Customer Reviews

Team Canada 1974: The Lost Series

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Game 1:

Quebec City (att: 10,200 capacity)

Highly enjoyable game! Great Video Quality (better than any of the 76 Team Canada Series Games). Wide open action for much of the game. Older (average age 29) Team Canada makes smart line changes and doesn't overcommit forwards, to stay with USSR (average age 24).

- Bobby Hull and Tretiak put in superb performances.
- Lacroix sets up two big goals.
- Cheevers and J.C. Tremblay keep Team Canada in the game, as they are outplayed in the first two periods.
- Rick Ley consistently has trouble getting out of his own zone (scary).
- Paul Shmyr plays well, except for taking two dumb penalties - one that leads to a PP goal.
- Rick Smith and Stapleton also have trouble getting out of their own zone, but are less scary than Ley.
- Howe plays extremely well, considering his age (46!)
- Fast Rejean Houle is all over the place, but can't put any of his shots away.
- Slow/Big forwards Bernier and F. Mahovilich blow game winners, last (fed from Howe) with seconds left.

FINAL: Canada 3 - USSR 3


Game 2:

Toronto (att: 16,300 capacity)

Tickets were selling for $100/pair (in 1974!). Team Canada jumps out to early lead... on a hot night, play is fairly slow for final two periods - a real nailbiter up until the last few minutes.

- Lacroix scores 1, and assists on another Hull goal.
- Cheevers and J.C. Tremblay continue to impress.
- Pat Stapleton plays a solid game.
- Gordie Howe sent to hospital for X-Rays on ribs.
- Marty Howe plays sporadically.
- Mike Walton stymied by Tretiak on a penalty shot, and about 3 other breakaways. Houle stymied multiple times as well.

FINAL: Canada 4 - USSR 1


Game 3:

Winnipeg (att: 10,100 capacity)

From the outset, there was a totally different feel in this game than the first two. Team Canada sprinkles some new players into the lineup - Don Mcleod spells an overworked Gerry Cheevers (and they obviously give up a lot there), and Gordie Howe is replaced by Jim Harrison, who was little better than an average player in the WHA at the time(and a mediocre NHL player a couple of years later), and not up to the level of the Soviets.

- Canada forwards start giving Soviets outnumbered attacks early in game
- Soviet powerplay anemic in first period - McGregor opens scoring with shorthanded goal
- Tom Webster replaced Houle in lineup(only speedster on team), and now the "French Collection" line as slow as the rest... but Webster manages to do what Houle couldn't - score a goal.
- Tadif finally starts to show something
- McKenzie ineffective.
- Out of Shape Frank Mahovlich doesn't play
- Al Hamilton replaces Rick Ley in lineup
- Lot of goals in a meaningless 3rd period - Henderson picks up 2

Houle should have been moved to the Lacroix/Hull line and replaced McKenzie (but, that line had been playing so well up until this game, that you can't blame the coach for not doing what is obvious in hindsight).

FINAL: USSR 8 - Canada 5


Game 4:

Vancouver (att: 15,772)

Another totally different atmosphere and game... Amazing first period action!

- Gordie Howe ties game at 2-2
- Hull scores hat trick in first period
- Mahovlich looks to be getting into shape - also scores in first period
- Stapleton plays extremely well on defence, and sets up goals as well
- Mike Walton's play, while unproductive in 1st 3 games, drops to anemic in Game 4; both USSR goals in 1st period come on his shifts, and can be directly attributable to "lack of hustle" on Shakey's part.
- Shmyr plays a super 2nd period, on multiple occassions boldly faking numerous Soviets out of their jocks deep in his end, and then bringing the puck up himself and making good passes.
- Great hustle by McKenzie, McGregor, and Backstrom.
- USSR ties game late in 3rd Period.

FINAL: Canada 5 - USSR 5


Game 5:
Moscow - Game Video/Audio Totally Worthless, not included in DVD set.
FINAL: USSR 3 - Canada 2


Game 6:
Moscow Luzhniki Sports Palace (att: ~12,000)

Audio missing through much of 1st period - and is bad quality during those portions that came through at all... it is amazing to think that mankind was so primitive in 1974, that satellite TV was barely working - yet, oddly enough, the Soviet(European?) TV screen overlay indicating time left in the period/penalties is actually more advanced than Canadian technology was in 1974.

- Rick Ley gets burned, leading to breakaway goal right off opening faceoff. He plays hard later to try to make up for it, but the damage is done.
- Soviets score a PPG a couple minutes later.
- As in Game 4, Gordie Howe ties the score at 2-2, but it is all USSR after that.

About 2,500 Canadian fans traveled to Russia for the series, and they are quite vocal in this fairly small arena with low ceiling. The "Palace" doesn't appear to seat more than about 11,000(listed as 13,700 on Wiki, but for hockey that would have to be significantly smaller), and there isn't a large central scoreboard as in American & Canadian arenas.

FINAL: USSR 5 - Canada 2


Game 7:
Moscow Luzhniki Sports Palace (att: ~12,000)

Video and audio are an improvement over Game 6, but audio still loaded with background of hum, pops, squeels, RTTY and voice bleedover, etc. - you can make out the announcers OK, but the background noises are really something "for the ages".

- Russians open scoring again, and increase lead to 2-0 in 1st period.
- Webster replaces McKenzie on Hull line, and gets going with a goal from Lacroix feed.
- Walton sits out again, replaced by Jim Harrison, who is simply too slow for this level of play... Walton should have played, unless he was unfit for some reason.
- Backstrom gets beautiful feed from Mark Howe and flies around Russian defense, and finally beats Tretiak with a backhand deek between his legs; Backstrom is amazingly fast and in great shape at 37 years old.
- Gordie Howe draws penalty, PPG ensues with Tremblay, Hull, Mark Howe, Gordie Howe & Backstrom on the ice.
- Russians come right back with two goals, Rick Ley is on ice for both... first is PPG, and 2nd can be directly attributable to Ley's poor play on Defense.

FINAL: Canada 4 - USSR 4


Game 8:
Moscow Luzhniki Sports Palace (att: ~12,000)

Just before the start of the game, the Soviet Sports Association states that it "will stop play" at the first occurrance of "rough play". HA! Anyway, Team Canada sits Paul Shmyr and John McKenzie, perhaps their two "roughest" players... Rick Smith and Paul Henderson sit too... Rick Ley continues to play, even with the plethora of mistakes he has made throughout the series... this is definately the weakest skating lineup Canada fields in the series(the game where Cheevers sat was probably the weakest overall). Tretiak sits on the Russian side, replaced by an obviously inferior goalie.

- Game starts out EXTREEEEMLY slow, probably due to the Soviet "threat" (how in the heck do you play hockey without being "rough"?)
- First penalty goes to Webster for "roughing"!
- Harrison, Walton, and Mahovlich are put on new 3rd line
- Soviet "roughness" whining tactic backfires when Hull "trips" over Soviet stick and draws a penalty to choruses of "reverse whining" by Canadian bench! This leads to PPG by J.C. Tremblay on point shot that caroms like a pinball into the back of the net.
- Harrison spends much of the 2nd period in the sin bin for running around bashing people in the head with his stick... one is a 5-minute major for busting open a Russians skull... then the Canadians are two down on a Mark Howe crosscheck - so, obviously they send 46-year-old Dad out to kill the two man disadvantage - and he JC Tremblay and Stapleton do it until the 2nd period ends! Russians proceed to score at beginning of 3rd period.
- Then, just when you think this is the most boring game ever, Rick Ley makes a BEAUTIFUL 100 ft. pass to Gordie Howe just before the Center Red Line, Howe then sets up Backstrom who buries it to tie things at 2-2.

Game started with audio quality improving to the best yet of the 4 games in Soviet Russia, but the video quality actually goes down in this game (too washed out at first, then occassional & almost predictible freezes, then occasional vertical lines, then deteriorates to increasingly worse breakups - a Technician's DREAM and a Producer's NIGHTMARE of an assortment and variety of satellite video quality problems). During 2nd period, the video improves, but the audio starts squeeling, popping, test toning, with adjacent RTTY & audio channel bleeding and occasional old style telephone dialing signals - yes, DIALING SIGNALS (which only us folks over 40 will even remember the sound of)... I can just see some technician fiddling with this analog system, attempting to balance all the problems - it is almost humorous... and in this meaningless 8th game, what else can I do but laugh at the plethora of technical problems both on and off the ice.

FINAL: USSR 3 - Canada 2

It's a great production considering the quality of broadcasts in the Soviet Union were junk. The doucmentary is great too. Seeing Gordie, Mark, Marty, Hull, the Big M, and all the other greats was inspirational. Gordie could play in any era and dominate; Hull too. The reffing was crap though.
A++++ A must have for hockey enthusiasts@!

This is a great series with very entertaining hockey. Featuring NHL/WHA stars like Gordie Howe, Gerry Cheevers and Bobbie Hull, and Soviet stars like Mikhailov, Tretyak, and Kharlamov. Game 1 is one of the best hockey games I have ever seen with Kharlamov scoring one of the nicest goals you can see. I was very impressed with the hockey and it is a nice addition to the collection. A little disappointed with game 5 missing and the lack of audio from the game in Russia.