European Elite vs Major Pro (1975-76 and 1976-77)

[Theokritos]

How good were the best Europeans outside the NHL really? How competitive were the best European leagues and teams compared with the NHL (and WHA) and its franchises?
To shed a bit light on that question I'm trying to produce an overview of all match-ups between European Elite teams and North American Major Pro teams from 1975-1991. The work is still in progress and contributions (more informations, corrections) are welcome.

Please contribute, if you are able to, and discuss.

Click to read more...

 

[Theokritos]

1975-76 Season

Starting off with the first season that saw transatlantic match-ups involving Major Pro teams and European clubs. Games with a team other than a club teams in italics.

September 1975: Winnipeg Jets @ Finland, Sweden, Czechoslovakia

Jets: Top WHA team, about to win the 75-76 championship.
IFK Helsinki: One of the top teams in Finland.
Tappara: Top team, reigning champion.
Turun PS: Not a top team earlier, but about to win the 75-76 Finnish championship.
Leksand: Top team, reigning champion of Sweden.
Frölunda: Middle-of-the road.

Sept.9: IFK Helsinki – Winnipeg Jets 5-7
Sept.11: Tappara – Winnipeg Jets 3-3
Sept.12: Turun PS – Winnipeg Jets 4-3
Sept. 15?: Leksands IF – Winnipeg Jets 2-8
Sept.17: Sweden (National Team) – Winnipeg Jets 2-6
Sept.19: Stockholm Selects – Winnipeg Jets 3-7
Sept.23: Västra Frölunda IF – Winnipeg Jets 3-4
Sept.25: Czechoslovakia (National Team) – Winnipeg Jets 6-1
Sept.26: Czechoslovakia (National Team) – Winnipeg Jets 3-1

Jets TOTAL: 5 Won, 3 Lost, 1 Tied
Jets TOTAL AGAINST CLUBS: 3 Won, 1 Lost, 1 Tied

September 1975: Toronto Toros @ Sweden

Toros: Among the weaker play-off teams in 75, about to miss the play-offs in 76.
IFK Helsinki, Tappara: See above.
MoDo: Barely missed the play-offs.
Björklöven: One of the weaker teams the season before, became second tier due to a reduction in size of the first tier.
Skellefteå: Top team
Timrå: Very weak in 75-76.
Brynäs: Top team, about to win the 75-76 championship.

Sept.12: IFK Helsinki – Toronto Toros 2-6
Sept.14: Tappara – Toronto Toros 5-5
Sept.16: MoDo AIK – Toronto Toros 6-0
Sept.22: Björklöven IF – Toronto Toros 2-3
Sept.23: Skellefteå AIK – Toronto Toros 5-2
Sept.25?: Timrå IK – Toronto Toros 3-1
Sept.27?: Brynäs IF – Toronto Toros 7-4

Toros TOTAL: 2 Won, 4 Lost, 1 Tied

December-January 1975-76: CSKA Moskva @ NHL

CSKA: Top team in the Soviet league, reigning champion, about to finish 2nd in the 75-76 championship.
Reinforcements: D Valery Vasiliev (Dinamo), F Alexander Maltsev (Dinamo), F Vyacheslav Solodukhin (Leningrad).
Rangers: Weakest opponent on CSKA's tour, not a play-off team.
Canadiens: Top team, about to win the 1976 Stanley Cup.
Bruins: Among the top teams in the NHL.
Flyers: Reigning Stanley Cup champion, famous (or infamous?) match-up.

Dec.28: New York Rangers – CSKA Moskva 3-7
Dec.31: Canadiens de Montréal – CSKA Moskva 3-3
Jan.8: Boston Bruins – CSKA Moskva 2-5
Jan.11: Philadelphia Flyers – CSKA Moskva 4-1

CSKA TOTAL: 2 Won, 1 Lost, 1 Tied

December-January 1975-76: Krylja Sovetov @ NHL

Krylja: Among the top teams in the Soviet Union.
Reinforcements: D Yuri Lyapkin (Spartak), LW Alexander Yakushev (Spartak), C Vladimir Shadrin (Spartak), RW Viktor Shalimov (Spartak).
Penguins, Hawks: Play-off teams, but among the weaker ones.
Sabres: Strong team, 4th in the regular season
Islanders: Strong team, a notch below the best NHL teams.

Dec.29: Pittsburgh Penguins – Krylja Sovetov 4-7
Jan.4: Buffalo Sabres – Krylja Sovetov 12-6
Jan.7: Chicago Blackhawks – Krylja Sovetov 2-4
Jan.10: New York Islanderes – Krylja Sovetov 1-2

Krylja TOTAL: 3 Won, 1 Lost

 

[Fredrik_71]

Today the best swedes are in the NHL and a similar match-up today would be a slaughter in favor of the pros. The only thing the swedes have today is that they have a solid hockey schooling. Regarding tactics and maturity of the players we are good. But the skills aren't there.

/Cheers

 

[plusandminus]

Here's from what I wrote recently in another thread here (I will re-post parts of two posts):
http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=963603
Post #23:

---
Some examples.

Didn't the European teams actually often win against the NHL teams?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_games_played_by_NHL_teams

1976 Canada Cup:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Canada_Cup
Zhluktov, Novy, Maltsev and Marticnec (who I think you mentioned) placed high in the tournament scoring, some of them despite playing fewer games than the Canadians.

1981 Canada Cup:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Canada_Cup
USSR defeated Canada 8-1 in the final.

1972 summit series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summit_Series
Yakushev scored 7 goals. That's as many as Esposito.

[...]
---

 

[plusandminus]

Post #32:

---

At first glance, pretty much all those games involve the elite European teams (the Moscow based USSR teams and Kladno from CSSR), usually playing crappy NHL teams.

I'm perfectly willing to accept that CSKA Moscow was as good or at least almost as good as a dynasty NHL team. But the quality of the European teams falls off quickly after that.

Super series 1975-76. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Series_'76
Comments on how good the NHL teams were that season.

CSKA-Rangers 7-3 (13th, 29-42-9)
CSKA-Montreal 3-3 (1st, 58-11-11, set records in wins and point, probably one of best NHL teams ever)
CSKA-Bostron 5-2 (3rd, 48-15-17)
CSKA-Philadephia 1-4 (2nd, 51-13-16. Controversial game were Flyers played pretty ugly hockey, and CSKA having everything (away team, rink size, etc.) against them)
Record 2-1-1.

Krylia-Pittsburgh 7-4 (8th, 35-33-12)
Krylia-Buffalo 6-12 (4h, 46-21-13)
Krylia-Chicago 4-2 (10th, 32-30-18)
Krylia-Islanders 2-1 (5th, 42-21-17)
Record: 3-1-0. All NHL teams was better than .500 NHL wise and all were top 10 in the 18 team NHL.
Krylia basically played as good as a 5th placed NHL team.

CSKA wasn't even the best USSR team that season. They finished 2nd, and Krylia finished 4th.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975-76_Soviet_League_season

In all the above games, the European was the away team. If home advantage is of such importance during Stanley Cup (which I think has been proven historically), I suspect it to be an even bigger factor in these cases.

What are usually the Stanley Cup champion's away record during their playoff runs? I don't know, but from what I recall they may often be as low as .500 or lower.
If the best non-NHL teams were basically equal to the best NHL teams, then their best players also might be of equal skill as the best NHL:ers.


1977-78
Kladno-Rangers 4-4 (11)
Kladno-Chicago 6-4 (8)
Kladno-Toronto 8-5 (6)
Kladno-Cleveland 3-4 15)
Record 2-1-1. Wins away against two upper half NHL teams, but also losses vs weaker teams. Everything on away ice.

Pardubice-Philadelphia 1-6 (4)
Pardubice-Detroit 4-5 (9)
Pardubice-Minnesota 4-2 (18/18)
Pardubice-Islanders 3-8 (3)
Record: 1-3. Including a 4-5 loss away vs an average NHL team.

Spartak Moscow-Vancouver 0-2 (14)
Spartak-Colorado 8-3 (13)
Spartak-St Louis 2-1 (16)
Spartak-Montreal 2-5 (1)
Spartak-Atlanta 2-1 (7)
Record: 3-2. Wins vs 7,13,16. Losses vs 1,14

Spartak finished 8th in the Soviet league!
Perhaps the 8th best Soviet league team playing away, were about equal to an average NHL team playing at home.

Not sure what this is supposed to prove. All those were good players, but top 100 players of all time? (Maybe Martinec and Maltsev... maybe).

In the tournament, on away ice, they performed basically as good as the best Canadian players did. This may indicate that the best European players were probably a little better than the average Canadian players on their team. They may only have been outperformed by the very best couple of Canadians. Also, if i remember right, the USSR didn't feature their best team.

Another thought... What if the USSR and CSSR of the 1970s were allowed to feature a combined team. Wouldn't that USSR/CSSR "all star team" probably be very competitive compared to Canada? If so, wouldn't it be a sign that the non-NHLers were pretty equal, both regarding depth and top skill?

I may be wrong here, but my impressions are that the best Europeans of the 1970s and 1980s (soviets) were at - at least - the same level as players like Trottier, Bossy, Dionne and Sakic.

I think USSR of 1970s, and CSSR, competed as well against Canada as Russia does today. Today, we can see black and white that guys like Ovechkin, Datsyuk and Malkin are top level NHL:ers. The guys of the 1960s and 1970s starred on national teams as stong as today's, but never got the chance to play in the NHL.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HC_Kladno
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Hockey_Stick_(Czechoslovakia)
Suchy, Pospisill, Martinec, Holecek, Novy.
But I perhaps can't (yet) single out one and say he's a lock for top 70 alltime.


We're not having a feud. I just got interested in making a case for the non-NHL Europeans, and that I think Canadians overrate Canadians.
If you guys prefers to include non-NHL:ers, then do it. In such a list, one still can see how you think the NHL:ers compared to each other.
---

Above, the Russian teams sometimes borrowed players from other Russian clubs.


Post #49:
---

This is really compelling stuff.

I remember watching the Bruins-CSKA game in 1976. Bruins outshot Soviets 20-2 (I think) in the first period. They dominated but Tretiak saved the day. After that it was all Soviets.

A year later I sat 2 rows from the ice in Hartford and watched the WHA Whalers beat the Red Army & Tretiak 5-2.

Here you can see video footage from the 1972 summit games, including player biographies and more.
http://www.1972summitseries.com/index2.html
Here is a stats page: http://www.1972summitseries.com/stats.html
Guys like Yakushev, Shadrin, Kharlamov/Charlamov, Petrov and even the defenceman Liapkin proved to be as good scorers as for example Bobby Clarke.
We can say one tournament is just one tournament, but Yakushev do appear pretty equal to Esposito, and Shadrin (+7, mentioned as their best defensive fw of the tournament) to Clarke, skill wise. By the way, Shadrin played for Spartak.
We also have a guy like Maltsev, playing for Dynamo, scoring 1-2 pts per game in the Soviet league. Considered by many to be the perhaps best Soviet player ever. If one had integrated the top 8 Soviet teams into the NHL, they would likely have done as good as the Canadian teams, and a guy like Maltsev would probably be a constant Art Ross candidate, perhaps winning it a number of times. Definitely comparable to guys like Esposito (ranked 20), Clarke (ranked 21) and Lafleur (ranked 19).
---

 

[Theokritos]

...In all the above games, the European was the away team. If home advantage is of such importance during Stanley Cup (which I think has been proven historically), I suspect it to be an even bigger factor in these cases.

Absolutely. Unfamiliar rink size, unfamiliar officiating - the home advantage was surely a bigger factor in this games than in any NHL play-off series.

What are usually the Stanley Cup champion's away record during their playoff runs? I don't know, but from what I recall they may often be as low as .500 or lower.

I don't know, but let's take a look some Stanley Cup winning play-off runs in the 70s:

Montreal Canadiens 72-73: 8 away games; 6 won, 2 lost
Philadelphia Flyers 73-74: 8 away games; 3 won, 5 lost
Philadelphia Flyers 74-75: 8 away games; 4 won, 4 lost
Montreal Canadiens 75-76: 6 away games; 5 won, 1 lost
Montreal Canadiens 76-77: 7 away games; 6 won, 1 lost
Montreal Canadiens 77-78: 7 away games; 5 won, 2 lost
Montreal Canadiens 78-79: 7 away games; 4 won, 3 lost

So the Canadiens were usually a lot better than .500, the Flyers however were not.

While the home factor was an obvious disadvantage, especially against the "Broad Street Bullies" and their antics, a huge advantage for the Soviet teams were the reinforcements. Maltsev was one of the best Russian forwards, Vasiliev the best defenseman. Both played for Dinamo Moskva, but on this tour they wore the CSKA jersey. And Krylja Sovetov received one of the best Soviet forward lines of them all: Yakushev - Shadrin - Shalimov, all from Spartak Moskva.

 

[Hardyvan123]

IMO there is quite a bit of variance from the above mentioned teams from year to year.

Also the game sample is quite small and these games were all exhibitions.

For the NHL teams, it's highly unlikely that they always put forth the same type of effort and urgency in all the games as they would in an NHL playoff game or down the stretch drive fighting for a playoff spot.

How to measure and account for this is of course impossible but the top teams in Russia and Czechoslovakia, and their national teams of course, had quite a bit of talent. Sweden and Finland lagged behind a bit

 

[Pear Juice]

Exhibition games are always hard to evaluate. Some of the games I've seen between NHL teams and local SEL teams have been more like the annual All-Star game than an actual competitive game. More of a show than an intense game of hockey.

I would be genuinely interested in seeing how for example a SEL All-Star team would fare against NHL teams in competitive games. But I can't see that ever happening.

 

[Theokritos]

For the NHL teams, it's highly unlikely that they always put forth the same type of effort and urgency in all the games as they would in an NHL playoff game or down the stretch drive fighting for a playoff spot.

I tend to think that the effort some NHL teams put into transatlantic exhibition games declined as time went by. But the early match-ups were new, exciting and prestigious for the NHL teams too, weren't they?

Some of the games I've seen between NHL teams and local SEL teams have been more like the annual All-Star game than an actual competitive game.

Are you talking about the 70s or about more recent years?

 

[Hockeynomad]

you need to also note the CKSA team had 2 reinforcements and the Krila team 4 reinforcements including a whole forward line loaned from Dynamo in 1975.

 

[Theokritos]

you need to also note the CKSA team had 2 reinforcements and the Krila team 4 reinforcements including a whole forward line loaned from Dynamo in 1975.

Reinforcements are noted in the overview:

CSKA: Top team in the Soviet league, reigning champion, about to finish 2nd in the 75-76 championship.
Reinforcements: D Valery Vasiliev (Dinamo), F Alexander Maltsev (Dinamo), F Vyacheslav Solodukhin (Leningrad).
...
Krylja: Among the top teams in the Soviet Union.
Reinforcements: D Yuri Lyapkin (Spartak), LW Alexander Yakushev (Spartak), C Vladimir Shadrin (Spartak), RW Viktor Shalimov (Spartak).

It's like the Canadiens would've added Phil Esposito and Denis Potvin for their game against CSKA. And the Sabres would've added Hadfield - Ratelle - Gilbert against Krylja Sovetov. (The GAG line had already been broken up by then, but you get the picture).

 

[VMBM]

you need to also note the CKSA team had 2 reinforcements and the Krila team 4 reinforcements including a whole forward line loaned from Dynamo in 1975.

From Spartak (Yakushev et co.).

Also, I think that Kladno and Pardubice in 1976/77 had a couple of players or so from other clubs during their NHL tour (it was still far from "Czechoslovakian national team", as I see Poldi Kladno [at least] sometimes referred to). Then again, maybe that evened out the home advantage that NHL(/WHA) teams usually had (even though I see North Americans often saying that home advantage doesn't mean a thing ).

Even CSKA wasn't that "deep" a team in the mid-1970s. Despite adding Maltsev (and Vasiliev) to the lineup, the scoring was heavily done by the top and second line. The third line scored only 1 goal (out of 16) in the 1975-76 series. There was no fourth line.

Also note that Petrov and Zhluktov (1st and 2nd line centers) did not play in the Flyers game. It probably would not have changed a thing, though.

 

[Theokritos]

Talking of reinforcements: I'm struggelin to find informations about the roster of Spartak Moskva for their 1977-78 tour of North America. Can someone help me out?

 

[Hockeynomad]

Good thread. I'm not that old, but I remember almost all those scores. Watched most games and thoroughly enjoyed them.

International hockey was quite a novelty and with each game it was like a cultural exchange of the styles of both NHL and European hockey. Today all hockey is a blend of those styles.

I always said in the Montreal Canadiens of the 70s were bolstered by say the French Connection line of Buffalo (Perreault, Martin, Robert) and Potvin on defense and did a tour of the Soviet league, not sure if they would lose a game.

That team would resemble a National squad, pretty much what CSKA did with usually 15 national team members.

 

[Hockeynomad]

Talking of reinforcements: I'm struggelin to find informations about the roster of Spartak Moskva for their 1977-78 tour of North America. Can someone help me out?

That team was more or less intact, or maybe one addition. I remember watching one game they won 2-1 against St. Louis, a last place NHL team.

 

[VMBM]

Even though it's hard to prove, I feel pretty sure that players like Kharlamov, Mikhailov, Petrov, Maltsev, Vasiliev, Tretiak, Balderis... [prime] Nedomansky, Suchy, Martinec, Hlinka, Holik, and probably Novy would have been stars in the NHL. I think Yakushev is often slightly overrated due to his showing in the Summit series, but his performances against Canadians would certainly indicate that he would have been "at home" in the NHL.

Single short international tournaments, tours and exhibition matches are not be the best pieces of evidence (or at least you need to see/analyse the games), but when you listen to the interviews of Canadian players - even sourpusses like Esposito and Clarke - you hardly ever hear them suggesting that the best Soviet players, for example, weren't in their league.

 

[87turbobuick]

The big question regarding the Eastern Bloc teams in the 70's and 80's was whether they were steroid free or not?

 

[VMBM]

BTW, Peter Stastny could be used as some sort of proof here. He was really the only superstar calibre player from the Eastern Bloc who got play in the NHL when he was still young... and he succeeded brilliantly, of course. And he certainly did not look like a cut above the best Soviets (I'd say that the young Makarov, for instance, was a cut above him) when he was playing in Europe, and the same goes vis-á-vis the best Czechoslovak players too. Sure, he maybe had some advantages (size, strength, being a center...) that made him better suited for the NHL than many others, but it is arguable that he was even the best Czechoslovak player at the time he defected (1980).

 

[Canadiens1958]

Some Facts

Absolutely. Unfamiliar rink size, unfamiliar officiating - the home advantage was surely a bigger factor in this games than in any NHL play-off series.



I don't know, but let's take a look some Stanley Cup winning play-off runs in the 70s:

Montreal Canadiens 72-73: 8 away games; 6 won, 2 lost
Philadelphia Flyers 73-74: 8 away games; 3 won, 5 lost
Philadelphia Flyers 74-75: 8 away games; 4 won, 4 lost
Montreal Canadiens 75-76: 6 away games; 5 won, 1 lost
Montreal Canadiens 76-77: 7 away games; 6 won, 1 lost
Montreal Canadiens 77-78: 7 away games; 5 won, 2 lost
Montreal Canadiens 78-79: 7 away games; 4 won, 3 lost

So the Canadiens were usually a lot better than .500, the Flyers however were not.

While the home factor was an obvious disadvantage, especially against the "Broad Street Bullies" and their antics, a huge advantage for the Soviet teams were the reinforcements. Maltsev was one of the best Russian forwards, Vasiliev the best defenseman. Both played for Dinamo Moskva, but on this tour they wore the CSKA jersey. And Krylja Sovetov received one of the best Soviet forward lines of them all: Yakushev - Shadrin - Shalimov, all from Spartak Moskva.

Unfamiliar officiating. The Soviet officials Yuri Karandin and Viktor Dombrowski travelled with the teams and officiated in all the games.

Karandin was a linesman when CSKA played the Canadiens, Dec 31,1975 as was Claude Bechard. Wally Harris was the referee. From memory the Soviets had their own referee for half of the games - Boston and NY Rangers and the NHL supplied referees for the other half with a Soviet linesman. So lets put the unfamiliar officiating myth to rest.Their record with a Soviet referee 2-0, NHL referee 0-1-1.

The away team. Throughout their 4 game visit CSKA was based in Montreal at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, practising at the Forum. So they had a home base. Also they had a favourable schedule, playing Dec 28, Dec. 31, Jan.8 and Jan 11. Four games over fifteen days, no back-to-back games,etc 60-90 minute flights from their base.They caught the Bruins first game back from the west coast. The Flyers were playing their 8th game since Dec. 28th when they played CSKA Jan. 11th.So in terms of rest and preparation CSKA had a distinct advantage.

Super Series - Wikipedia

 

[Theokritos]

Also, I think that Kladno and Pardubice in 1976/77 had a couple of players or so from other clubs during their NHL tour (it was still far from "Czechoslovakian national team", as I see Poldi Kladno [at least] sometimes referred to).

Spot on. Going to post the data for 76-77 later and list the reinforcements.

Even CSKA wasn't that "deep" a team in the mid-1970s. Despite adding Maltsev and Vasiliev to the lineup, the scoring was heavily done by the top and second line.

You're right. Top 6:

Kharlamov 4 goals, 3 assists
Petrov 2 goals, 4 assists
Mikhailov 2 goals, 3 assists

Alexandrov 3 goals, 3 assists
Zhluktov 0 goals, 4 assists
Vikulov 2 goals, 1 assist

Rest:

Maltsev 1 goal, 2 assists *all 3 points scored while playing with Kharlamov & Mikhailov*
Kutergin 1 goal, 0 assists
The other forwards didn't score a point at all.

Defensemen:
Vasiliev 0 goals, 3 assists
Gusev 0 goals, 2 assists
Tsygankov 1 goals, 1 assist

Krylja Sovetov's scoring depth wouldn't have been the same without the inclusion of Spartak's premier forward line:

Yakushev 1 goal, 3 assists
Shadrin 2 goals, 2 assists
Shalimov 4 goals, 4 assists

Kotov 0 goals, 1 assist
Repnev 3 goals, 0 assists
Kapustin 3 goals, 2 assists

Other forwards:
Lebedev 1 goal, 0 assists
Anisin 2 goals, 0 assists
Bodunov 0 goals, 1 assist

Defensemen:
Lyapkin 2 goals, 3 assists
Tyurin 0 goals, 2 assists
Krikunov 0 goals, 2 assists
Terekhin 1 goal, 1 assist
Babinov 0 goals, 1 assist
Kuznetsov 0 goals, 3 assists
Rasko 0 goals, 1 assist

 

[Theokritos]

The Soviet officials Yuri Karandin and Viktor Dombrowski travelled with the teams and officiated in all the games. Karandin was a linesman when CSKA played the Canadiens...From memory the Soviets had their own referee for half of the games - Boston and NY Rangers and the NHL supplied referees for the other half with a Soviet linesman. So lets put the unfamiliar officiating myth to rest.Their record with a Soviet referee 2-0, NHL referee 0-1-1.

That's interesting, thanks. I've read that a Soviet referee was used as a lineseman in the series, but I was neither aware that there was a second nor that they actually refereed for parts of some games. I'm going to try to find out more.
When I mentioned unfamiliar refereeing I thought of physical play though. The style the Flyers played was labelled "rude" by the Soviets. In Europe the Flyers would've run into being constantly shorthanded.

...they had a favourable schedule, playing Dec 28, Dec. 31, Jan.8 and Jan 11. Four games over fifteen days, no back-to-back games,etc 60-90 minute flights from their base.They caught the Bruins first game back from the west coast. The Flyers were playing their 8th game since Dec. 28th when they played CSKA Jan. 11th.So in terms of rest and preparation CSKA had a distinct advantage.

Good points. It's true that the schedule was favourable. Interesting notes on the Bruins returning from the west coast and so on. Puts things into perspective.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Soviet Referees

That's interesting, thanks. I've read that a Soviet referee was used as a lineseman in the series, but I was neither aware that there was a second nor that they actually refereed for parts of some games. I'm going to try to find out more.
When I mentioned unfamiliar refereeing I thought of physical play though. The style the Flyers played was labelled "rude" by the Soviets. In Europe the Flyers would've run into being constantly shorthanded.



Good points. It's true that the schedule was favourable. Interesting notes on the Bruins returning from the west coast and so on. Puts things into perspective.

Soviet referees handled complete games. Viktor Dombrowski reffed the Boston game - see page 25 for the details and complete report

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19760109&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

 

[Pear Juice]

Are you talking about the 70s or about more recent years?

The recent ones. I'm too young to have seen the ones from the 70s. I'm acquaintanced with Roger Olsson who played for Sweden in the '68 Olympics in Grenoble. Maybe I could ask him whenever I meet him next time, it's not very often though.

 

[Theokritos]

Wanted to post the 76-77 overview today, but I need to look a little deeper into the 75-76 season. Which is a good thing. More to come tomorrow.

 

[RabbinsDuck]

Exhibition games are always hard to evaluate. Some of the games I've seen between NHL teams and local SEL teams have been more like the annual All-Star game than an actual competitive game. More of a show than an intense game of hockey.

I would be genuinely interested in seeing how for example a SEL All-Star team would fare against NHL teams in competitive games. But I can't see that ever happening.

Those Cold War exhibition games (and tournaments, of course) between the Soviets and NHL are pretty much the most competitive, hate-filled games I have ever watched. It was like watching WWIII on the ice.