I've seen Firsov play and I also have plenty of footage of Firsov playing against Canada and the Czechs right up to the 1972 World Championships.
If you compare Russian players like Kharlamov to Firsov, then Kharlamov would stick out more because of his speed and superior skills. That's not to say that Firsov wasn't skilled or dominant because he was - just not as flashy or viewed as much as Kharlamov was.
Firsov was a solidly built good skater who often played left wing although he was a right handed shot - think about Ovechkin and Kovalchuk. But Firsov never played against the NHL and so he can't be measured that way. But he was known as the top Soviet forward for those great Russian teams in the 60's, maybe the one forward that Canada feared the most.
I can't remember all the details of why Firsov wasn't on the Russian team in the 1972 series but I don't think it was his decision to leave the National team.
Could he have made a difference in the Summit Series? That's a good question that I'd have to think about. I had this great article about Firsov that I'll try to find if I can.
In late 1969, the Russian National Team played the Canadian National team in Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens. It may have been one of the last games the Canadian National team played before it was disbanded. At that point, the Canadians were able to use ex-pro players. What is interesting about that game is an 18 year old goalie named Tretiak playing for Russia and a young Kharlamov playing and scoring for Russia in that game. The spare goalie sitting on the bench for Canada in that game was Ken Dryden. So, he at least, saw the capabilities of those 2 Russian young players up close. Its hard to believe that Team Canada could not have known how good Tretiak and Kharlamov were when they played them in game 1 in Montreal.
Marcus-74 said:
ClassicHockey, this is slightly off-topic, but...
Have you seen any footage of Anatoli Firsov? If so, what´s your impression? For instance, could he have made any difference in the Summit Series?
It has been said that he was already past his prime in ´72 (he quit the team after the Winter Olympics in Sapporo; couldn´t get along with the new coach Bobrov, apparently) and that Kharlamov had surpassed him at this point, but I´m not so sure. Yes, Kharlamov did outshine Firsov in Sapporo, but he actually had a defensive role there (he played on the short-lived but very efficient line with Kharlamov and Vikulov = A Tarasov brainchild), and just a year earlier he had been the best forward in the ´71 World Championships.
PS. In the Canada Cup DVD there´s that French-language hi-lite film, which shows a few clips from ´69 WCs, but unfortunately not of Firsov; at least I can´t spot him anywhere...