The series of the century shaped the minds of an entire country 50 years ago and Ken Dryden, the goalkeeper for the Canada formation against the Soviets, gives his testimony in a book to be published by Éditions de l’Homme on Wednesday.
• Also read: Series of the century: a speech that was decisive
In The Series of the Century, the former Montreal Canadiens color bearer shares his memories, his feelings and what’s left of them today. In addition to the words of the man who helped the Maple Leaf come back from behind to win the confrontation, many photos illustrate the importance of this confrontation, which goes far beyond the sporting context.
In fact, Canada and the Soviet Union first crossed swords when the famous series kicked off on September 2, 1972 at the Montreal Forum. The clash involved professional ice hockey players, but there were also two polar opposite political systems, opposite ways of living and thinking, all before the eyes of millions of people from both nations involved. Youngsters who attended school at the time can now proudly say that they skipped school on the day of the eighth and final game, September 28 of that year, when around 16 of the 22 million Canadians watched the decisive duel on television.
In addition, the atmosphere that prevailed on the rink and in the surrounding area remained peculiar, even strange.
“One long scream: constant, uncontrollable, from the opening game in Montreal to the siren, whistle, or whatever heralded the end of the series in Moscow,” Dryden described at the beginning of his book. That scream had started to inhabit me long before that, since a phone call telling me I was going to be part of the team. And it’s still alive with me today, 50 years later. Everything in this series was larger than life; his accents, more sonorous; his silence heavier; its highs, its lows, its fears, its imaginary worlds, its reach; everything was larger than life.”
no question about losing
To the surprise and disappointment of many Canadian fans, the country’s players struggled in their first four games, winning just two losses and a draw. In the eyes of many fans, Canada had no right to lose this series against the “enemy”. However, he impressed with his talent and imagination on the ice, which obviously embarrassed Dryden and his staff.
“Before the Summit Series even started, Canada wanted to win all eight games. He had to win all eight games. The Russians wanted to win the series. To do this, they had to be competitive at the highest level. Nobody got what they wanted, but we all got what we needed. Both teams triumphed in a way and on a scale they never imagined. Like Shackleton. It’s perhaps the only series ever contested where the loser gets almost the same satisfaction as the winner today,” reflects the former goalkeeper.
A historical game
Of course, the final game of the series, which took place on September 28, 1972, remains in the annals of Canadian history, and not just because of the country’s comeback, trailing 3-1 in Rounds 6, 7, and 8 victories could equalize In Moscow. If Paul Henderson’s winning goal at the end of the third period of the decisive match is often shown on the small screen, it is because the symbolism, context and public expectations associated with the event could not be overlooked. Losing it would have changed the course of history, not just within the context of the series.
“On September 28, 1972, before the final game of the Century Series in Moscow, no one knew who would be the hero or who would be the scapegoat. When I wasn’t busy enough and couldn’t control my thoughts, I figured maybe I’d just wake up on the morning of September 29, 1972 as Canada’s most hated man,” admits Dryden.
“I happen to be thinking about what would have happened if we had lost Game 8 through some accident. If we had lost the series. All those waves of poison they threw at us in Vancouver [après le quatrième match] would have multiplied. […] After the 1972 series, I was part of the Stanley Cup winning team five times in Montreal. I’m not sure I would have done as well if we had lost the Series of the Century.