Customer Reviews

Canada's Team Of The Century (Region 1 DVD) 1972 Canada Vs. U.S.S.R. Games 1-8

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I first saw some of the Summit Series replayed on TV a few years back. I'd heard and read a bit about it. Once I watched the games and went to all the websites I realized just how momentous this was at the time. You had all the elements of prime time drama. Our national heroes suffer a humiliating first-game loss when everyone expected them to annihilate the Soviets. They come back with a gutsy win at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, have a lead get away on them and end up with a tie in Game 3 (felt more like a loss) and then the fourth game in Vancouver when the Soviets skate laps around us. No matter what their social background or the way they were developed, the Soviets proved they were just as talented, physically robust and courageous as North Americans were. They took a commanding 2 games to 1 lead and the Canadian public basically blacklists and disowns Team Canada as a bunch of 'frauds' and 'slackers'. Hence the famous TV tirade by Esposito when he acknowledged what we were up against and that the players were really busting it despite a comparative lack of conditioning.....Then they go behind the Iron Curtain, contending with late night phone calls, stolen equipment and constant harassment from Soviet bureaucrats. Seemingly on their own in a foreign land, they unexpectedly see 3000 Canadians fly half way around the world to fill Luzhniki Arena. They play a strong Game 5, only to have it slip away from them late. Now they are close to contending with their Russian foes every step of the way. Game Six features Team Canada battling the Soviets and some questionable refereeing, as they make it a series again. The seventh game, a dramatic hard checking defensive battle sees it 2-2 going to the third period. Gilbert scores making it 3-2, but a Canadian penalty sees the Soviets tie it up. And then perhaps one of the most infamous cheap shots in hockey history, as Bergman and Mikhailov get into a massive scrum along the boards. Mikhailov kicks Bergman skate blade first and the victim responds with a piston house right on the kicker's jaw. And that Henderson guy ends up beating 2 Russian defenceman and then Tretiak for the winner. All tied up with 1 game left. Soviet officials realize how close they are to losing this political prize, so they try some back room trickery. They attempt to bring back the 2 biased German referees who worked the sixth game . Canada draws the line, and says they wont play if they don the whistle. One of the greatest games of all time almost got cancelled! So each team gets to pick one ref. All taken care of right? Nope...Canada finds itself 2 men down 3 min in and Yakushev makes it 1-0. Then Parise gets called for interference, and tensions come to a head as he gestures as if to slash the German official . Parise gets tossed, Team Canada throws a fit...And yet somehow, we hang in there. It goes back and forth. A late 2nd period burst sees Russia up 5-3 with one to go. Cue Esposito for the goal to make it 5-4. Then Cournoyer ties it all up. But not without more drama. The goal judge does not put the light on , and Eagleson feels theyre going to be cheated again by Mother Russia. Trying to get to the scorers booth to ensure the goal counts, he's picked off by Soviet soldiers. Team Canada charges over the boards and fends off the captors. Eagleson gives a middle finger salute to the goal judge and the Soviet big wigs in the stands as hes escorted back by the players. The USSR says theyll claim a series win if the game ends in a tie based on goal differential. There's a goal mouth scramble, and then perhaps the most famous broadcaster's call in sports history ......Canada does the unthinkable. Beats the Soviets coming back from a 2 game deficit on THEIR ice. Sticking it to all the officials and politicians who tried to foil them, re-establishing themselves as national heros and changing the game forever. You tell me how a modern Hollywood script-writer can beat this! It is in my books the greatest series ever played in hockey history.

Do you remember when the NHL (National Hockey League) should've been called the CHL (Canadian Hockey League), or when the U.S.S.R. was known as the C.C.P.? If you're reading this review you probably do. Those were the good old days!

When you talk about the "Summit Series" you are talking about the "Golden Age of Hockey" when two world dynasties divided the ice between two warring idealogies and playing styles. Canada ruled the Western Hemisphere while Russia dominated the Eastern World. The only problem was that because of the existing guidelines governing international competition they weren't allowed to play each other. Professionals (i.e.: the NHL players) weren't allowed to participate in international events because they were designated for amateurs only.

Conversely, the Soviet team, who were also military personal, were allowed to maintain their amateur status. The argument being they were paid for being soldiers, not hockey players (POLITICS!).

In 1972 when Russia agreed to face Canada on the ice in an eight game series, four in each country, the sports world came to a standstill. The Soviets were determined to prove that their reputation as the best in the world was deserved, while the Canadians believed that their day of redemption was close at hand.

Remember, it was the time of the "Cold War" and Russia was the enemy. There was nothing nice about these athletic confrontations, both sides truly hated each other. And why shouldn't they? Both teams were the best in the world, but that was all they had in common. When they played each game became the microcosm for our world in conflict. It was East versus West, Communism versus Capitalism, God versus Satan. To win was more than just a matter of retaining National Pride, it was a justification for a way of life.

This 4 disc set is for the hardcore fan who loves "Old School" hockey. Be forewarned, the eight game series presented on these DVD's are exactly what was televised across Canada in '72. If your old enough to remember that long ago you know how poor the viewing quality was back then. Just remember it's not necessarily quality of picture you're after here, it's history, hockey history! When you hear those famous words, "HENDERSON HAS SCORED FOR CANADA!" you'll finally understand what it was all about.

The Summit Series was a once in a lifetime event never to be repeated and probably the only opportunity you'll ever have to see some of the legendary Soviet players like Valeri Kharlamov and Vladislav Tretiak who were never allowed to leave Russia and play in the NHL. Buy this DVD set while you still can.

More than just a game, it was a time when Hockey was Religion!

One of the best hockey series of all time if not the best. The goaltending of Tretyak and Tony Esposito is phenomenal. It pins two of the greatest hockey teams ever assembled against one another in a battle between nations. It is truly a must have for any hockey fan. It is amazing to see the contrasting styles between the two teams and how the game today has changed and been created as a result of combining these two styles of play. Just a great series and like I said a must have.

We got this on sale at Blockbuster because my 7 year-old hockey fanatic son wanted to see "live" hockey. They found this for us and it has been fabulous. He has enjoyed watching every game and in the beginning had no idea Canada was going to win. He then proceeded to get the book, "The Greatest Goal" by Mike Leonetti and then some of the suspense was lost. Still, it didn't deter from his enjoyment and ours as well. A great historic series -- if you or your child loves watching hockey, it is a must. The picture and sound quality occasionally falters but it still holds up.The Greatest Goal (Hockey Heroes Series)

Seeing it is like your wathing the game for real. You will jump at every goal.

THIS IS A GREAT DVD WITH GREAT HOCKEY ACTION. THE ONLY PROBLUM I HAVE WITH IT IS THAT THE GAMES THAT TOOK PLACE IN RUSSIA WERE NOT GOOD QUALITY AND SEEMED TO BREAK UP AT TIMES. THE BEST GAMES WERE THE GAMES THAT WERE PLAYED IN CANADA. MY FAVORITE GAMES WERE GAMES 1 AND 8.