1987 Canada Cup
| 1987 Canada Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host nation |  Canada
|
| Dates | August 28 – September 15, 1987 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Venue(s) | 7 (in 7 host cities) |
| Champions |  Canada (3 titles)
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 20 |
| Goals scored | 138 (6.9 per game) |
| Scoring leader(s) |  Wayne Gretzky (21 pts)
|
| MVP | Wayne Gretzky
|
The 1987 Labatt Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament held from August 28 to September 15, 1987. The finals took place in Montreal on September 11 and Hamilton, on September 13 and September 15, and were won by Team Canada.
The final three-game series of this tournament between Canada and the Soviet Union is considered by many to be the best exhibition of hockey in history. At the time, Soviet players were not allowed to pursue playing careers in North America, and so it was only through tournaments like this one where hockey fans could see them exhibit their skills head-to-head against the best of the National Hockey League (NHL). The United States and Soviet Union teams complained about the neutrality of the officiating in the tournament.[1] Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov said he felt the main reason his team lost was because of "bias and errors in refereeing.".[2]
The tournament also was the only time that the two most dominant NHL players of the last quarter century, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, played on the same forward unit, combining with each other on 29% of Team Canada's goals.
Round robin standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 13 | +6 | 8 |
 Soviet Union
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 13 | +9 | 7 |
 Sweden
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 6 |
 Czechoslovakia
|
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 15 | –3 | 5 |
 United States
|
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 14 | –1 | 4 |
 Finland
|
5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 23 | –14 | 0 |
Game scores
Round-robin
| Friday, 28 August 1987 18:00 MDT |
Canada
|
4–4 ( 2–2, 1–1, 1–1 ) |
Czechoslovakia
|
Olympic Saddledome, Calgary Attendance: 8,458 |
| 4 min | Penalties | 10 min | ||
| 40 | Shots | 36 | ||
| Friday, 28 August 1987 19:30 EDT |
Finland
|
1–4 ( 0–0, 0–1, 1–3 ) |
United States
|
Civic Centre Coliseum, Hartford Attendance: 8,508 |
| 23 | Shots | 40 | ||
| Saturday, 29 August 1987 12:00 MDT |
Sweden
|
5–3 ( 3–1, 1–2, 1–0 ) |
Soviet Union
|
Olympic Saddledome, Calgary Attendance: 3,055 |
| 6 min | Penalties | 6 min | ||
| 20 | Shots | 14 | ||
| Sunday, 30 August 1987 20:00 EDT |
Finland
|
1–4 ( 0–2, 1–2, 0–0 ) |
Canada
|
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Attendance: 9,624 |
| 18 min | Penalties | 12 min | ||
| 40 | Shots | 54 | ||
| Monday, 31 August 1987 12:00 CST |
Soviet Union
|
4–0 (2–0, 1–0, 1–0 ) |
Czechoslovakia
|
Agridome, Regina Attendance: 5,477 |
| 19 min | Penalties | 24 min | ||
| 27 | Shots | 23 | ||
| Monday, 31 August 1987 19:30 EDT |
United States
|
5–2 ( 1–0, 3–1, 1–1 ) |
Sweden
|
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Attendance: 4,474 |
| 10 min | Penalties | 6 min | ||
| 30 | Shots | 28 | ||
| Wednesday, 2 September 1987 12:00 CST |
Czechoslovakia
|
0–4 ( 0–1, 0–1, 0–2 ) |
Sweden
|
Agridome, Regina |
| 14 min | Penalties | 18 min | ||
| 26 | Shots | 28 | ||
| Wednesday, 2 September 1987 12:00 ADT |
Soviet Union
|
7–4 ( 3–3, 3–0, 1–1 ) |
Finland
|
Halifax, Halifax Attendance: 3,262 |
| 8 min | Penalties | 6 min | ||
| 37 | Shots | 22 | ||
| Wednesday, 2 September 1987 20:00 EDT |
United States
|
2–3 ( 1–0, 0–2, 1–1 ) |
Canada
|
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Attendance: 17,026 |
| 28 min | Penalties | 12 min | ||
| 30 | Shots | 40 | ||
| Friday, 4 September 1987 14:00 ADT |
Czechoslovakia
|
5–2 ( 2–0, 2–0, 1–2 ) |
Finland
|
Centre 200, Sydney Attendance: 4,500 |
| 10 min | Penalties | 8 min | ||
| 35 | Shots | 22 | ||
| Friday, 4 September 1987 19:30 EDT |
Soviet Union
|
5–1 ( 2–0, 1–1, 2–0 ) |
United States
|
Civic Centre Coliseum, Hartford Attendance: 14,838 |
| 6 min | Penalties | 19 min | ||
| 27 | Shots | 20 | ||
| Friday, 4 September 1987 20:00 EDT |
Canada
|
5–3 ( 2–2, 1–0, 2–1 ) |
Sweden
|
Forum, Montréal Attendance: 12,360 |
| 10 min | Penalties | 10 min | ||
| 23 | Shots | 22 | ||
| Sunday, 6 September 1987 12:00 ADT |
Sweden
|
3–1 ( 1–0, 1–0, 1–1 ) |
Finland
|
Centre 200, Sydney Attendance: 4,500 |
| 8 min | Penalties | 6 min | ||
| 21 | Shots | 23 | ||
| Sunday, 6 September 1987 16:00 ADT |
United States
|
1–3 ( 0–1, 1–1, 0–1 ) |
Czechoslovakia
|
Centre 200, Sydney Attendance: 4,500 |
| 10 min | Penalties | 12 min | ||
| 37 | Shots | 25 | ||
| Sunday, 6 September 1987 20:00 EDT |
Canada
|
3–3 ( 1–0, 1–3, 1–0 ) |
Soviet Union
|
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Attendance: 17,026 |
| 4 min | Penalties | 12 min | ||
| 30 | Shots | 36 | ||
Semi-Finals
| 8 September 1987 20:00 EDT |
Soviet Union
|
4-2 |
Sweden
|
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Attendance: 7,051 |
| 12 min | Penalties | 10 min | ||
| 24 | Shots | 26 | ||
| 9 September 1987 20:00 EDT |
Canada
|
5-3 |
Czechoslovakia
|
The Forum, Montreal Attendance: 10,262 |
| 6 min | Penalties | 6 min | ||
| 37 | Shots | 24 | ||
Finals Game 1
| 11 September 1987 20:00 EDT |
Soviet Union
|
6-5 (OT) |
Canada
|
The Forum, Montreal Attendance: 14,588 |
| 16 min | Penalties | 12 min | ||
| 43 | Shots | 33 | ||
Finals Game 2
| 13 September 1987 20:00 EDT |
Canada
|
6-5 (2OT) |
Soviet Union
|
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Attendance: 17,026 |
| 16 min | Penalties | 12 min | ||
| 43 | Shots | 33 | ||
Finals Game 3
| 15 September 1987 20:00 EDT |
Canada
|
6-5 |
Soviet Union
|
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Attendance: 17,026 |
| 6 min | Penalties | 10 min | ||
| 46 | Shots | 23 | ||
Three closely fought 6-5 games decided the '87 Canada Cup. In Game 1, Canada erased a 4-1 second period deficit to send the game to overtime, only to lose on Alexander Semak's goal at 5:33 of the extra frame.
In Game 2, which is considered by some to be the greatest hockey game ever played, Canada led 3-1 after one period, but this time it was the Soviets who came from behind to tie it 3-3 in the second. Canada scored twice more, each time Mario Lemieux assisted by Wayne Gretzky, but the Soviets replied each time. The tying goal was an end-to-end rush by Valeri Kamensky with 1:04 remaining in regulation time. After a scoreless period of overtime, which featured effective goaltending from Grant Fuhr, Gretzky and Lemieux hooked up for the third time of the evening at 10:07 of the second overtime. It was the fifth assist for Gretzky on the night and completed a hat trick for Lemieux.
The Canadians got off to a slow start in the decisive third game. The Soviets scored three times in the first eight minutes to take a 3-0 lead. Canada's grinders took over after that (particularly Rick Tocchet, Brent Sutter and Dale Hawerchuk), and pulled Canada into a 5-4 lead after two periods. The Soviets tied it back up in the third and the game looked like it would head to overtime again. But late in the third period, Canada coach Mike Keenan, who had been juggling lines all series, sent the trio of Gretzky, Lemieux and Hawerchuk out to play with a faceoff in Canada's end. After the faceoff, Gretzky, Lemieux and Larry Murphy rushed up the ice. Young Soviet defenseman Igor Kravchuk was the only man back and he fell down to block a pass across but Gretzky fed the puck back to Lemieux, who fired a shot over the glove of goaltender Sergei Mylnikov with 1:26 remaining. The Gretzky to Lemieux play is one of the most memorable plays in Canadian hockey history.
References
- ↑ "The Canada Cup of Hockey Fact and Stat Book" (2005), (p. 114), By H. G. Anderson.
- ↑ http://articles.philly.com/1987-09-24/sports/26211674_1_smu-president-kenneth-pye-viktor-tikhonov
External links
- Hockey Hall of Fame Tournament Summary
- Hockey Canada Tournament Summaries
- Canada Cup '87 – 99 & 66 perform pure magic
- Canada Versus the Soviet Union: The Heyday of the Battle for World Hockey Supremacy (1972-1987)
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |