1991 Canada Cup

Al Bundy*

Guest
Of all the Canada Cups, the 1991 version seems to be the only one that I don't hear about.

All the other ones had moments that are well-known to this day:

1976- An abolutely dominant team, Sittler's winner

1981- The 9-1 final

1984- Coffey's defensive play, Bossy's winner

1987- Gretzky-to-Lemieux

Those moments and Canada Cups are well-known to many, but why is the 1991 Canada Cup not mentioned like the others?
 

ozzie

Registered User
Aug 3, 2005
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Australia
1991 Canada Cup is mentioned all the time in regard to Eric Lindros.

But the poor play of USSR/CSSR because of political change really changed the whole Canada cup. It was no longer Canada vs Russia, it became Canada VS USA.
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
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To be honest the '91 Canada Cup had some good stories. It may lack that one big headliner but a lot of good things happened here.

Gretzky's back problems started right then after Suter hit him from behind into the boards in Game #1 of the USA/Can final. Game #2 was played without #99.

Then to add salt to the wounds Suter coughs the puck up late in game #2 with the score tied and good old Steve Larmer scores on a breakaway. Dirk Graham added and empty netter. The final score was 4-2.

What lacks is like the '04 World Cup the level of competition wasnt quite there. Sweden had an aging Borje Salming and this was before Sundin and Forsberg and Lidstrom were household names. Finland was mediocre. The Czechs were alright but the Russians didnt ice nearly their best team and the Americans did. The USA was good but they were up and comers and I personally knew that by the time the next tournament came around they'd be stellar, and they were

Plus Canada missed a ton of guys that either didnt get invited, were hurt or chose not to play. Here's some names: Lemieux, Bourque, Neely, Yzerman, Recchi, Anderson, Gilmour, Oates, Nieuwendyk and Roy. Plus others like Francis and Sakic were shockers not to be considered since Lindros was in there and hadnt even played an NHL game yet.

The '91 Canada Cup doesnt have the climax like the other tournys but it wasnt all that bad either
 

c9777666

Registered User
Aug 31, 2016
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I think one factor to why the 1991 Canada Cup lacked what it’s predecessors had- overwhelming rosters.

Canada’s 1991 roster was good, but not great. It wasn’t the 1987 or 1976 team- heck, it wasn’t Even 1996 caliber. It was solid, it had some standout names, but it seemed to not Have that WOW factor of other squads. (Not having the hero of 1987, #66, is noteworthy)

And the team they always were dueling with, Russia, was not what they had been in the 80s. Plus, seeing USA as the big Canadian threat was a strange sight.

Canada vs Russia (save for ‘76 and the Czechs) was usually what Canada Cups were defined by, so facing a different foe in the Finals without that lineage/rivalry probably had a role. Kinda like how the final vs Sweden in ‘84 is not the defining image of that CC

Plus, that final was not quite 1987 (although to be fair, it would have been impossible for anything to top the trio of 6-5 epics)
 
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The Panther

Registered User
Mar 25, 2014
19,114
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Tokyo, Japan
All the reasons so far mentioned are true, but for me (and probably for a lot of Oilers' fans) the '91 Canada Cup was really memorable because we saw Gretzky, Coffey, Messier, Ranford, and Steve Smith together on a team again, for the first time since "the trade" (actually Coffey and Ranford had never been teammates, but never mind that). And it was really the last time Gretzky was "Gretzky".

I enjoyed it a lot. Just wasn't as dramatic as some others.
 

Asheville

Registered User
Feb 1, 2018
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Larmer, the tournament's leading goal scorer, won the event on a shorthander against his future Stanley Cup champion teammate, Mike Richter.

Larmer does not get enough recognition for his performance at this event. I think he played on Gretzky's line, and I wonder if Wayne pushed Kings management to acquire him seeing as Wirtz's cheap ways led Steve to hold out and eventally be shipped to 7th & 34th.

He could have been LA's difference in '93.
 
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vadim sharifijanov

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Oct 10, 2007
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other than seeing lindros for the first time, hard to get too excited about a team of cronies. steve smith (wayne’s boy), larmer and graham (keenan’s boys), courtnall and corson (burns’ boys, and i love you rico but i barely even knew who you were in the summer of 91), but no bourque, yzerman, roy, oates, sakic, neely, mario, recchi, etc etc etc. they didn’t all want to play or were able to, but some of them did.
 

johan f

Registered User
Jun 23, 2008
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Sweden
Canada Cup 1991 is the only international tourny I have watched on site. Watched games in To, Halifax and Montreal (first final). It was also my first and so far only visit to Canada. I remember how cool it was with elevators in Maple leafs Gardens.

As stated before, it was not that eventful tournament. USA and Canada were quite stacked and natural to reach finals. For my personal experience the tourny was eventful. Beside visiting Niagara Falls, CN Tower and get to see a new continent I got to meet interesting people within hockey. Alan Eagleson we met outside a steak house in Montreal and he made us go inside and ask his son to give us a round of shots. Later on it appeared paid by money from NHLPA.
On an airport I chatted some with B Hull. Nice talkative guy.
Further on, after Sweden's loss to Canada in semifinals I and my company ended up at same bar as Swedish national team. Remember so well that a young Lidstrom and Kjell Samuelsson sat by themselves in a boot watching the rerun of their game. No wonder why one is a coach today and the other went to become one of the more analytic and smart players ever. Rest of team hung out at the bar desk.

In Montreal Forum I managed to sneak in my camera and could take some good photos. The arena went silent when Suter checked Gretzky.
 

VMBM

And it didn't even bring me down
Sep 24, 2008
3,798
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Helsinki, Finland
I think it was lackluster, for the reasons already mentioned.

In Finland, however, it is fairly fondly remembered, and even considered "a great achievement" by the Finnish team; especially the players and coaches like to think so. I can sort of understand it, since around this time, Finland's national team and Finnish hockey were getting stronger and nearer the world's top, and it was seen as a sign of that. But the tournament was far from what it could have been.
 

Asheville

Registered User
Feb 1, 2018
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other than seeing lindros for the first time, hard to get too excited about a team of cronies. steve smith (wayne’s boy), larmer and graham (keenan’s boys), courtnall and corson (burns’ boys, and i love you rico but i barely even knew who you were in the summer of 91), but no bourque, yzerman, roy, oates, sakic, neely, mario, recchi, etc etc etc. they didn’t all want to play or were able to, but some of them did.

It's not about putting an all-star team together. And pointing out Larmer, of all players? They won the event, so....

And why are you bringing up Mario and Roy? These two have a history and turning down the national team.
 

vadim sharifijanov

Registered User
Oct 10, 2007
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someone’s gotta win a boring tournament where massive amounts of the best players (also, bure, mogilny, the green unit... etc) aren’t there

and someone’s gotta be the star. that year it was the coach’s son. yawn

i remember very distinctly the general feeling was the canadian player ppl wanted to see most played for a different country, which is a decent allegory for that tournament.
 

Big Phil

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Nov 2, 2003
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I have to say that I don't hear much talking also about the 1984 Canada Cup, was that memorable?

The big thing was the semi final between Russia and Canada going to overtime. The defensive play on a 2-on-1 by Coffey that eventually led to the Canadian goal by Bossy. Honestly, watch that semi final game between the two, it was nothing short of epic and hardly any worse than any of the games in 1987 in the final.
 
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Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
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The 1991 team was famously dubbed "Gretzky and the Grinders" as if they were some British invasion rock band in the 1960s. This was Keenan's wish. He did make some questionable moves, and should have never cut Yzerman, but they did win, so I guess it all worked out. However, there was some serious talent that wasn't there.

That being said, Suter nails Gretzky and knocks him out of the tournament. Canada still wins Game 1. In Game 2 the score is tied and Larmer steals the puck - shorthanded - from Suter at the blue line and breaks in on a breakaway and scores on Richter. Canada adds an empty netter. Seriously, I have no idea why this goal doesn't get more love.

Lastly, watch Gretzky in that tournament. He had a 163 point season that year and without Lemieux around you could still see there was some serious separation from Gretzky and everyone else in the world. I think he played as well in 1991 as he did in 1987.
 

JackSlater

Registered User
Apr 27, 2010
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It's definitely my least favourite edition of the tournament, barring the recent frankenstein edition. Lacklustre roster for Canada, USSR in shambles, Czechs fallen from their 1970s level and not yet close to the level they would reach later in the decade, USA/Finland/Sweden still not really ready to really challenge. Suter put a bit of a pall on the tournament. Keenan stupidly leaving off Yzerman is also the only time that I would change a decision made my a team I support even though the team won. The worst cut in international hockey history.
 

Austerlitz

Registered User
Jun 26, 2018
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An aspect of the Suter hit that's forgotten now:

The hit happened in the second period and Suter (as was mentioned above) scored shortly afterwards to make it 2-1. By the end of the second, he had clearly gotten under the Canadians' skin and Canada had started running around.

The players afterwards said Mark Messier stood up in the dressing room before the third and told them to forget Gretzky and focus on winning. Halfway through the third, he backed it up by notching the insurance goal to make it 3-1.

Like I said, never mentioned anymore but something I remember the players talking about after the game.
 

c9777666

Registered User
Aug 31, 2016
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What’s interesting is that a decent amount of the players on this Canadian team were also on the 1996 team that, while they didn’t win, was anything but lackluster
 

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