1981 Canada Cup
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Labatt Labatt Brewing Company Limited (french: La Brasserie Labatt Limitée) is a Belgian-owned brewery headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1847, Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Int ...
Canada Cup The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world ...
was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in
Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
,
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
,
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and
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. The
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
defeated
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
in a single game final to win its first title by the score of 8–1. Soviet goaltender
Vladislav Tretiak Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, Meritorious Service Decoration (Canada), MSM ( rus, links=no, Владислав Александрович Третьяк, p=trʲɪˈtʲjak; born 25 April 1952) is a Russian former goaltender for the Soviet Un ...
was named most valuable player. Canada's
Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
led the tournament in scoring with 12 points. This second edition of the
Canada Cup The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world ...
was originally scheduled to be held in 1979 but was postponed due to disputes between the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...
and
Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...
. It was postponed a second time in 1980 following the Soviet
invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
of
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and Canada's boycott of sporting events with the Soviet Union as a result. When finally held in 1981, tournament organizer
Alan Eagleson Robert Alan Eagleson (born April 24, 1933) is a disbarment, disbarred Canadians, Canadian lawyer, ice hockey, hockey Sports agent, agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the ...
speculated it could be the last such event due to rising costs and disappointing attendance. Eagleson generated additional controversy when he refused to allow the Soviets to take the Canada Cup trophy with them to the Soviet Union.


Organization

At its congress in the summer of 1978, the
International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
approved proposals to hold the second and third
Canada Cup The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world ...
tournaments in 1979 and 1982. However, tensions between Canada's rival governing bodies, the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...
(CAHA) and
Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...
, increased after the latter body accused the CAHA of reneging on promises it had made regarding Hockey Canada's control of international events involving professional players. Hockey Canada's chief negotiator for international events,
Alan Eagleson Robert Alan Eagleson (born April 24, 1933) is a disbarment, disbarred Canadians, Canadian lawyer, ice hockey, hockey Sports agent, agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the ...
, accused the CAHA of attempting to sabotage the Canada Cup and threatened to cancel the tournament if the CAHA refused to compromise with his body. The tournament was put in further jeopardy in January 1979 when
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
withdrew as a major sponsor; Eagleson argued GM withdrew as a result of the dispute with the CAHA. The disputes put the two bodies on the verge of severing all ties, a move that would have led to Hockey Canada refusing to release any professional or university player to any of Canada's national teams. The tournament was ultimately postponed by a year until September 1980. The
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in December 1979 and threatened boycott of the
1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
in Moscow led organizers to consider again postponing the Canada Cup. While Eagleson initially favoured allowing the tournament to go ahead regardless of the political situation, he ultimately agreed that Hockey Canada should again postpone the Canada Cup after the Canadian Government joined the
Olympic boycott The Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event. During its history, there have been full boycotts on six occasions, all of them at Summer Olympics: the first boycott occurred at the 1956 Summer Olympics, with the most recent being a ...
. A brief effort to move the tournament to Sweden was quickly put down when Eagleson informed them that neither Hockey Canada nor the
National Hockey League Players Association NHLPA (french: AJLNH) is the labour union for the group of professional hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL) located in the United States and Canada. The association re ...
(NHLPA) would participate in such an event.Pelletier, 2003, p. 53 Undaunted, Eagleson and IIHF president
Günther Sabetzki Günther Sabetzki (4 June 1915 in Düsseldorf, German Empire – 21 June 2000) was an executive for several ice hockey leagues and organizations. Sabetzki was one of the founding members of the German Ice Hockey Federation in 1963. He would b ...
announced that the tournament had again been rescheduled for September 1981. This time, the tournament went ahead as scheduled.


Teams

The
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
treated the
1976 Canada Cup The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2 to 15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec City in Canada as well as in Philadelphia, in the United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup to ...
with disdain, but entered this tournament intent on re-asserting themselves following their upset loss to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
at the
1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...
. They were led by the KLM line of
Vladimir Krutov Vladimir Yevgenyevich Krutov (russian: Владимир Евгеньевич Крутов; 1 June 1960 – 6 June 2012), nicknamed "The Tank", was a Soviet ice hockey forward. Together with Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov, he was part of the fam ...
,
Igor Larionov Igor Nikolayevich Larionov (russian: Игорь Николаевич Ларионов; born 3 December 1960) is a Russian ice hockey coach, sports agent and former professional ice hockey player, known as "the Professor". Along with Viacheslav ...
and Sergei Makarov on offence, as well as the "
Bobby Orr Robert Gordon Orr (born March 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time. Orr used his ice skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the pos ...
of the Soviet Union",
Vyacheslav Fetisov Viacheslav Alexandrovich "Slava" Fetisov (Russian: Вячеслав Александрович Фетисов, ''Vjačeslav Aleksandrovič Fetisov''; born 20 April 1958) is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for HC CSK ...
, and
Alexei Kasatonov Alexei Viktorovich Kasatonov (russian: link=no, Алексей Викторович Касатонов; born 14 October 1959) is a Russian former ice hockey defenceman, who was a long-time member of the Soviet Union national ice hockey team. Car ...
on defence, with the venerable
Vladislav Tretiak Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, Meritorious Service Decoration (Canada), MSM ( rus, links=no, Владислав Александрович Третьяк, p=trʲɪˈtʲjak; born 25 April 1952) is a Russian former goaltender for the Soviet Un ...
in goal.Pelletier, 2003, p. 56 With a strong mixture of veterans and young players, the Soviets entered the tournament as favourites.
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
brought a considerably younger team as compared to their 1976 entry. Three defencemen –
Ray Bourque Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial ...
,
Paul Reinhart Paul Gerard Reinhart (born January 6, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He featured in the 1986 Stanley Cup F ...
and
Craig Hartsburg Craig William Hartsburg (born June 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and head coach, who currently serves as an amateur scout and defense development coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League ( ...
were under the age of 22, while 20-year-old
Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
was expected to be the offensive catalyst.Pelletier, 2003, p. 54 Gretzky's pairing with
Guy Lafleur Guy Damien Lafleur (September 20, 1951 – April 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Flower" and "Le Démon Blond", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was the first player in National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 50 goals in six c ...
was highly anticipated (and they would combine with each other on 22% of Team Canada's goals), while the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
quartet of
Mike Bossy Michael Dean Bossy (January 22, 1957April 15, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. He spent his entire NHL career, which lasted from 1977 to 1987, with the Islanders, and ...
,
Bryan Trottier Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won four Stanley Cups with the ...
,
Butch Goring Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. He is a four-time ...
and
Clark Gillies Clark Gillies (April 7, 1954 – January 21, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League between 1974 and 1988. Gillies served as captain of the Island ...
were also expected to be offensive leaders. With 17
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) players on their roster,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
felt confident they could upset the Soviet Union and Canada by utilizing a system of strong team play.
Kent Nilsson Kent Åke "Kenta" Nilsson (born 31 August 1956) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Winnipeg Jets, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta and Calgary Flames, ...
, coming off a 131-point season for the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
,
Thomas Steen Anders Thomas Steen (born June 8, 1960) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player and coach. Steen is the former city councillor for the Winnipeg ward of Elmwood-East Kildonan. Steen played professional ice hockey in the Elitserien, Nati ...
, Ulf Nilsson and
Börje Salming Anders Börje Salming (; 17 April 1951 – 24 November 2022) was a Swedish ice hockey player. He was a defenceman who played professionally for 23 seasons, for the clubs Brynäs IF, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and AIK. He spent 16 s ...
were expected to be the team's leaders.Pelletier, 2003, p. 58 With only five returning players from their appearance in the 1976 final and suffering from the defections of the Šťastný brothers –
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
, Marián and
Anton Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...
– to Canada, the
Czechoslovakian , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
team entered the tournament in the midst of a rebuilding phase and were not considered contenders in 1981. The Americans, riding high following their gold medal victory at the 1980 Olympics were considered to have the potential of upsetting the stronger teams in the tournament.
Mark Howe Mark Steven Howe (born 28 May 1955) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and left winger who played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) following six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He is curre ...
,
Rod Langway Rodney Cory Langway (born May 3, 1957) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played for the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL) and Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Associatio ...
and seven players from the Olympic team were expected to lead the United States.Pelletier, 2003, p. 55
Tony Esposito Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito (April 23, 1943 – August 10, 2021) was a Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 15 of those for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of t ...
was the American goaltender for the tournament. Esposito represented Canada at the 1972
Summit Series The Summit Series, Super Series 72, Canada–USSR Series (russian: Суперсерия СССР — Канада, Superseriya SSSR — Kanada), or Series of the Century (french: Série du siècle, Séries of the Century), was an eight-game ic ...
, but gained his American citizenship in time to represent his new nation. As in 1976,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
was expected to finish last in the six-team tournament despite the fact that the Finnish hockey association considered the team sent to Canada among the best their nation had assembled.


Games


Round robin

The tournament opened on September 1 at
Northlands Coliseum Northlands Coliseum is a now-unused indoor arena located in Edmonton, Alberta, situated on the north side of Northlands. It was used for sports events and concerts, and was home to the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and N ...
in Edmonton as the Americans defeated a disorganized Swedish team, 3–1. Swedish coach Anders Parmström, upset at how his team underestimated the Americans, sat several of his top players for extended periods of the third period. At the
Winnipeg Arena Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located in the Polo Park district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The arena was the city's premier ice hockey venue from 1955 to 2004 and is best remembered as the home of the first Winnipeg Jets franchise, whic ...
, a young Czechoslovak team battled the Soviet Union to a 1–1 draw in a game marked by rough play. The Soviets were forced to rely on the stellar goaltending of
Vladislav Tretiak Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, Meritorious Service Decoration (Canada), MSM ( rus, links=no, Владислав Александрович Третьяк, p=trʲɪˈtʲjak; born 25 April 1952) is a Russian former goaltender for the Soviet Un ...
to preserve the tie. In the third game of the opening day, Canada's "dream line" of Gretzky, Lafleur and
Gilbert Perreault Gilbert Perreault (born November 13, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 17 seasons with the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability ...
combined for ten points as Canada easily defeated Finland 9–0. The second line of Gillies, Trottier and Bossy also combined to score ten points in the game. Finland fared little better against Czechoslovakia two nights later, dropping a 7–1 result. Finnish goaltender Hannu Lassila was the star of the game, however, as he made several difficult saves to keep the Finns close through two periods. Despite outshooting Finland 26–9, the Czechs managed only a 2–1 lead after 40 minutes before finally overcoming Lassila to score five goals in the third period. Sweden attempted to employ a physical style against the Soviet Union without success, as they surrendered five
power play Power play or powerplay or their plurals may refer to: Sports * Power play (sporting term), a sporting term used in various games * Powerplay (cricket), a rule concerning fielding restrictions in one-day international cricket * Power play (cur ...
goals in a 6–3 loss. Canada then defeated the United States, 8–3, in a game that was played much closer than the score indicated. The Americans appeared to be headed to a draw with Canada as the two teams were tied at three with nine minutes to play before a power play goal by Mike Bossy sparked a five-goal outburst for the Canadians in the dying minutes of the game. The Soviets then avenged their 1980 Olympic defeat to the United States with a 4–1 win, while the Swedes defeated Finland 5–0. Ending the third night of play, Czechoslovakia was able to overcome a late two-minute, two-man disadvantage to emerge with a 4–4 tie against Canada in a game that was described as the best of the tournament. Canada then defeated Sweden 4–3, but not before losing Perrault to a broken ankle. Perrault was Canada's leading scorer over the first four games and was considered a contender to be named most valuable player at the time of his injury. The United States then overcame an early two-goal deficit against the Czechs to win 6–2 while the Soviets easily defeated Finland 6–1 The final night of round robin play opened with a meaningless game between the United States and Finland. The Americans had already advanced to the playoff round while Finland had been eliminated. The game ended in a 4–4 draw and was most notable for
Montreal Forum Montreal Forum (french: Le Forum de Montréal) is a historic building located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the h ...
staff accidentally playing the Italian national anthem instead of the Finnish anthem prior to the start of the game. The Czechs then easily defeated Sweden, 7–1, to advance to the playoff round and eliminate the Swedes. Canada and the Soviet Union closed out the round robin with a battle for first place. A five-goal outburst by Canada in the third period broke a 2–2 tie and sent Canada into the playoffs as the top ranked team. Their 7–3 win was the most lopsided victory Canada had recorded against the Soviets in 20 years.


Semi-finals

As the top team in the playoff round, Canada faced the fourth place Americans in the first semi-final. Talk entering the game revolved around the defensive style of the United States and whether they could overcome Canada's offensive game and upset the favoured nation in a one-game, winner-take-all scenario. Early play favoured Canada, as they opened the scoring 2:01 into the game on a goal by defenceman
Brian Engblom Brian Paul Engblom (born January 27, 1955) is a Canadian ice hockey broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and a former professional hockey defenseman. Biography Engblom was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and played for the University of Wiscons ...
, then extended their lead five minutes later when a long shot by Bossy eluded Esposito in the American goal. Another goal by Bossy saw Canada end the first period with a 3–0 lead. The remaining 40 minutes of the game lacked emotion, and the two teams traded goals for a 4–1 Canadian victory.Pelletier, 2003, p. 83 The second place Soviet Union faced third ranked Czechoslovakia in the second semi-final. Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov was agitated following his nation's 7–3 defeat to Canada to end the round robin, while the Czechs had grown increasingly confident of their ability as the tournament progressed. It was the Soviets, however, who scored three first period goals to take an early 3–0 lead. The young Czechoslovakian team pressured their opponents for much of the final 40 minutes, outshooting the Soviets 23–11 in the second and third periods combined. Tretiak withstood the pressure in the Soviet goal, however, allowing only one goal as the Soviet Union emerged with a 4–1 victory.


Final

Canada entered the final facing pressure to defeat the Soviets. The Soviet national team's easy victory over the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's all-stars in the 1979 Challenge Cup left the Canadians searching to regain command of their rivalry with the Soviets. Coach
Scotty Bowman William Scott Bowman, OC (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) head coach. He holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs and ...
called it a "must win game" for Canada: "We really are favorites in the final. Nobody in this country will tolerate a loss." The players also spoke of their desire to show the Soviets that they were the world's top hockey nation. But also the Soviet Union was under pressure, as their most desirable trophy, the Olympic Gold medal, had been denied them by the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
''Amateur team'', during the
1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...
at Lake Placid. During their pre-game preparations, Tikhonov called upon his team to play the finest games of their lives: "Today you got to play so well that the entire Canadian population will talk about you afterwards and remember you for a long time. Play so well that the Canadian fans when they will leave Forum will wait for you when you get on the bus after the game and admire you." Canada held the early advantage of play, outshooting the Soviets 12–4 in the first period as their opponent was unable to generate offence. But that's a North American perspective of the game of Ice Hockey, to shoot the puck across the blue line. The Soviets instead passed the puck sideways, to a player coming from behind with higher speed, which requires an exceptional interaction. And Canada was unable to put a puck past Tretiak, with the first period ending with no scoring.Pelletier, 2003, p. 85 The Soviets counterattacked in the second period, opening the scoring five minutes in on a goal by
Igor Larionov Igor Nikolayevich Larionov (russian: Игорь Николаевич Ларионов; born 3 December 1960) is a Russian ice hockey coach, sports agent and former professional ice hockey player, known as "the Professor". Along with Viacheslav ...
.
Clark Gillies Clark Gillies (April 7, 1954 – January 21, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League between 1974 and 1988. Gillies served as captain of the Island ...
tied the game for Canada three minutes later, but
Sergei Shepelev Sergei Mikhailovich Shepelev (russian: Сергей Михайлович Шепелев); born October 13, 1955 in Nizhny Tagil, Soviet Union) is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played left wing for HC Sparta ...
restored the Soviet lead three minutes after that. Shepelev added a powerplay goal late in the period to give the Soviets a 3–1 lead heading into the third period. The third period turned into a rout; Shepelev completed a
natural hat trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wick ...
, and the Soviets scored three goals in the final four minutes to claim the championship by an 8–1 score. Canadian goaltender
Mike Liut Michael Dennis Liut (born January 7, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Liut played for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1977 to 1979 and for the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, a ...
became the scapegoat for Canada's embarrassing loss.Pelletier, 2003, pp. 88–89 The game was one of the worst of his career, but Canada managed only four shots in the third period and never threatened the Soviets even though they entered the final 20 minutes down by only two goals. Tretiak, meanwhile, was named the tournament most valuable player on the strength of his goaltending throughout the event.


Legacy

The fate of the championship trophy itself was the subject of controversy after Canadian hockey officials accompanied by Montreal Police prevented the Soviet team from taking the trophy back to the Soviet Union. As he took the Cup from the Soviets at the airport, Eagleson claimed that the trophy was intended to remain in Canada at all times.Pelletier, 2003, p. 89 The decision upset the Soviets who claimed that Eagleson's decision was made "in violation of the traditions existing at international competitions". George Smith, a truck driver from Winnipeg, organized a fundraising campaign that raised enough money to create a replica trophy that was gifted to Soviet officials at their Canadian embassy. Soviet officials praised the sportsmanship of the Canadian people as they accepted the replica. The replica was made despite a threatened lawsuit for
copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
by Hockey Canada president
Lou Lefaive Louis Ernest Lefaive (February 13, 1928 – July 4, 2002) was a Canadian sports administrator and civil servant. He served in multiple executive roles which included, the director of Fitness and Amateur Sport, director of Sport Canada, preside ...
, but he later said, "If someone wants to send $11,000 worth of
nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...
to Moscow that's not my business." Tournament organizer
Allan Eagleson Robert Alan Eagleson (born April 24, 1933) is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, hockey agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the first executive director of the NHL Players Ass ...
, lamenting the rapidly increasing costs of hosting such an event, speculated that the 1981 Canada Cup could be the last. Noting that some costs had increased up to 200% over what was paid in 1976, Eagleson speculated that a third Canada Cup might have to be held in a different format. Organizers were also disappointed in tournament attendance. The two games scheduled to be held in Quebec City were transferred to Ottawa after only 300 tickets were pre-sold for the round robin game between Czechoslovakia and Sweden and 1,000 for the semi-final game. Low ticket sales also led to fears that the games scheduled for Winnipeg would also be moved, but the investments the television partners had made in rental equipment to broadcast the games from Winnipeg prevented a switch.Pelletier, 2003, p. 87 Adding to Eagleson's woes,
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
owner
Harold Ballard Harold Edwin Ballard (born Edwin Harold Ballard, July 30, 1903 – April 11, 1990) was a Canadian businessman and sportsman. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) as well as their home arena, Maple ...
refused to allow any games to be held in
Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...
as a result of his hatred of the Soviet Union. Strong support in Montreal, and the response in Ottawa after the games were moved to the national capital left Eagleson increasingly confident in the tournament's future. The 1981 Canada Cup turned a profit of about C$1 million to be split between Hockey Canada and the
National Hockey League Players Association NHLPA (french: AJLNH) is the labour union for the group of professional hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL) located in the United States and Canada. The association re ...
pension fund, one third that of the 1976 tournament. Shortly after the tournament ended, Eagleson confirmed he intended to hold a third Canada Cup. He noted that Canada's loss in the final played a role in his decision: "As far as I am concerned personally, it's probably preferable that we lost. I think if we had won, I'd have said, 'To hell with it'."


Round-robin standings


Game scores


Round-robin


Semi-finals


Final


Statistical leaders


Scoring


Goaltending

:''Minimum 120 minutes played''


Awards


See also

*
List of international ice hockey competitions featuring NHL players The following is a list of international ice hockey competitions where National Hockey League players have been able to participate. Most of these competitions were arranged by the NHL or NHLPA. There have been 14 full international tournaments whe ...
*
Summit Series The Summit Series, Super Series 72, Canada–USSR Series (russian: Суперсерия СССР — Канада, Superseriya SSSR — Kanada), or Series of the Century (french: Série du siècle, Séries of the Century), was an eight-game ic ...
*
World Cup of Hockey The World Cup of Hockey is an international ice hockey tournament. Inaugurated in 1996, it is the successor to the Canada Cup, which was held every 3 to 5 years from 1976 to 1991 and was the first international hockey championship to allow nati ...


References

;Notes ;General * * **''Game statistics'': Pelletier, 2003, pp. 60–86 *''Scoring statistics and awards'': {{DEFAULTSORT:Canada Cup
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
1981–82 in Canadian ice hockey 1981–82 in American ice hockey 1981–82 in Soviet ice hockey 1981–82 in Czechoslovak ice hockey 1981–82 in Finnish ice hockey 1981–82 in Swedish ice hockey September 1981 sports events in Canada