Happy 40th Birthday to the Canada/Soviet 1972 Summit Series

Thanks, Huggy. Did not remember Martin being associated with Team Canada.

 

Good old classy Bobby Clarke was upset that some of the players who have a functioning conscience put their foot down and said they wouldn't come to 40th anniversary celebrations occuring this year if Alan Eagleson was there (http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/no-room-alan-eagleson-summit-185000537--nhl.html). Says Clarke:

“I’m still a little bitter Alan isn’t part of it,” Clarke said, referring to Summit Series celebrations taking place in Moscow this week and Toronto in the fall. “For me, you’re either a team or you’re not a team and I know the majority of people (on the team) want Alan back. There’s a small group that doesn’t, but he was a huge reason for our success, a huge part of us winning."

You honestly have to wonder what Eagleson would have to do for Clarke to no longer defend him, and how Clarke can face the players Eagleson stole from. Would murder do it?

 

"...a huge part of us winning." What a crock. How many shifts did Eagleson skate? Hell, Clarke had a huge part in Team Canada's victory by deliberately breaking Kharlamov's ankle.

One of Eagleson's strengths, among lying, fraud, and theft, was to grab the spotlight to shine on himself. According to Ken Dryden's piece in the Globe and Mail, he hasn't changed in that regard to this day.

 

The story of how Eagleson ripped off the players, while sickening, is understandable - crooks have been around forever. But I will never in a million years understand the players who've stood by him after he was exposed. According to this article (http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyEagleson/jan8_blatchford.html) from 1998, Bob Gainey and Bobby Smith, who at least from a great distance always came across as decent, stand-up guys, wrote letters to the sentencing judge asking for leniency.

 

I remember that interview vividly. Esaw---not the most hard hitting journalist of his generation---just wanted a good clip. Not sure he was prepared for the response

I think for a lot of Canadians, Phil's speech made them feel slightly embarrassed for the booing in Vancouver. I doubt there was any premeditation on his part. He just spoke from the heart and it seemed to galvanize the country for the next four games in Russia.

 

Players stood behind him because they were sheeples.

The book that exposed Eagleson was "Game Misconduct : Alan Eagleson and the Corruption of Hockey" by Russ Conroy of the Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence, MA , published in '95 by the small Canuck publisher MacFarlane, Walter & Ross. I think, however, they purchased Canadian rights from the US publisher whose name I can't remember

Bruce Dowbiggin of CBC picked up on the story early on and he was basically persona non grata and was shit up on by Eagleson, many players and members of the media. It was shameful

 

You got that right about Esaw. He looked like Les Nessman there on the clip
as he stumbled around for a follow-up question. He did find one, though.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Eagleson, without a push from a single owner or Clarence Campbell, was responsible for Bobby Hull and Gerry Cheevers being left off the roster. Said owners and CC would have applauded the move but Eagleson had the power to make the call.

 

Hull was clearly left off the team because of various forces, including Campbell and Eagleson. It was such a controversy in Canada that even Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau wrote a letter to Hockey Canada about Hull's exclusion



Here's the actual link if it's hard to read (courtesy of the National Archives of Canada)

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/024002/f1/e001217383-v5.jpg
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Liut, never heard that Cheevers was even considered for the team. Dryden was the obvious #1 choice although in my opinion he played like shit for most of the series.

 

Cool piece of research, JR. As with the original G&M link, thanks.

Saw a documentary just the other day, Saturday (I think) in which Cheevers stated Harry Sinden had promised him the Game 1 start at the Forum. Since Cheevers was a Cleveland Crusader, it became a hallow promise.

 

Watched an early 90s (1992?) made for TV documentary about the series on Netflix the other day and pre-scandal Eagleson is all over it, but pretty cool none the less.

One of the more enjoyable interviews of my career was interviewing Henderson several years ago at a speaking function. Really good guy all around.

Did not know about Trudeau's letter, that is pretty cool.

Ah hell, who needs the NHL? I still remember in 1994 when Gretzky put together the NHLPA all-stat team that travelled Europe. Would love for them to stage an NHLPA tournament in different major junior markets or AHL/ECHL markets.