The 1974 Summit Series was the second competition between Soviet and Canadian professional ice hockey players. It used the same format as the 1972 Summit Series, with four games across Canada and four in Moscow. The Soviet team won the series 4–1–3, with Canada's lone victory coming at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The series was proposed and promoted by the World Hockey Association to draw national attention to the league.SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) pp.16-17 Therefore the Canadian roster was selected from the World Hockey Association instead of the National Hockey League.. In Russian

The Soviets won the series 4–1–3.SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) pp.16 & 91 The series included a game-six fight and game-seven disputed goal, but after the first four games in Canada, Dick Beddoes concluded: "Canada must have a great deal of admiration for Team 74. They did much better than the skeptics expected ... They have played good and entertaining hockey against a younger Russian team".SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) p.52

Organization and preparation Negotiations for the event started at the 1974 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, when Andrey Starovoytov of the Soviet Union approached Jack Devine and Gordon Juckes of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association regarding another series. Initially the event was to be six-games, but it was later extended to eight. Team Canada players were each paid C$6,000 for participating in the event.

Team Canada prepared for the series by playing exhibition games against an all-star team of players from the Western Hockey League.SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) pp.12-14 They played five games:1974 Western Canadian Junior All-Stars & European Exhibitions September 5, 1974 - Team Canada 7-2 win vs Western Hockey League All-Stars in Medicine Hat (attendance 5115) September 6, 1974 - Team Canada 6-5 win vs Western Hockey League All-Stars in Brandon, Manitoba September 8, 1974 - Team Canada 2-3 loss vs Western Hockey League All-Stars in Calgary (attendance 8000) September 10, 1974 - Team Canada 6-1 win vs Western Hockey League All-Stars in Saskatoon September 12, 1974 - Team Canada 8-0 win vs Western Hockey League All-Stars in Edmonton

Prior to the series the Soviet team played two games against the Finland men's national ice hockey team as part of the 1974 edition of the Izvestia Cup tournament:SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) p.14 September 10, 1974 - Team Soviet 8-1 win vs Finland in Moscow September 13, 1974 - Team Soviet 4-3 win vs Finland in Moscow

Players Team Canada 1974 had three veterans of the Summit Series; Paul Henderson, Frank Mahovlich, and Pat Stapleton. Additionally the team had two legends, Bobby Hull and the 46-year-old Gordie Howe who played with his sons Mark Howe and Marty Howe.SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) pp.18-19

Paul Shmyr played on defence, along with five-time Stanley Cup champion J.C. Tremblay. The goaltender was two-time Stanley Cup champion and future Hall of Famer Gerry Cheevers.SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) p.91

The main criticism of the Canadian player selections is that they were older and seemingly near the end of their careers.SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) pp.17-19

The Soviet team was composed of Olympic and World Champion gold medalists. Three players became Hockey Hall of Fame inductees: Vladislav Tretiak, Valeri Kharlamov and Alexander Yakushev. Additionally, several Soviet all-stars had played in the 1972 Summit Series, including Vladimir Petrov, Boris Mikhailov, Alexander Maltsev, Valeri Vasiliev and Yuri Lebedev.Soviet roster 1974

Series summary In Canada The first training session of the USSR national team drew a full arena of spectators, including the players from the WHA national team, who were led by Bobby Hull. Tickets for the Canadian games sold out months in advance. In Quebec, the tickets were drawn in a lottery. People paid two dollars for a chance to get a ticket to the game; out of two million who bought a lottery ticket, only 15,000 got a ticket. In Winnipeg, $10 tickets were sold before the game for double their value.Суперсерия-74. Повторение пройденного. In Russian

Game one The first game was played before an "emotional" full house at the Colisée de Québec, home of the Quebec Nordiques. The final result was a 3–3 tie.«Вы играли в красивый хоккей, А мы жёстко». Суперсерии-74 — 45 лет. In Russian Canadian coach Billy Harris said he was "satisfied" with the result, and Soviet coach Boris Kulagin concurred, saying it was "an interesting and exciting game" and "We too are satisfied with the outcome tonight."Better late than never for Hull! by Brodie Synder, The Montreal Gazette, September 18, 1974, p.25

The star of the night was Bobby Hull, the perennial all-star who had been banned from the 1972 Team Canada because he had recently signed with the WHA. He scored two goals, including the game-tying goal with only 5:12 left. He stated, "Never been so tight before a game in my life, not even a 7th game of a Stanley Cup final." Hull was named the Canadian MVP of the game.Better late than never for Hull! by Brodie Synder, The Montreal Gazette, September 18, 1974, p.25

The game ended on a disappointing note for Frank Mahovlich, who had a clean breakaway on Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak with 36 seconds remaining, only to shoot the puck less than inch wide of the net: "I was trying to put the puck up high" he explained "But Tretiak's body was twisted like a pretzel ... So I hammered the puck past the post. He made his move. I made mine, and he beat me."SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) p.25СУПЕРСЕРИЯ-74. ФИАСКО КАНАДЦЕВ В МОСКВЕ. In Russian

Game two Just like in 1972, the second game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens before a capacity crowd and the Canadians triumphed with a 4–1 victory. Ralph Backstrom opened the game with his first of four series goals (and 8 points), leading the Soviets coaches and players to say he was one of Canada's best players.SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) p.87

One controversial event occurred two minutes into the third period. Vladimir Petrov's shot clearly scored hitting the back crossbar and quickly bouncing out of the net, and the red light went on. However, Canadian referee Tom Brown, and his linesman, over ruled the goal claiming he did not see the puck. Coach Kulagin, who admitted the goal would not have changed the final result, was highly critical of Brown and demanded he be replaced for the next game.SUMMIT 74: The Canada/Russia Hockey Series, by Dick Beddoes & John Roberts (Methuen, 1974, Agincourt, Ontario) p36 Brown later admitted his mistake and apologized.

Game three In the third game, the Soviet national team won 8–5. Cheevers sat out the third game because his father-in-law was in hospital after suffering a heart attack while watching game two. Don McLeod was the substitute.

Canada had a power-play during the final 1:04 due to Vladimir Lutchenko's holding penalty, and then Harris pulled the goalie McLeod for an extra skater, but they could not score.

Game four In the first period of the fourth game, Bobby Hull scored a hat trick. After the first period, the hosts led 5–2, but the Soviet national team pulled out a 5–5 draw, ending the Canadian part of the series with 17:17 points.

In the USSR Before the Moscow part of the Series, the Canadian national team played two friendly matches in Helsinki and Gothenburg, defeating the Finns and the Swedes 8–3 and 4–3, respectively. The Canadians arrived in Moscow on September 27; about three thousand Canadian fans also arrived. Tickets cost from 10 to 50 rubles (though there were no tickets at the box office; they were distributed among organizations). However, people, hoping for an extra ticket, were on duty at the Luzhniki Stadium continuously, right up to the last game of the series.

Game five Due to the injury of Alexander Yakushev, Lebedev and Bodunov now played with Shadrin, and Anisin — with Maltsev and Vikulov. The Anisin—Maltsev—Vikulov trio opened the scoring in the first game, and then Maltsev realized the majority. The game ended 3–2.

Game six The sixth game featured an increased number of penalties taken by Team Canada. The Canadians received 33 penalty minutes per game (while the Soviets received 9). Mark Howe met Petrov harshly; in retaliation Vasilyev thoroughly crushed Bruce MacGregor. This game was overshadowed by the post-game fight between Rick Ley and Kharlamov. The latter left the ice with his face covered in blood. Many Soviet hockey players refused to shake hands with their rivals. The next day, Boris Kulagin said that "the players who inflicted injuries on Soviet hockey players deserve to be suspended from matches." The Canadians apologized; the incident was hushed up. At the same time, the Canadian side expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing. The Soviets would win 5–2.

Game seven In the seventh game, the Soviets played four units for the first time under Kulagin. Hull scored a goal at the same time as the final siren, giving the guests a chance for a draw, but referee Brown didn't count the goal.

Game eight In the last game, Kulagin gave the opportunity to play to those who until then had been sitting in reserve. The game ended 3–2. The Soviet national team won three of the four Moscow games, tying the other.

Aftermath In an interview with Soviet Sport, Boris Kulagin warned not to overestimate the importance of the Soviet victory: "This series showed that our best players surpass Canadian professionals in the sum of all the components that make up hockey. But let's think about one detail: we are stronger than the top 20-25 players, and if we take 50 or 100 hockey players on each side? I'm afraid that perhaps no one will give a definite answer. And I urge both coaches and players to roll up their sleeves so that in a few years any major league club team can safely go on the ice against any foreign team. And not just 'calmly go out', but win!"

Schedule and results Game one

Game two

Game three

Game four

Game five

Game six

Game seven

Game eight

Exhibition games

Statistics SOURCE : 1974 Canada-USSR Summit Series Canadians Player Bobby Hull 8 7 2 9 0 Winnipeg Jets Ralph Backstrom 8 4 4 8 10 Chicago Cougars Gordie Howe 7 3 4 7 2 Houston Aeros André Lacroix8 1 6 7 6 San Diego Mariners Mark Howe 7 2 4 6 4 Houston Aeros J.C. Tremblay 8 1 4 5 2 Quebec Nordiques John McKenzie 7 1 3 4 12 Vancouver Blazers Paul Henderson 7 2 1 3 0 Toronto Toros Tom Webster 4 2 1 3 6 New England Whalers Serge Bernier 8 1 2 3 4 Quebec Nordiques Pat Stapleton 8 0 2 2 12 Chicago Cougars Bruce MacGregor 5 1 1 2 5 Edmonton Oilers Frank Mahovlich 6 1 1 2 6 Toronto Toros Rejean Houle 7 1 1 2 2 Quebec Nordiques Paul Shmyr 7 0 2 2 4 Cleveland Crusaders Jim Harrison 3 0 2 2 6 Cleveland Crusaders Mike Walton 6 0 1 1 2 Minnesota Fighting Saints Al Hamilton 3 0 1 1 4 Edmonton Oilers Marc Tardif 5 0 1 1 10 Michigan Stags Rick Ley 7 0 1 1 14 New England Whalers Marty Howe 4 0 0 0 12 Houston Aeros Brad Selwood 4 0 0 0 2 New England Whalers Rick Smith 7 0 0 0 12 Minnesota Fighting Saints NOTE - Tom Webster served a 2 minute bench minor penalty

Soviets