1972 Summit Series – the “Bobby Series†doesn’t count cuz Orr and Hull were not there, and Clarke pulled his Tanya Harding.
Well you can't deny that Orr and Hull would have made a difference although on the flip side it is argued that the Soviets didn't send their best with Firsov being the most obvious example - I personally questions this on the part of the Russian argument just due to the nature of the communist system including the dictatorship based coaching methods implemented by the Soviet's and that not allowing for much dissension in the ranks. The Clarke slash is overblown as the impact of Kharlamov was minimized after the first game and it was one of a number of dirty plays on both sides - just the most highlighted example of such.
1974 Summit Series – Hull, Howe & Canada only winning 1 game out of 8 doesn’t count cuz it was just the WHA.
Didn't Marty Howe play as well. The players in the WHA were a step down from what the NHL had to offer and you are talking about a 46 year old Gordie Howe, and he was still able to put up a point per game. What actually amazes me the most was that Canada was as competitive as they were with a 1-4-3 record with the losses against the Soviets being as close as they were.
1976 Olympics don’t count cuz Canada didn’t even send a team.
In a discussion between who was better Canada or the Soviets that would seem like a pretty good reason to omit that tournament.
1976 Canada Cup doesn’t count because the Russians didn’t send their best players in reciprocal protest (and were afraid they’d defect to the WHA who were hiring Europeans like drunken philanthropists) and Canada had to play the Czechs to “winâ€. what was the score in their first game again?
I guess the USSR didn't send their best but I don't understand the less than veiled shot at the Czechoslovakian team which featured many top rate players of their own.
1979 Challenge Cup -- the Soviets won, but it doesn’t count anyway cuz “Canada†also had 3 Swedes playing on their team.
I never paid that much attention to the Challenge Cups or any other exhibition matches, from everything I have read after 72 the battle with the Russians wasn't as great - not that they didn't love representing their country, the luster was lost however.
1980 Olympics – doesn’t count because it’s the Olympics, and if we count the American amateurs winning it blows our whole argument.
Do you really think that the Americans would win every single game against the Soviet team? Past that does this mean that American amateurs are better than anything that Canada could have assembled?
1981 Canada Cup -- Soviets winning 8—1 doesn’t count because . . . it was only one game? and besides, we didn’t give them the damn trophy anyway! “ha! gotcha!â€
1. The Soviets won the tournament in impressive fashion.
2. Eagleson was an idiot and didn't represent the majority of Canadians.
3. One game series really mean nothing - for another example see above.
1984 Olympics simply don’t count, even though we sent Kirk Muller, Russ Courtnall, Kevin Dineen, Pat Flatley, Dave Gagner, Dave Tippett, James Patrick, J.J. Daigneault, Bruce Driver, Doug Lidster and so on.
And while all those players were all stars in their own right, sending 18 year old players to play against Soviet professionals really doesn't seem like a fair matchup to myself. I fail to see what your point is here? Canada couldn't send their best players to the Olympics prior to 1998.
1984 Canada Cup -- doesn’t count because Peter Stastny actually played for Canada, and the Soviets didn’t send Tretiak even tho he’d only let in all of 1 goal in the 3 final medal games at the Olympics just a few months earlier. (shutting-out both the Czechs and that great Canadian team, then beating the Swedes 10-1)
so the Soviets send a weakened team and that is an excuse now, and yet the Olympics victories are valid? I don't see any logic behind what you are spewing.
1987 the Rendez-Vous Series was a tie, so we don’t count this.
I prefer not to count these because they were primarly exhibition matches and the Soviets were able to send weighted teams in the Red Army something that wouldn't be able to occur in the NHL due to the draft system, although that is much easier to ignore as then it would fit nicely into your logic.
1987 Canada Cup -- doesn’t count because Koharski handed the deciding game to Canada.
Okay - this is where a poor arguement became a stupid arguement. In that video there would be a cross check that would get called and then the video would play a hook that occured at the same time saying that was the call. A slewfoot from the Russians becomes a dive by the Canadians, etc, etc. Did the Canadians dive, yes they did, but the Russians did the exact same thing.
1988 Olympics in Calgary – doesn’t count cuz we were so busy hosting.
And yet still couldn't send our best players.
1991 Canada Cup – doesn’t count because the Soviet Union was collapsing and they barely fielded a team.
Well I would say it would be more due to the top soviet talent was playing in the NHL and as such wasn't selected for the Soviet team so it becomes another tournament which is pretty crap to judge the two nations.
1992 Olympics – these should almost count cuz Canada won the Silver! Sean Burke returned from the Devils, Joe Juneau rocked the ice with 14 points, and some big kid name Lindros was poppin’ a few.
So both teams were weak due to the NHL taking the majority of the top players.
1994 Olympics – the Swedes won but again Canada came second, so if you count both these Silvers it sorta makes one Gold.
And yet the Russians couldn't even make it onto the podium. Also Canada's performance was nothing to be mocked at the 1994 Olympics as they were not expected to win anything and yet it came down to a shootout (which is a horrible way to decide a game that means something).
1996 “World Cup†(formerly Canada Cup) -- clearly doesn’t count because the Americans won.
How did the Russians do in that tournament. My memory is sketchy on these things.
1998 Olympics – doesn’t count cuz Gretzky wasn’t in the shoot-out.
See comments regarding the shoot-out. Horrible way to decide a game that means something. Still the worst part of it was the horrible showing in the bronze metal game, no effort at all.
2002 Olympics and 2004 “World Cup†-- now THESE we count!
Well these were free tournaments that the hockey powers could all participate in, so ignoring these is pretty foolish.
2005 World Championship (the NHL lock-out year and only true best-of W.C.) – Czechs beat Canada 3-zip but it doesn’t count cuz . . . it’s just the World Championships (see also; 1980).
The world championships mean nothing to myself and I didn't watch a second of them. But I fail to see what this had to do with the 1980 Olympics especially when you mention how it was the only true best of WC - something the olympics were not until 1998.
2006 Olympics -- obviously don’t count because . . . Gretzky didn’t pick the right players? bertuzzi’s karma?
Canada lost - the team didn't play well. Simple as that.
Overall I think Canada is the best hockey nation - not as huge of a degree that some people here think it is though.