1987 Canada Cup, Canada vs. USSR

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Tb0ne

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Nov 29, 2004
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In 1987, I was three years old so you can imagine I missed a lot of great hockey and great players of the 1980's.

I recently bought Blade Wars, which is the DVD set of the 1987 Canada Cup, Canada vs. USSR and I am amazed about how much different hockey was back then. Even though the team I watch, the Vancouver Canucks is known for playing a more wide open offense first entertaining style of hockey they do not even come close to the game I have watch so far.

Now, I realize that these are the two best hockey nations at the time, but it seriously seems to go 3-4 minutes without a stop in play, the game actually has flow.
They need to bring that back to the NHL because this so much more entertaining.

Was the NHL like this as well (in 1987) ? with large periods of time without constant stoppages in play?

P.S. Is it just me or did Mario Lemeiux seem like a giant compared to most players back then?
 
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Big Phil

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Hockey was different then. Much, much better. That was the late 80s though probably the best time ever to watch a Hockey game. That was some very entertaining Hockey as well. We will never see that agian I dont think. The Can/USa gold medal game in Salt Lake was entertaining but the '87 CC rerached new heights.
 

#66

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Tb0ne said:
In 1987, I was three years old so you can imagine I missed a lot of great hockey and great players of the 1980's.

I recently bought Blade Wars, which is the DVD set of the 1987 Canada Cup, Canada vs. USSR and I am amazed about how much different hockey was back then. Even though the team I watch, the Vancouver Canucks is known for playing a more wide open offense first entertaining style of hockey they do not even come close to the game I have watch so far.

Now, I realize that these are the two best hockey nations at the time, but it seriously seems to go 3-4 minutes without a stop in play, the game actually has flow.
They need to bring that back to the NHL because this so much more entertaining.

Was the NHL like this as well (in 1987) ? with large periods of time without constant stoppages in play?

P.S. Is it just me or did Mario Lemeiux seem like a giant compared to most players back then?
He was pretty huge for that time. If there's a way that you can get game tapes, look at Larry Robinson in the 70's and Beliveau in the 50's. They look like giants among men.
 

wilka91*

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I just wanna say one thing : when I got the tape from the last game, I was so excited about it, everyone was saying it's one of the best hockey games ever played ... so I watched it ... and in the end I almost burned this damn video.

Let me explain myself : at the end of the 3rd period Lemieux takes the puck, skates into the zone, takes his time, and shoots. But the only problem is that on that same play, the defensement who was defending against Lemieux was hooked by Hawerchuk and for "some" reason the Canadian ref didn't call a penalty. And that's funny cause when it happened Hawerchuk wasn't skating as if expecting a call. Most obvious penalty ever ... but the crowd and the country wouldn't have liked if the Ruskies were given a PP instead.

But if we put aside this little "accident", they were the best 3 hockey games ever.
 

espo*

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Ah big f'in deal,earlier on in the game we get a goal scored on us because a Russkie hooks Ray Bourque and no call......led directly to a breakaway goal for the bad guys against us. Just appreciate the series for what it was...some of the best hockey ever played. If not,burn the damn tape then.
 

monkey_00*

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Tb0ne said:
How much more entertaining was the NHL itself?

TbOne.........

Those were great and exciting times here in Hamilton at the Copps Coliseum..........I was at the 2 Final games here in Hamilton I sat right behind the Team Canada bench and I am on that video........everytime the camera zooms onto the Team Canada bench there I am right behind the players.........

Anyhow NHL was that exciting as well.........it was wide open and the high flying Edmonton Oilers ruled the day......there were some other high powered offensive teams in the League that were almost as exciting to watch like those Oiler teams two of them being the Quebec Nordiques with the 3-Stastny brothers and Michel Goulet.......and the second team that quickly comes to mind were the Minnesota North Stars with guys like Neil Broten, Dino Ciccarelli, Brian Bellows and Craig Hartsburg playing the point on their blueline.......I think even one of those years the Leafs even had the highest scoring team in the League with such speedsters like Russ Courtnall and Al Iafrate PLUS Rick Vaive's booming slapper and Miro Frycer's agility and creativity........one time the Leafs even beat those high-flying Oilers at Maple Leaf Gardens by a score (if memory serves me correct 10-to-8) which was almost the norm in those days in the 1980s.......when asked how were the Leafs able to defeat the Oilers that night at their own game the coach of the Oilers Glen Sather responded; "It must be Haley's Comet's fault".....the game took place the same night that Haley's Comet flew past Earth.........Chicago Blackhawks also had high-powered offence...I really liked their top line of Denis Savard, Steve Larmer and Al Secord...they had a fierce rivalry with the North Stars of Minnesota back then...........that's the other thing, the rivalries were much better back then.
 

Big Phil

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wilka91 said:
I just wanna say one thing : when I got the tape from the last game, I was so excited about it, everyone was saying it's one of the best hockey games ever played ... so I watched it ... and in the end I almost burned this damn video.

Let me explain myself : at the end of the 3rd period Lemieux takes the puck, skates into the zone, takes his time, and shoots. But the only problem is that on that same play, the defensement who was defending against Lemieux was hooked by Hawerchuk and for "some" reason the Canadian ref didn't call a penalty. And that's funny cause when it happened Hawerchuk wasn't skating as if expecting a call. Most obvious penalty ever ... but the crowd and the country wouldn't have liked if the Ruskies were given a PP instead.

But if we put aside this little "accident", they were the best 3 hockey games ever.

It was still an incredible game though. Its true that in the first period right at the end the Russians tripped up Bourque and went in and scored to make it 4-2. No call. It all evens out. And with a minute and a half left its almost like OT and there isnt going to be a call. Even if Hawerchuk doenst hook the Russian, its still a two on one with Murphy and Gretzky. And remember Lemieux has deceptive speed so it wasnt even certain that the Russians would have even caught Lemieux if he hadnt been hooked. It was just a mix up in the face off the the Russians played very badly and when you have all of the Canadian players on the ice who are Hall of Famers they will take full advantage of it.

Still the best Hockey series you'll ever see. Never will you ever see two teams so talented and so evenly matched ever again. Neither country has ever had the same team iced since then. (With all due respect to the '04 Canadians)
 

Tb0ne

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monkey_00

Thanks for the info! the more I find out about how hockey used to be, the more i realised I missed out.

Another interesting thing about the game, is I saw many players who are now coaches, part owners, etc.

Did most Russians play in the Soviet Union at the time? and who were the best players, how would they compare to modern NHL players in terms of impact?

I noticed the sign in Game 2, "Hamilton is a Major League town", if that game is any indication they should have had an NHL team a long long time ago.


Big Phil,

Why will we never see two teams so evenly matched and talented? is it because of the changes in the game? or has the range of talent closed as hockey has become more popular?
 

KOVALEV10*

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Tb0ne said:
monkey_00

Thanks for the info! the more I find out about how hockey used to be, the more i realised I missed out.

Another interesting thing about the game, is I saw many players who are now coaches, part owners, etc.

Did most Russians play in the Soviet Union at the time? and who were the best players, how would they compare to modern NHL players in terms of impact?

I noticed the sign in Game 2, "Hamilton is a Major League town", if that game is any indication they should have had an NHL team a long long time ago.


Big Phil,

Why will we never see two teams so evenly matched and talented? is it because of the changes in the game? or has the range of talent closed as hockey has become more popular?

Well I'm not Big Phil but I'll give you my take on it. I've been watching hockey for decades. Anyhow, will we ever see two teams that evenly matched? It's possible. But will it ever mean as much as that series did back then? I dont think so. That Canada Cup 87 along with 72 were the best ever. Now about how the NHL was back then. It was just as fun to watch as those games. It was wide open hockey. Teams didnt try keep a lead for a whole game like nowadays. Even if lets say Oilers were winning 5-0 they would go for the 6th goal and the 7th and the 8th goal. If they eliminate the trap and the teams mindset becomes offense first again then the game will be just as fun as it was 10-15-20 years ago because its not the fact that the talent pool has gotten worse, its the complete opposite.
 

Big Phil

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Tb0ne said:
monkey_00

Big Phil,

Why will we never see two teams so evenly matched and talented? is it because of the changes in the game? or has the range of talent closed as hockey has become more popular?

I think its just that we may never see two teams as good as those two ever again. Between four games in that year (including the round robin) the scores were 3-3, 6-5 OT (Soviets), 6-5 OT (Canada) and 6-5 Canada. One goal separating four games! And the offense on those teams WOW! End to end all the time.

There has never been a team as good as either of those since. When you think of great teams the '76 Canadians, '79-81 Russians and the Can/Sov Teams of '87 are the first that come to mind. Even with Canada's great future of players coming up who are offensively gifted I cant see them ever icing a team like that again. Or the Russians.
 

Ludwig Fell Down

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I was a senior in high school in '87, and I flew to Montreal for game one. It was the most amazing game I've seen in person. I have all the tapes, and game two is the classic of that series, but seeing this live was amazing. Two things that stood out: first, the Forum wasn't sold out -- I was looking for a scalper and walked up to the box office to find a line of people buying tickets an hour before the game; second, after Semak scored to win in OT, and after the initial shock wore off, most of the fans stayed in their seats and applauded.

If you catch a game on ESPN classic from this era (it's usually Edmonton - Calgary), you'll see the same type of up-and-down game although obviously not the same skill level through four lines. The rosters for both Canada Cup teams were unbelievable, the equivalent of the 1992 dream team in basketball in my opinion. I think Hasek was in goal for the Czecks, this was during his days as a "bust" in the NHL.

My other favorite memory from the '87 Canada Cup: Chris Nilan and Chris Chelios going out of their way to take runs at Claude Lemiux when the U.S. played Canada.
 

Injektilo

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I've really really gotta buy that, i've never seen anything more than highlights out of that series. Where do you buy it and how much does it cost?
 

RorschachWJK

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Injektilo said:
I've really really gotta buy that, i've never seen anything more than highlights out of that series. Where do you buy it and how much does it cost?

Ditto here. I hope a DVD-version exists? I ain't gonna touch another VHS-tape ever again.
 

Tb0ne

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I bought it at London Drugs for about 30 bucks I think. It's a three DVD pack, called Blade Wars made by Morningstar Entertainment.

The quality is better then the partial replays I have seen on TV previously, its actually quite nice.
 

brian

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It was great hockey. I was ten years old at that time and I still remember the game as if it was yesterday. On the winning goal Hawerchuck hooked Vyacheslav Bykov and Igor Kravchuk was the defenseman caught up ice leaving poor
Igor Stelnov alone to defend against Gretzky, Lemieux and Murphy and we all know what happened.
 

monkey_00*

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KOVALEV10 said:
Well I'm not Big Phil but I'll give you my take on it. I've been watching hockey for decades. Anyhow, will we ever see two teams that evenly matched? It's possible. But will it ever mean as much as that series did back then? I dont think so. That Canada Cup 87 along with 72 were the best ever. Now about how the NHL was back then. It was just as fun to watch as those games. It was wide open hockey. Teams didnt try keep a lead for a whole game like nowadays. Even if lets say Oilers were winning 5-0 they would go for the 6th goal and the 7th and the 8th goal. If they eliminate the trap and the teams mindset becomes offense first again then the game will be just as fun as it was 10-15-20 years ago because its not the fact that the talent pool has gotten worse, its the complete opposite.

KOVALEV10........

You've summed it up in a Nutshell right there........PLUS I remember one time a reporter was interviewing Glen Sather who at the time was the head coach of those High Flying Edmonton Oilers...the reporter asked him; 'How are you going to defend against some of the other teams in the NHL with the type of lineup you have there in Edmonton?'...Glen Sather's resonse was; "THE BEST TYPE OF DEFENCE IS A GREAT OFFENCE." which the Oilers did have.....any military leader will give you that same response.
 

monkey_00*

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Ludwig Fell Down said:
I was a senior in high school in '87, and I flew to Montreal for game one. It was the most amazing game I've seen in person. I have all the tapes, and game two is the classic of that series, but seeing this live was amazing. Two things that stood out: first, the Forum wasn't sold out -- I was looking for a scalper and walked up to the box office to find a line of people buying tickets an hour before the game; second, after Semak scored to win in OT, and after the initial shock wore off, most of the fans stayed in their seats and applauded.

If you catch a game on ESPN classic from this era (it's usually Edmonton - Calgary), you'll see the same type of up-and-down game although obviously not the same skill level through four lines. The rosters for both Canada Cup teams were unbelievable, the equivalent of the 1992 dream team in basketball in my opinion. I think Hasek was in goal for the Czecks, this was during his days as a "bust" in the NHL.

My other favorite memory from the '87 Canada Cup: Chris Nilan and Chris Chelios going out of their way to take runs at Claude Lemiux when the U.S. played Canada.

Ludwig Fell Down.........

That's interesting to hear.........I didn't know it wasn't a sellout up there in Montreal......In Hamilton for Games 2 and 3 of the Finals you couldn't even get a ticket and Copps Coliseum was LOUD......very LOUD...most folks were saying that it was even louder than the old Chicago Stadium which use to be the loudest Rink in the NHL...........

Some of the better personal memories for me in 1987 was walking inside Jackson Square in Hamilton (Mall attached to the Copps Coliseum) and spotting alot of the Team Canada players like Mario Lemieux and Paul Coffey....even got to shake their hands in person...there was quite the circus around those 2 that day in the Mall.
 

Tb0ne

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Not to advertise the DVD or anything, but just incase someone missed it because people did request info,

"I bought it at London Drugs for about 30 bucks I think. It's a three DVD pack, called Blade Wars made by Morningstar Entertainment.

The quality is better then the partial replays I have seen on TV previously, its actually quite nice"
 

RorschachWJK

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Dec 28, 2004
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Tb0ne said:
Not to advertise the DVD or anything, but just incase someone missed it because people did request info,

"I bought it at London Drugs for about 30 bucks I think. It's a three DVD pack, called Blade Wars made by Morningstar Entertainment.

The quality is better then the partial replays I have seen on TV previously, its actually quite nice"

Thanks for the info!
 

wilka91*

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since i hadn't seen the first 2 games, i simply ordered the "Blade Wars" 3-DVD set from Amazon.ca ... so all you guys who are in Europe can get it. You just have to pay $24 CND for the DVDs and about $11 more for the international express shipping (1-2 weeks). That's only around 20 euros. :D
 

monkey_00*

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Tretiak said:
Hey monkey_00,

Any chance you took some pictures during the game? :dunno: I would love to see them!

:yo:

Tretiak..........

No unfortunately I didn't............HOWEVER I did tape the 2 games that were played here in Hamilton (games 2 and 3 of 3) on my VCR.........I've seen the games so many times now that the picture quality is starting to go bad on me........I still have the game program signed with a few of the player's autographs on it as well.

Cheers!
 
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Snap Wilson

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Morningstar is a wholesaler. You can't order directly from them unless you're a retailer or a member of the media. A Google search of the name of the video will turn up other outlets. Don't pay more than $30 USD (plus shipping) for it.
 
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