Canada Cup 87 Now on DVD

[Kshahdoo]

That was a real Russian (soviet actually, but it doesn't matter) hockey, not the one modern Russian team play. KLM plus Fetisov and Kasatonov would tear any modern Russian line up, like AHLers. I guess they would tear up any modern line, not only Russian...

 

[McGuillicuddy]

So can I get a final answer here - is the quality identical to the Blade Wars DVDs from a few years ago?

 

[arrbez]

I would say the 76 team was more stacked:

Orr, Hull, Lafleur, Dryden, Savard, Espo, Perrault, Robinson, Lapointe, Potvin, Dion, Cornoyer.


the thing about 87 is the hi-end talent was thru the roof (Messier, Bourque, Coffee and of course the two greatest offensive talents ever)

The 1981 team was pretty insane on paper too, but they got shelled in the final.

Gretzky, Trottier, Dionne, Bossy, Lafleur, Perreault, Middleton, Gillies, Gainey, Bourque, Potvin, Robinson, etc

 

[shazariahl]

Watched two of the games today. They were even better than I remembered. I do have to complain about the crowd though - there were less than 9000 people for game 1 in Calgary. Can you imagine a team Canada game at the international level with all the top players from the NHL and only selling half the seats? I don't think there's any way that would be happening today.

And as someone mentioned earlier, seeing Hasek before the NHL was awesome.

 

[Up the Irons]

I'm watching game one (vrs. the Czechoslovakians) right now. The biggest difference from today is the goaltending. Almost comical the standup-reaction saves that you just don't see anymore. There are some no-look passes that would get you benched today. The speed is right up there, though. Coffee still looks faster than any defensemen.

 

[Up the Irons]

man, you gotta love some of the ball caps (or, should I say, company caps) that these fans are wearing. absolute gold.

 

[Up the Irons]

Just finished game one. Canada's most noticeable, dangerous and best player was, without a doubt, No. 99. He got more and more lethal with every shift. Next, I would say Hawerchuk, then Coffee. Defensively, Rochfort.

Wayner was dangling out there. Man, you young guys have got to watch this and find out why he's called the Great One. there's a a reason.

 

[shazariahl]

I've finished watching the round robin games. Overall, the games were excellent. My one disappointment continues to be the crowds. Copps in Hamilton sold out for 2 of the games, but even the semi-final game in the forum only sold 10,200 tickets. I just can't imagine such a thing happening today. At least I hope not. I would like to think that for a best on best tournament, Canada would sell out every game they play at. Maybe not, but I at least hope we'd do better than 9 or 10k fans.

 

[yada]

thanks for this thread ill be picking this up when i get the chance. i gave up that this dvd set would ever come out. nice surprise

 

[cynicism]

Picked this up on a boxing week sale. Watched the first two games, the Czech game was very entertaining the Finn one not so much. It's great to be able to see Gretzky and Lemieux together. I forgot how entertaining Rich Tocchet was. I'm surprised to see Kevin Dineen on that team. I always had him figured as a good but not elite player.

For those who were following hockey at the time, what kind of players were Craig Harstburg and Doug Crossman?

 

[BraveCanadian]

I started watching some of it as well.

The thing that struck me the most is the speed level in general really. For some reason after hearing that the newer players are bigger stronger faster all the time you start to question it. Then you watch a tournament like this one again and remember that the fastest skaters really haven't changed that much in hockey over the past few decades.

Refreshing my memory by watching a best on best from the time just reinforces to me that while the average players may be better now, the best players in the world haven't had as much room to improve over the last couple decades.

As others have mentioned Coffey just flies, Bourque is cruising as well. Gartner is very very fast.

And Gretzky is much much faster than my more recent memories of him. Especially his acceleration and just general quickness. I've also noticed him really hustling to get back on several plays which again, runs against the general boards perception that he was totally useless defensively.

Really makes me wonder how much longer he would have put up fairly gawdy totals if not for his back problems after 91.

 

[shazariahl]

I started watching some of it as well.

The thing that struck me the most is the speed level in general really. For some reason after hearing that the newer players are bigger stronger faster all the time you start to question it. Then you watch a tournament like this one again and remember that the fastest skaters really haven't changed that much in hockey over the past few decades.

Refreshing my memory by watching a best on best from the time just reinforces to me that while the average players may be better now, the best players in the world haven't had as much room to improve over the last couple decades.

As others have mentioned Coffey just flies, Bourque is cruising as well. Gartner is very very fast.

And Gretzky is much much faster than my more recent memories of him. Especially his acceleration and just general quickness. I've also noticed him really hustling to get back on several plays which again, runs against the general boards perception that he was totally useless defensively.

Really makes me wonder how much longer he would have put up fairly gawdy totals if not for his back problems after 91.

Thank you! I thought all these exact same things. The speed was amazing I thought, but it wasn't just the players skating speed, it was the flow of the games. Someone mentioned the Finland game wasn't so great - agreed. But it was my least favorite of the bunch.

I didn't remember much of Gartner. Being from Edmonton back then, and with no TSN or anything, I almost never got to see him play. His speed really surprised me. I was impressed with Coffey as well. Him, of course, I had seen plenty of growing up in Edmonton, but I guess like you said, from hearing people detract from these older players all these years, you start to believe it a little. Yes, Coffey got caught up ice a few times, but I never saw him fail to get back. There was one rush (maybe our round robin vs the Soviets?) where he had a chance at the side of the net, didn't score, and the Soviets came back 2 on 1. He managed to get back and turn it into a 2 on 2.

I saw Gretzky dig out a few pucks from along the boards and in the corners, I saw him back check. Ya... I agree with everything you said. And game 2 of the finals was everything I remembered it being. And game 3, while obviously not as good as game 2, was actually much better than I remembered it being, especially the 3rd period where play would constantly run for 3-4 minutes between whistles. I think at one point they went 5 minutes, had an offside, then went 4 minutes before another right after that.

I am so happy with this DVD set, I could probably go on for pages, but no one would bother to read it, so I'll just shut up, and say the games are great, and its so nice to be able to actually see many of these guys looking so good out there again.

 

[YMB29]

Does this DVD show the complete game two of the finals?
On the last goal in that game, from the replays it looks like there were only four Soviet players back defending (Kamensky is missing). It is not clear what happened from what has been available.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I'll definitely have to buy this. I owned the "Blades of Summer" VHS highlight tape as a kid and that was part of the backbone of my love for hockey growing up. That and "Wayne Gretzky: Above and Beyond".

Vladimir Krutov was an absolutely disgusting talent. The way he played in that tournament and the plays he made and the goals he scored...yikes. Can't believe he wasn't able to bring that over to the NHL, although the rumors about his dietary problems in North America could help explain that. But just wow.

And yeah, Gretzky is a sick hockey player to watch. It was almost like everyone else was moving in slow motion and he was able to just pick what spots of the ice he wanted to go to. It might not be impressive dangles, but he just spots the correct area of the ice to go to to make the right play. Insane.

 

[tazzy19]

After watching the entire tournament, can anyone tell me how Gretzky compares to Mario Lemieux (later) at his peak in the early 1990s? Who would you say was the better player - the 87 Canada Cup Gretzky or the 90s Lemieux?

 

[BraveCanadian]

After watching the entire tournament, can anyone tell me how Gretzky compares to Mario Lemieux (later) at his peak in the early 1990s? Who would you say was the better player - the 87 Canada Cup Gretzky or the 90s Lemieux?

Lemieux says himself that he learned an awful lot by playing with champions (especially Gretzky) on Team Canada.

He really picked up his play starting in 87-88 as a result.

I think between 89-91 it was a bit of a tossup. Lemieux was still in his early prime and Gretzky was in his later prime years.

Lemieux had his biggest season in 88-89 with Coffey on the Pens, but Gretzky still had a huge season for a poor team his first year with the Kings.

Between 89-90 and 90-91 Lemieux simply missed too many games which is too bad cause by that point the Pens were very strong and he could have put up huge numbers.

After 91 Gretzky was never the same courtesy of the Suter hit and age beginning to catch up to him.

It is hard to compare them because they played so differently but they both got huge results.

 

[lextune]

Who would you say was the better player - the 87 Canada Cup Gretzky or the 90s Lemieux?

They were so different form one another. Wayne simply out thought everyone. He was on another plane. Mario had that air about him as well, but was also far more likely to just come right at you, and/or go right through you. They were both brilliant puck-movers (with the edge going to 99), but Mario was a far more effective puck carrier.

In theory it is almost a toss up.

In reality of course Gretzky was better, due to Mario's injuries/health issues.

 

[shazariahl]

After watching the entire tournament, can anyone tell me how Gretzky compares to Mario Lemieux (later) at his peak in the early 1990s? Who would you say was the better player - the 87 Canada Cup Gretzky or the 90s Lemieux?

I would still give the edge to Gretzky. I couldn't help but notice that most of Lemieux's points came either from the PP, where he played with Gretzky, or from the final 2 games, when he was finally on the same line as Gretzky even strength. Considering Mario was 2nd in tournament points, and first in goals, he didn't do as much ES as I would have expected.

It didn't seem to matter who Gretzky played with though, that's why I would favor him. No matter what line, he was remarkably consistant, scoring at least 1 point in every single game during the tournament, and managed to lead the tourney in scoring, along with every other international tournament he'd been in to that point (2 other Canada Cups and a World Jrs - he was at that time the only player to ever lead 4 international tournaments in points, and he'd done it on all 4 attempts. He'd then go on to do it again in his next one, the 91 Canada Cup).

Mario is a little more "wow" to watch, but Gretzky is the model of efficiency.

 

[VMBM]

Vladimir Krutov was an absolutely disgusting talent. The way he played in that tournament and the plays he made and the goals he scored...yikes. Can't believe he wasn't able to bring that over to the NHL, although the rumors about his dietary problems in North America could help explain that. But just wow.

Well, he was nearing 30 and I don't think he was very eager to go to North America in the first place. I think he was one of the players who the Soviet - or more specifically Tikhonov's - training methods/discipline suited well (i.e. kept him from getting too fat and lazy!). But it is strange how he couldn't even become a good player at European level again after the NHL farce; for example, he played a few years in Sweden - and not even in the Swedish Elite League but on lower level(s)!

Krutov was especially good in the 2nd final; a prime Ray Bourque was just constantly getting burned by him... 1 on 1, along the boards...

 

[lextune]

Damn, I'd certainly want to have a full version of the 2nd final (on the version I have, the regulation time is quite heavy-handedly edited).

Does this DVD show the complete game two of the finals?

We are all still awaiting the answer to this question guys......

 

[Theokritos]

I think he was one of the players who the Soviet - or more specifically Tikhonov's - training methods/discipline suited well (i.e. kept him from getting too fat and lazy!)

Not difficult to imagine. Beginning with his 19th year of age, Krutov spent 11 years in a virtually soldier-like environment, observing a strict training regime for 10-11 months a year. To leave such a setting behind and shift to a world where self-responsibility is required has to be tricky, for some more than others.

 

[lextune]

Is anyone going to tell us if game 2 is edited or not....?

Please.