This Day in Hockey History – September 2, 1976 – O Canada, they stood on guard for thee

Sep 2, 2019

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Canada felt that it was high time to compromise concerning international play. Back in 1970, Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) began a boycott of all international competition through the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). They found it unfair that they could not send professionals to represent the country when European teams were not upfront about the amateur or professional status of their players. Thus, Canada set up two Summit Series in which the NHL would play the Soviet Union in 1972 and the WHA would play them in 1974. These popularized the idea of a true best-on-best world championship in which players of any status could participate. Thus, the first Canada Cup tournament began on September 2, 1976.

Over the course of two years, a compromise was reached. Canada would compete internationally again, the World Championships would allow professionals, Soviet Union teams would play Super Series in North America, and the Canada Cup tournament would be held. The executive-director of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA), Alan Eagleson not only organized those negotiations but also brought the association’s players and the NHL owners on board. The former were promised increased pensions, and the latter would receive half the proceeds from the tournament games.

The Canada Cup was scheduled for early September, before the NHL season started. The games would be played in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Quebec City. In the U.S., Philadelphia also played host as a compromise to the Philadelphia Flyers, who put up a fuss about their players potentially being injured. The round-robin tournament would end with a best-of-three final.

Six teams competed in the 1976 Canada Cup – Canada, U.S., Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Finland, and the Soviet Union. All six flags were raised at the opening ceremony, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) band played all six national anthems.

Naturally, Team Canada played in the opening game. The team was packed with NHL stars and the WHA’s Bobby Hull (who had been ineligible at the 1972 Summit Series). After the Summit Series had shown that Canada’s overconfidence was unfounded, they entered this tournament much more cautiously. In the opening game against Finland, held at Ottawa’s Civic Centre, they need not have worried.

Canada crushed Finland 11-2. Within the first 7:11 of the game, Richard Martin, Bobby Hull, and Phil Esposito all scored, and Hull followed up with a second at 12:20. Esposito remarked, “I’ve never in my life seen such pourin’ it on like that in my life. Clarke’s line set the pattern and we just followed.” As Coach Scotty Bowman explained, “We got those quick goals and that immediately took any pressure off. So the guys just naturally let up a bit. We needed all those goals. Under the tournament rules in case of a tie, it will be broken on goal average. This gives us a plus of nine right off the bat. We know what we have to do.” At the end of the second period, the Canadians already led 6-1. By the end, Martin had three goals and two assists, but he humbly commented, “I can’t say I played an exceptional game. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

Hull kept things in perspective. “We can’t afford to go up against any of these teams and figure we’ll run them out of the rink. We have to work our butts off right from the start every time.” Of Team Finland, he commented, “I didn’t think they did too badly for a country that size. They don’t have that much to choose from. You ask me, sure they belong in the tournament. They’re a little country trying to improve their hockey.” Bobby Orr chimed in, “They’re pretty smart hockey players. They move the puck pretty well but by the same token our forwards really forechecked them.”

Team Finland knew they would be the underdogs, but they also admitted to being a bit out of their depth. A former NHL defenseman, Carl Brewer, served as their assistant coach. He originally joked, “We’re bringing over reindeer milk, our secret weapon. We couldn’t bring the reindeer themselves, because you know how Canadians are about customs.” More seriously, he explained, “Our guys were a little awed by the people they were playing against. They’re young and they’re inexperienced, and when we get behind against a team like that, we just haven’t got the depth of talent to come back.” Defenseman Heikki Riihiranata (member of the WHA Winnipeg Jets), added, “Our players aren’t use to this kind of play. Our goalie Antii Leppanen has never seen so many players in front of him. They don’t play like that in Europe. He complained that he couldn’t see the shots.” After the game, retired superstar Jean Beliveau presented an Eskimo stone carving to Matti Hagman as MVP of Team Finland.

Three issues cropped up during the game. One had to do with Canada’s captain, Bobby Clarke (of the Flyers), who collapsed at 4:03 into the third period. Grimacing from the pain, he said, “Nah, nobody hit me. I just tripped and fell and the thing (leg) got caught underneath me.” The doctor who looked him over thought he had stretched his achilles tendon but sent him to the hospital for x-rays. One of the men in the room as he was being checked said morosely, “If they lose Clarke for the tournament, Team Canada has lost its soul.” Linemate Bill Barber commented, “Jee’, I’d like to see Bobby come back. But these things happen and you just have to pick up the slack.” Defenseman Larry Robinson agreed, saying, “You’re always going to miss a player of Clarke’s caliber but the thing about this team is we’ve got guys like Sittler and Dionne (Marcel) who can go in and play just as well in that spot. That’s probably why the team was picked the way it was.” He ended up missing Canada’s second game, on September 5, against the U.S.

The other two problems concerned the arena. Of the about 9,500 in attendance, at least 150 (who had paid for better seats) had their view badly obscured by scaffolding erected for the RCMP band to play opening ceremony and period breaks. Then, during the final period, water came pouring down to center ice from the roof, leaving a puddle and softened ice. It was not raining, but the leak was caused by cleaners in the concourse overflowing a sink. The minor waterfall lasted for about five minutes.

Team Canada went on to defeat every other team besides Czechoslovakia, whom they then faced for the finals. In two hard-fought games, Canada came out of the tournament as the ultimate winners. Orr was named MVP, and Clarke was presented with the Canada Cup (by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau). No less than 18 of the 25 members of Team Canada became Hall-of-Famers. The Canada Cup tournament was played four more times, until 1991.