FOSTER HEWITT DIVISION
The Thunder Bay Twins (2) vs. Team Soviet Union (7)
Game Results:
The Thunder Bay Twins: 2 - Team Soviet Union: 1 OT
The Thunder Bay Twins: 3 - Team Soviet Union: 1
Team Soviet Union: 4 - Thunder Bay Twins: 2
Team Soviet Union: 2 - Thunder Bay Twins: 1
The Thunder Bay Twins: 5 - Team Soviet Union: 2
Team Soviet Union: 1 - Thunder Bay Twins: 2 2OT
The Thunder Bay Twins (2) defeats Team Soviet Union (7) in 6 games.
Series Three Stars
1: Niklas Lidstrom - Thunder Bay Twins
Co-2: Ken Dryden - Thunder Bay Twins
Co-2: Vladislav Tretiak - Soviet Union
Series Recap:
- The story of this series was the duo of Lidstrom-Pronger, who were able to control the offensive potent first line of Dumart-Apps-Bure. Niklas Lidstrom, particularly, was a force on both end of the ice, often the only player on the ice who could control Pavel Bure.
- Another sory was the strong performances of both goaltenders, Ken Dryden and Vladislav Tretiak. Tretiak receive almost twice as more shot than his adversary, but Dryden had to make more difficult saves. In the second overtime period in game 6, Dryden made a stellar glove save against Syl Apps Sr. on a breakaway. This incredible save enable, a couple of minute later, Alexander Maltsev to score on a 2 on 1, scoring on a great feed from Roy Conacher.
- Although the discussion were heavy at first, the interesting duo of Hap Day and Arkady Chernyshev seems to have worked well, both coach have spoke highly of the other after the series.
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The Minnesota Fighting Saints (3) vs. The Trinec Steelers (6)
Game Results:
The Minnesota Fighting Saints: 1 - The Trinec Steelers: 4
The Minnesota Fighting Saints: 3 - The Trinec Steelers: 2 OT
The Trinec Steelers: 4 - The Minnesota Fighting Saints: 6
The Trinec Steelers: 3 - The Minnesota Fighting Saints: 1
The Minnesota Fighting Saints: 3 - The Trinec Steelers: 2
The Trinec Steelers: 2 - The Minnesota Fighting Saints: 3
The Minnesota Fighting Saints (3) defeats The Trinec Steelers (7) in 6 games.
Series Three Stars
1: Bobby Hull - Trinec Steelers
2: Scott Stevens - Minnesota Fighting Saints
3: Cyclone Taylor - Minnesota Fighting Saints
Series Recap:
- Bobby Hull played very good series, on a team where only Peter Forsberg and him showed up. They teamed-up for 10 of their team 17 goals and were electrifying together all series. Nedomansky seemed out of place of the line and was often left out by the dynamic duo.
- The Youngster duo of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin were often mismatch by the strong defensive duo of Scott Stevens and Cyclone Taylor. While they were able to score a goal each in this series, it is obvious that the Fighting Saints defensive duo outbeated them.
- For the winners, the best forward in this series was unquestionably Mickey Mackay. The PCHA star use his speed and his great stickhandling abilities with ease against a defensive corp that couldn't stop him. In game five, he scored the game winner late in the period by deking defenseman Art Ross before scoring on Bill Durnan by moving his body to the right, but reaching far left with the puck and sliding it near Durnan left post. Mackay later admitted that before the game, he watched the famous tape of his adversary Peter Forsberg doing the same trick.
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The Anyang Halla (4) vs. The Boston Braves (5)
Game Results:
Anyang Halla: 3 - Boston Braves: 2
Anyang Halla: 1 - Boston Braves: 2 OT
Boston Braves: 4 - Anyang Halla: 2
Boston Braves: 1 - Anyang Halla: 5
Anyang Halla: 3 - Boston Braves: 1
Boston Braves: 2 - Anyang Halla: 1
Anyang Halla: 4 - Boston Braves: 1
The Anyang Halla (4) defeats The Boston Braves (5) in 7 games.
Series Three Stars
1: Mario Lemieux - Anyang Halla
2: Larry Robinson - Boston Braves
3: Valeri Kharlamov - Boston Braves
Series Recap:
- Mario Lemieux was phenomenal in this series. He was the game breaking player everyone love to watch. Although surrounded with strong linemate, Lemieux seemed to be alone on his line and was definitely the charter member of his team.
- The famous Kharlamov-Petrov-Mikhailov, again reunited, were smoking hot. The Duo of Pospisil-Salming tried all series to contain them, but it seems only Jiri Holecek had the answer for them.
- Although they played a sound defensive game, second trio of Halla, consisting of Johnny Gottselig-Ralph Backstrom-Georges Armstrong didn't do much offensively. Even the fourth line of Kozlov-Starshinov-Balderis had more offensive chances.
- Interestingly, after losing game 2 in overtime, coach Tarasov decided to go with Vladimir Dzurilla for game #3. After losing that game, he went back to Holecek, who was brilliant until the end of the series.