Canada Cup '87 team vs World Championships '87 team (Canada)

Status
Not open for further replies.

Petey21

Registered User
Dec 19, 2003
1,377
2
Sweden
www.geocities.com
I decided to put together the Canadian rosters for the Canada Cup '87 and the World Championships '87 (in Austria). If all players are in their prime and not their '87 status, how would a best-of-7 series between the two teams end? The World Championships team might seem unexperienced in comparision but some future stars were pretty young at the time (for example Scott Stevens). Personally I think the Canada Cuo team would win pretty comfortably 4-1 or possibly 4-2. Will make a similar thread for the American teams as well.

1987 Canada Cup Roster

Goalies:
Ron Hextall
Kelly Hrudey
Grant Fuhr

Defense:
Doug Crossman
Craig Hartsburg
Normand Rochefort
James Patrick
Raymond Bourque
Larry Murphy
Paul Coffey

Forwards:
Glenn Anderson
Dale Hawerchuk
Mark Messier
Mike Gartner
Kevin Dineen
Michel Goulet
Brent Sutter
Rick Tocchet
Brian Propp
Doug Gilmour
Claude Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Wayne Gretzky

1987 World Championships Roster

Goalies:
Sean Burke
Bob Froese
Pat Riggin

Defense:
Bruce Driver
Doug Bodger
Craig Hartsburg
Robert Rouse
Scott Stevens
Larry Murphy
James Patrick
Zarley Zalapski

Forwards:
Barry Pederson
Tony Tanti
Dan Quinn
Kevin Dineen
Keith Acton
Troy Murray
Mike Foligno
Dino Ciccarelli
Al Secord
Dirk Graham
Brian Bellows
Kirk Muller
 

svetovy poharu

Registered User
Dec 7, 2004
290
20
There was a rather controversial statement made regarding that 1987 Team Canada squad at the World Championships in Vienna. It was made by the infamous, always colourful and outspoken, late Harold Ballard, former owner of the Maple Leafs.

The '87 Canadian World Championship team in their 4th game of the tournament, ended up losing to West Germany 5-3, despite playing understaffed awaiting several reinforcements from early casualty NHL playoff teams. The team had opened with a 3-1 win over USA, a hard fought 1-1 tie with Czechoslovakia and 6-1 win over the Swiss.

Ballard, who was in Detroit watching the Leafs-Red Wings battle in the playoffs, said that Team Canada got what it deserved in its 5-3 loss to West Germany.
"It serves them right. They're only over there masquerading as a hockey team....They're not even good enough to play in the NHL."

Ballard was, of course, well-known for his opposition to any competition that involved NHL players versus athletes from communist countries. Team
Canada '87 was composed primarily of players from NHL teams that did not qualify for the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round. Plus the team carried 2 players from the Canadian Olympic team, goalie Sean Burke and defenceman Zarley Zalapski.

Of course, if you recall, the German victory was reversed and given to Canada after Finland lodged a formal complaint to the IIHF that West Germany used an ineligible player, forward Miroslav Sikora because he had played for Poland in the 1976-77 world junior championship in Helsinki and IIHF rules stated that a player who has been a member of one country's team in the world junior's is not eligible to play for another nation in a senior championship.

It seems that Sikora had scored the first goal in both West German victories over Finland (3-1 win) and Canada (5-3 win). The 11-member IIHF executive committee in a 3-hour meeting upheld Finland's protest by a vote of 8-3, and credited both Finland and Canada with 5-0 wins and stripping all points from West Germany.

Team Canada '87 did go on to make the 4-team medal round. However, after the loss to West Germany, Canada was beaten by the Swedes 4-3, lost to the undefeated Soviets 3-2, but finished beating Finland 7-2 to advance. Canada opened the medal round with a strong 0-0 shutout tie with the USSR, but stumbled against the Czechoslovaks 5-2 and ended with a 9-0 stinging defeat to Sweden, thereby missing out on a medal.

The Soviets felt that the Swedes were able to score far too easily against Canadian goalie Bob Froese who absorbed all 9 goals, and Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov even accused the Canadians of losing big on purpose in order to prevent the Soviets from winning the gold medal. The outcome was a very bitter one for the USSR because they went through the tournament unbeaten (8 wins, 2 ties). And for the Soviets to win the gold, they needed to score at least 9 goals against Czechoslovakia to get the gold. The USSR ended up beating the Czechoslovaks 2-1, and had to settle for silver as Sweden won the gold, and Czechoslovakia got the bronze.

Canadian coach Dave King, reacting angrily to the Soviets' accusation that Canada had gone into the tank purposefully, said, "To suggest such a thing is a tremendous insult to Canadian hockey players. Anyone who says it just doesn't know anything about our players and their attitude to winning."

By the way, the 9-0 loss to Sweden was not Canada's worst international defeat. In the 1977 world championships, also played in Vienna, the Soviets beat Canada 11-1.
 

svetovy poharu

Registered User
Dec 7, 2004
290
20
Cam Neely was invited and did attend the 1987 Canada Cup camp, but did not make the team. He was cut from the squad along with Patrick Roy, Tony Tanti, Kirk Muller, Steve Yzerman, Dino Ciccarelli, Dave Poulin, Wendel Clark, Rob Ramage, Brad McCrimmon, Al MacInnis, Doug Lidster, Derrick Smith and Scott Stevens.

Stevens and Poulin were the last cuts by Team Canada head coach Mike Keenan. While all the released players were wounded, only Stevens failed to hide his feelings. A veteran of 3 world championship series with a silver & bronze medal in his trophy case, Stevens also had been the last player cut from the 1984 Canada Cup team as well. He said: "I might take out U.S. citizenship the next time."

Neely was not an invitee to the '87 World Championship Canadian team.
 

sittler rules!!!

Registered User
Feb 9, 2004
1,196
643
That 87 Canada Cup team in my humble opinion is the best team of all time rivalled only by the 76 squad.
 

looooob

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
1,885
1
Visit site
svetovy poharu said:
Cam Neely was invited and did attend the 1987 Canada Cup camp, but did not make the team. He was cut from the squad along with Patrick Roy, Tony Tanti, Kirk Muller, Steve Yzerman, Dino Ciccarelli, Dave Poulin, Wendel Clark, Rob Ramage, Brad McCrimmon, Al MacInnis, Doug Lidster, Derrick Smith and Scott Stevens.

Stevens and Poulin were the last cuts by Team Canada head coach Mike Keenan. While all the released players were wounded, only Stevens failed to hide his feelings. A veteran of 3 world championship series with a silver & bronze medal in his trophy case, Stevens also had been the last player cut from the 1984 Canada Cup team as well. He said: "I might take out U.S. citizenship the next time."

Neely was not an invitee to the '87 World Championship Canadian team.

never really understood how a guy like MacInnis didn't make the 87 team...prior to the Flames winning the cup in 89 I think his defence was under-rated, but he was coming off 2 seasons (85-86/86-87) where he scored more than 60 points and was plus 20 one of those years and plus 38 the next. replace Rochefort with either MacInnis or Stevens and that 87 team looks all the more impressive

no offence to Normand Rochefort and his fans
 

Johnny Postman

Registered User
Nov 24, 2004
617
27
Hudson, NH
svetovy poharu said:
Cam Neely was invited and did attend the 1987 Canada Cup camp, but did not make the team. He was cut from the squad along with Patrick Roy, Tony Tanti, Kirk Muller, Steve Yzerman, Dino Ciccarelli, Dave Poulin, Wendel Clark, Rob Ramage, Brad McCrimmon, Al MacInnis, Doug Lidster, Derrick Smith and Scott Stevens.

Stevens and Poulin were the last cuts by Team Canada head coach Mike Keenan. While all the released players were wounded, only Stevens failed to hide his feelings. A veteran of 3 world championship series with a silver & bronze medal in his trophy case, Stevens also had been the last player cut from the 1984 Canada Cup team as well. He said: "I might take out U.S. citizenship the next time."

Neely was not an invitee to the '87 World Championship Canadian team.

Wow!!! They could have assembled a pretty darn good team starting with the guys they cut!

As for the World Championship team I find it odd they didn't invite Neely to camp. I don't think he was hurt then and I think the B's got bounced early in the playoffs that year (probably by the Habs) :cry: . Although I don't think Neely had a breakout year till the following season any way. I find it ironic that Barry Pederson was on the team, being he was the guy that was traded for Cam.

Thanks for the information
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->