disallowed as the buzzer had sounded to end the first ten-minutes of the overtime period one-tenth of a second before it crossed the line. International rules of the time dictated that play was to be stopped at the ten-minute mark of each overtime period and the teams would switch the side of the ice they defended. [40] During the break, Canadian assistant coach Don Cherry noted to his team that Dzurilla often came far out of his net to defend and could be beaten on a shot from a sharp angle. [41]

Less than two minutes into the second half of the overtime period, Darryl Sittler received a pass from Marcel Dionne as he skated into the Czechoslovak zone close to the side boards. As Dzurilla came out to challenge, Sittler faked a shot that froze the goaltender, took two more strides then fired the puck into an open net. [36] The goal touched off a wild celebration amongst the Canadian players on the ice and the fans in the stands. Sittler's championship winning goal remains one of the most famous in hockey history. [40] During the celebrations, the players of both teams traded uniforms; Bobby Orr was presented with the Most Valuable Player award while wearing a Czechoslovak jersey. [42] Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau presented Canadian captain Bobby Clarke with the Canada Cup. [40]

Legacy

The tournament finale was the most watched television event in Canadian history at the time. 10,700,000 people were estimated to have watched the game, representing nearly half of all Canadians in 1976. [43] The team that represented Canada is still considered one of the greatest national teams ever to represent the nation in a hockey tournament. [44] For many players, winning the Canada Cup was the highlight of their careers. Bobby Orr and Lanny McDonald both rated winning this tournament ahead of winning the Stanley Cup. [44]

The Canada Cup established a new era in international hockey. It marked Canada's formal return to the international stage after a six-year boycott, [36] and was the first true best-on-best world championship in the sport's history. [45] For North American audiences, the tournament established that Czechoslovakia and Sweden could compete with Canada and the Soviet Union, while the Finns and Americans proved they were capable of playing with the sport's elite teams. [46]

Standings

TeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 5401226+168Advanced to final
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia 5311199+107
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 52122314+95Eliminated
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 52121618−25
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 51131421−73
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 51041642−262
Source: [ citation needed ]

Results

Round-robin

September 2, 1976 Canada  Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg11–2
(4–1, 2–0, 5–1)		Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Ottawa Civic Centre
Attendance: 9,500
Rogatien Vachon Goalies Antti Leppänen (07:11)
Markus Mattsson (52:49)
Martin, (Lafleur, Lapointe) – (PP) 03:541–0
Hull, (Orr, Potvin) – 06:382–0
Esposito (Hull, Orr) – 07:113–0
Hull – 12:204–0
4–117:09 – Oksanen (Peltonen)
Leach (Orr, Martin) – (PP) 23:135–1
Shutt (Savard, Mahovlich) – 26:066–1
Martin, (Potvin, Perreault) – 40:487–1
7–241:42 – Makkonen (Levo, Koskinen)
Esposito (Mahovlich, Savard) – 48:258–2
Martin, (Perreault, Lafleur) – 51:129–2
Perreault, (Lafleur, Martin) – 51:3810–2
Sittler – (SH) 55:5211–2
12 minPenalties6 min
42Shots24
September 3, 1976 United States  Flag of the United States.svg2–5
(0–5, 0–0, 2–0)		Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Maple Leaf Gardens
Attendance: 12,211
Mike Curran Goalies Hardy Åström
0–106:56 (PP2) – B. Salming (Johansson, Hammarström)
0–207:39 (PP) – R. Eriksson (Hedberg, Waltin)
0–314:16 (PP) – Hedberg, (Bergman, R. Eriksson)
0–415:45 – Widing (Lundström, Hammarström)
0–519:27 (PP) – Lundström (Widing, B. Salming)
Talafous, (Ftorek) – 44:211–5
Talafous, (Ftorek) – 58:242–5
34 minPenalties12 min
29Shots37
September 3, 1976 Soviet Union  Flag of the Soviet Union.svg3–5
(0–2, 1–1, 2–2)		Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia Montreal Forum
Attendance: 16,193
Vladislav Tretiak Goalies Jiří Holeček
0–112:09 – Nový (Pospíšil)
0–219:21 – Pospíšil (Augusta, Nový)
Maltsev – (SH) 21:071–2
1–339:38 – Nový (P. Šťastný, Machač)
Balderis (Shalimov) – 44:002–3
2–444:33 – B. Šťastný (Martinec, Novák)
2–553:06 – Martinec (Bubla)
Kovin, (Skvortsov, Gusev) – 53:593–5
12 minPenalties12 min
18Shots30
September 5, 1976 Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg3–3
(2–0, 0–1, 1–2)		Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union Montreal Forum
Attendance: 14,215
Hardy Åström Goalies Vladislav Tretiak
U. Nilsson (Hedberg, Bergman) – 07:481–0
B. Salming (Sjoberg, U. Nilsson) – (PP2) 13:122–0
2–129:42 – Kapustin (Maltsev, Vasiliev)
2–249:46 – Balderis (Zhluktov, Babinov)
2–351:24 – Kapustin (Maltsev, Repnev)
Hedberg (B. Salming) – 57:283–3
12 minPenalties12 min
33Shots20
September 5, 1976 Finland  Flag of Finland.svg0–8
(0–1, 0–3, 0–4)		Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia Maple Leaf Gardens
Attendance: 16,309
Antti Leppänen Goalies Jiří Holeček
0–110:34 – Martinec (E. Novák, B. Šťastný)
0–224:11 – Augusta (Nový, P. Šťastný)
0–331:22 – Ebermann (Kajkl, Hlinka)
0–439:21 – Bubla (Holík)
0–540:24 – Nový (Černík)
0–650:24 – Bubla (M. Šťastný)
0–755:26 (PP) – Chalupa (Dvořák)
0–859:00 – Pouzar (M. Šťastný, P. Šťastný)
14 minPenalties12 min
15Shots49
September 5, 1976 United States  Flag of the United States.svg2–4
(0–3, 2–0, 0–1)		Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Montreal Forum
Attendance: 16,339
Pete LoPresti Goalies Rogatien Vachon
0–14:47 (PP) – Esposito (Dionne, Orr)
0–212:51 (PP) – Mahovlich (Orr, Shutt)
0–318:15 – Hull (Dionne, Potvin)
Ahern (C. Bennett, Nyrop) – 30:331–3
Jensen – 36:392–3
2–459:47 (EN) – Sittler (Mahovlich)
12 minPenalties8 min
16Shots35
September 7, 1976 Soviet Union  Flag of the Soviet Union.svg11–3
(4–2, 4–1, 3–0)		Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Montreal Forum
Attendance: 16,500
Vladislav Tretiak Goalies Markus Mattsson (26:42)
Antti Leppänen (33:18)
Maltsev (Vasiliev, Kapustin) – (PP) 3:271–0
1–13:57 – Rautakallio (Hagman, Kapanen)
Zhluktov (Balderis, Alexandrov) – (PP) 7:192–1
Zhluktov (Vasiliev, Kapustin) – PP 9:143–1
Repnev (Guzev, Maltsev) – (PP) 13:494–1
4–218:23 – Makkonen (Koskinen, Rautiainen)
4–323:09 (PP) – Hagman (Nummelin)
Zhluktov (Guzev, Balderis) – 25:115–3
Maltsev (Kapustin) – 26:426–3
Kapustin (Repnev, Maltsev) – 28:557–3
Zhluktov (Balderis, Bilyaletdinov) – 30:128–3
Vikulov (Alexandrov, Zhluktov) – 49:099–3
Vikulov (Zhluktov, Guzev) – 56:2510–3
Kovin (Skvortsov, Belousov) – 57:1211–3
8 minPenalties8 min
41Shots31
September 7, 1976 Czechoslovakia  Flag of the Czech Republic.svg4–4
(0–0, 2–4, 2–0)		Flag of the United States.svg  United States Philadelphia Spectrum
Attendance: 17,077
Jiří Holeček (31:02)
Vladimír Dzurilla (28:58)		Goalies Mike Curran
Hlinka (Holík, P. Šťastný) – (PP) 21:061–0
1–125:21 – Hangsleben (Noris, O'Flaherty)
1–228:35 – Patrick (Bennett, Williams)
1–329:26 – Patrick (Williams, Bennett)
Bubla (Hlinka) – 30:132–3
2–431:02 – Ftorek (Milbury, Talafous)
Hlinka (M. Šťastný) – 45:303–4
Augusta (Nový) – 54:064–4
2 minPenalties10 min
35Shots25
September 7, 1976 Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg0–4
(0–1, 0–2, 0–1)		Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Maple Leaf Gardens
Attendance: 16,485
Hardy Åström Goalies Rogatien Vachon
0–14:12 – Hull (Esposito, Dionne)
0–231:11 – Gainey (McDonald, Savard)
0–339:40 – Dionne (Mahovlich)
0–450:26 – Gainey (Sittler, Orr)
8 minPenalties18 min
28Shots33
September 9, 1976 Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg6–8
(3–1, 2–4, 1–3)		Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Winnipeg Arena
Attendance: 8,037
Hardy Åström Goalies Antti Leppänen
Johansson (B. Salming, Lundström) – 10:151–0
1–114:51 – Rautiainen (Repo, Koskinen)
Hedberg (Labraaten) – 16:552–1
Hammarström (Johansson) – 17:163–1
Åhlberg (S. Salming, L. Eriksson) – (PP) 22:044–1
4–222:21 – Hagman (Tamminen)
4–324:12 (PP) – Makkonen (Rautakallio, Riihiranta)
4–428:02 – Levo (Makkonen, Koivulahti)
L. Eriksson (Åhlberg, Brasar) – 30:565–4
5–534:35 – Tamminen (Hagman, Levo)
5–642:55 – Oksanen (Koivulahti, Riihiranta)
5–752:55 – Oksanen (Koivulahti)
5–854:24 (PP) – Tamminen (Repo, Hagman)
R. Eriksson (Lundström, Vikström) – (PP) 57:146–8
8 minPenalties8 min
36Shots31
September 9, 1976 Soviet Union  Flag of the Soviet Union.svg5–0
(3–0, 1–0, 1–0)		Flag of the United States.svg  United States Philadelphia Spectrum
Attendance: 13,776
Vladislav Tretiak Goalies Mike Curran
Alexandrov (Gusev, Vikulov) – 4:391–0
Alexandrov (Zhluktov, Vikulov) – 10:392–0
Zhluktov (Alexandrov, Vikulov) – 13:543–0
Vikulov (Kulikov) – 22:414–0
Repnev (Golikov) – 57:465–0
18 minPenalties32 min
30Shots22
September 9, 1976 Czechoslovakia  Flag of the Czech Republic.svg1–0
(0–0, 0–0, 1–0)		Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Montreal Forum
Attendance: 17,346
Vladimír Dzurilla Goalies Rogatien Vachon
M. Nový (Augusta, Martinec) – 55:411–0
4 minPenalties4 min
23Shots29
September 11, 1976 Finland  Flag of Finland.svg3–6
(2–0, 0–4, 1–2)		Flag of the United States.svg  United States Montreal Forum
Attendance: 12,427
Antti Leppänen Goalies Pete LoPresti
Repo (Rautakallio, Hagman) – 17:121–0
Linnonmaa (Koivulahti) – 19:452–0
2–127:20 – Ahern (Polich, Bennett)
2–232:29 – Ftorek (Hangsleben, Milbury)
2–336:03 – Milbury (Patrick, Williams)
2–439:48 – Ftorek (Talafous, Milbury)
2–548:03 – Nyrop (Patrick, Nanne)
2–650:04 – Polich (Nanne, Bennett)
Rautakallio (Linnonmaa, Riihiranta – (PP) 55:553–6
8 minPenalties18 min
23Shots24
September 11, 1976 Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg2–1
(0–0, 0–1, 2–0)		Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia Colisée de Quebec
Attendance: 7,500
Goran Hogosta Goalies Vladimír Dzurilla
0–111:03 (PP) – Martinec (Machač)
B. Salming (Sjöberg, L. Eriksson) – (PP) 40:311–1
B. Salming (Sjöberg, R. Eriksson) – (PP) 47:412–1
6 minPenalties20 min
25Shots28
September 11, 1976 Canada  Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg3–1
(2–1, 1–0, 0–0)		Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union Maple Leaf Gardens
Attendance: 16,485
Rogatien Vachon Goalies Vladislav Tretiak
Perreault (Potvin, Lafleur) – (PP) 7:081–0
1–110:22 – Vikulov Alexanrov, Lutchenko)
Hull (Perreault, Potvin – 17:022–1
Barber (Clarke, Lapointe) – 37:333–1
6 minPenalties6 min
43Shots28

Final (best of three)

September 13, 1976 Canada  Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg6–0
(4–0, 0–0, 2–0)		Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia Maple Leaf Gardens
Attendance: 16,485
Rogatien Vachon Goalies Vladimír Dzurilla (20:00)
Jiří Holeček (40:00)
Perreault (Dionne, Hull) – 01:051–0
Potvin (Sittler, Lapointe) – 07:562–0
Orr (Esposito) – (PP) 13:343–0
Lafleur (Shutt, Orr) – 17:014–0
Orr (Esposito, Lapointe) – (PP) 51:355–0
D. Sittler (D. Potvin) – 59:596–0
10 minPenalties10 min
34Shots24
September 15, 1976 Czechoslovakia  Flag of the Czech Republic.svg4–5 OT
(0–2, 1–0, 3–2, 0–1)		Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Montreal Forum
Attendance: 18,040
Jiří Holeček (03:09)
Vladimír Dzurilla (68:24)		Goalies Rogatien Vachon
0–101:25 – Perreault (Lafleur, Potvin)
0–203:09 – Esposito (Potvin)
Nový (Martinec, Machač) – (PP) 29:441–2
Pouzar (M. Šťastný, Chalupa) – 42:142–2
2–347:48 (PP) – Clarke (Hull, Perreault) PP
Augusta (Machač, Martinec) – (PP) 55:013–3
M. Šťastný (Holík, Bubla) – 56:004–3
4–457:48 – Barber (Leach, Clarke)
4–571:33 – Sittler (Dionne, McDonald)
14 minPenalties10 min
25Shots39

Statistical leaders

Scoring

PlayerTeamGPGAPtsPIM
Viktor Zhluktov Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 55490
Bobby Orr Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 72798
Denis Potvin Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 718916
Bobby Hull Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 75382
Milan Nový Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia 75382
Gilbert Perreault Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 74482
Vladimir Vikulov Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 44370
Börje Salming Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 54372
Phil Esposito Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 74370
Alexander Maltsev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 53472
Vladimír Martinec Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia 73472

Goaltending

PlayerTeamGPMinWLTSOSV%GAA
Rogatien Vachon Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 74326102.9401.39
Vladimír Dzurilla Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia 52281211.9202.36
Vladislav Tretiak Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 53002121.9122.80
Pete LoPresti Flag of the United States.svg  United States 21201100.8953.00
Jiří Holeček Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia 52032101.8613.25
Minimum 120 minutes played [47]

Awards

RecipientTeam
Most Valuable Player
Bobby Orr Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
All-Star team
G – Rogatien Vachon Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
D – Bobby Orr Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
D – Börje Salming Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
F – Aleksandr Maltsev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
F – Milan Nový Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia
F – Darryl Sittler Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Team MVPs
Rogatien Vachon Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Milan Nový Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia
Matti Hagman Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Aleksandr Maltsev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Börje Salming Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Robbie Ftorek Flag of the United States.svg  United States

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References

Notes
  1. 1 2 Carroll, Dick (May 19, 1970). "Brundage may help Canada by banning Olympic hockey". Montreal Gazette. p. 18. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  2. ↑ McKinley, 2006, p. 184
  3. ↑ "Canada pulls out of international hockey play". Montreal Gazette. January 5, 1970. p. 13. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  4. ↑ McKinley, 2006, p. 224
  5. 1 2 3 "1976 Canada Cup". Hockey Canada. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  6. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 8
  7. 1 2 Pelletier, 2003, p. 9
  8. ↑ Morrissey, Bob (October 27, 1976). "Canada Cup 'wasteful' says Clarence Campbell". Montreal Gazette. p. 35. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  9. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 10
  10. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 11
  11. 1 2 Pelletier, 2003, p. 13
  12. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 14
  13. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 15
  14. ↑ Gilbert, Doug (August 18, 1976). "Czechs, Swedes gang up for assault on Canada Cup". Montreal Gazette. p. 23. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  15. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 16
  16. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, pp. 14, 16
  17. ↑ "Canada opens Cup tourney". Sarasota Journal. September 2, 1976. p. 6D. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  18. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 17
  19. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 19
  20. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 21
  21. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 23
  22. ↑ "Soviets may quit Canada Cup". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. September 7, 1976. p. 3C. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  23. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 25
  24. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 27
  25. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 26
  26. ↑ "Americans surprise in Canada Cup play". Toledo Blade. September 8, 1976. p. 35. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  27. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 33
  28. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 35
  29. ↑ Juliano, Joe (September 10, 1976). "Reds thump U.S.; Canada surprised". Schenectady Gazette. p. 20. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  30. ↑ "Team Canada faces elimination". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. September 11, 1976. p. 3C. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  31. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 37
  32. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 38
  33. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 40
  34. ↑ "Ousted Soviets rap officials". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. September 13, 1976. p. 3C. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  35. 1 2 3 Pelletier, 2003, p. 41
  36. 1 2 3 "Canada Cup 1976 summary". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  37. ↑ "Canada ready to claim Cup". Sarasota Journal. September 15, 1976. p. 4C. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  38. 1 2 Pelletier, 2003, p. 43
  39. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 46
  40. 1 2 3 4 Pelletier, 2003, p. 45
  41. ↑ Morrissey, Bob (September 16, 1976). "We're No. 1 – in all the whole wide world". Montreal Gazette. p. 15. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  42. ↑ "Sitter goal wins Canada Cup in overtime". Montreal Gazette. September 16, 1976. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  43. ↑ "Record audience for last Canada Cup game". Val D'or Star. September 22, 1976. p. 15.
  44. 1 2 "1976 Canada Cup champions honoured in Halifax". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 6, 2008. Archived from the original on August 9, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  45. ↑ "First Canada Cup opens up the hockey world". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  46. ↑ Pelletier, 2003, p. 47
  47. ↑ "1976 Canada Cup goaltending statistics" (PDF). Hockey Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
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