Was Clarke's slash a patriotic act?

Do you think that the famous two-handed slash by Bobby Clarke that broke Valeri Kharlamov's ankle in the 1972 Summit Series was a patriotic act? Did Clarke do the right thing since Kharlamov was "killing Canada" with his scoring plays and skill?

From Wikipedia:

"Years later, John Ferguson, Sr., an assistant coach with Team Canada, was quoted as saying "I called Clarke over to the bench, looked over at Kharlamov and said, 'I think he needs a tap on the ankle.' I didn't think twice about it. It was Us versus Them. And Kharlamov was killing us. I mean, somebody had to do it.""

Do you agree with Mr. Ferguson here? Was the slash a necessary thing to do to save Canada's reputation as a top hockey country?

It's a freaking hockey game for heaven's sake.

It's a freaking hockey game for heaven's sake.Masao with the shut-down post.

Couldn't have put it better or more succinctly myself.

I have no problem with whaqt he did and think the whole thing is blown out of proportion. Kharlamov played again in the same damn series so It wasnt as bad as some make it out to be.

Do you think that the famous two-handed slash by Bobby Clarke that broke Valeri Kharlamov's ankle in the 1972 Summit Series was a patriotic act? Did Clarke do the right thing since Kharlamov was "killing Canada" with his scoring plays and skill?

From Wikipedia:

"Years later, John Ferguson, Sr., an assistant coach with Team Canada, was quoted as saying "I called Clarke over to the bench, looked over at Kharlamov and said, 'I think he needs a tap on the ankle.' I didn't think twice about it. It was Us versus Them. And Kharlamov was killing us. I mean, somebody had to do it.""

Do you agree with Mr. Ferguson here? Was the slash a necessary thing to do to save Canada's reputation as a top hockey country?



Oh yes !!
From 1972 on, the Soviet Union was nowhere anymore..... :D
That taught 'em !!!

Another point people are missing is that there was plenty of cheap stuff being done on both sides. It was a great series. Get the DVD set it is awesome.

People accept this because it was a different time, but that attack on Kharlamov was every bit as premeditated and disgusting as the whole Steve Moore/todd Bertuzzi incident. I have nothing but contempt for Bobby Clarke's actions. Cold war or not, politics have no place in sporting competition. Saying this was ok is tantamount to saying that cheating is acceptable if it is to beat someone you hate. Should olympic athletes take steroids so that they can beat the communist athletes from Cuba? Would that be acceptable?

Kharlamov wasn't the same after the injury, and although he did play hockey again, I find it ludicrous that more people don't have contempt for Bobby Clarke.

I'm going to get flamed for saying what I did, becuase I compared it to Moore/Bertuzzi, and yes, I admit that Moore's injuries are far worse than Kharlamov's were, I don't think it's fair that people cheer Clarke for being "patriotic" even though he doesn't seem to show any remorse for what he did, and yet everyone decry's Bertuzzi's apology as crocodile tears and can't show the slightest shred of compassion.

Was Gary Suter's hit on Paul Kariya a "patriotic act"? The answer to that is your answer to this.

Patriotic was a bad choice of Words. Much like when we all call players warriors at times. I still say that Clark was OK with what he did.

People accept this because it was a different time, but that attack on Kharlamov was every bit as premeditated and disgusting as the whole Steve Moore/todd Bertuzzi incident. I have nothing but contempt for Bobby Clarke's actions. Cold war or not, politics have no place in sporting competition. Saying this was ok is tantamount to saying that cheating is acceptable if it is to beat someone you hate. Should olympic athletes take steroids so that they can beat the communist athletes from Cuba? Would that be acceptable?


Give up now, thats my advice. I agree with you on this but if you are expecting sportsmanship in the modern era, or back then, then you'll be waiting a while for someone to do the right thing. Even though its supposed to be a sport, business and politics still creep into sports and have their effect.

Athletes today push hard for the win and are pushed hard by others. Its ok to do whatever it takes to win, to succeed, but only as long as you stay within the rules of the game you are partaking in. If you are gonna allow the rules to be blurred or not get on the case of someone who deliberately attempts to injure someone in a situation where there shouldn't be a threat to their safety, why have rules?

Give him a tap on the ankle? I can understand in hockey that sometimes you have to let the other team know you are there, but there is a right way and a wrong way. I seem to remember there was some american figure skater a few years back. She wanted to compete on the same level as someone who was better than her so she got someone to break her leg with a crowbar or something. She gained a competitive edge as a result. Was that ok? Should that be encouraged?

If anyone wants to counter this saying that physical contact is part of hockey then yes i agree and i enjoy that aspect myself. You do have to be tough to play hockey at a high level. You also have to be honest, with yourself and to the game. Clarke took the easy route. If a guy is cleaning the floor with you, you work harder to compensate. If you still can't keep up with them, then they are better than you. You can accept this and try and improve yourself and the people around you, or you can go for an easy solution, take the guy out and say its part of the game. Dunno about anyone else here on these boards but if i ever resorted to the latter, i'd feel ashamed and embarrased. Would i feel patriotic? Would i feel like i'd helped my team as a result? Doubt it.

And some people still complain when hockey is cast in a bad light by people who dont follow the sport.

As c-carp said, get the DVD of the series. It is great. Its tough hockey taking place under high amounts of tension. there is incredible skill displayed in all the games. And sadly, Bobby Clarke at times shows the bad side of hockey with some really cheap shots. :shakehead

People accept this because it was a different time, but that attack on Kharlamov was every bit as premeditated and disgusting as the whole Steve Moore/todd Bertuzzi incident. I have nothing but contempt for Bobby Clarke's actions. Cold war or not, politics have no place in sporting competition. Saying this was ok is tantamount to saying that cheating is acceptable if it is to beat someone you hate. Should olympic athletes take steroids so that they can beat the communist athletes from Cuba? Would that be acceptable?

Kharlamov wasn't the same after the injury, and although he did play hockey again, I find it ludicrous that more people don't have contempt for Bobby Clarke.

I'm going to get flamed for saying what I did, becuase I compared it to Moore/Bertuzzi, and yes, I admit that Moore's injuries are far worse than Kharlamov's were, I don't think it's fair that people cheer Clarke for being "patriotic" even though he doesn't seem to show any remorse for what he did, and yet everyone decry's Bertuzzi's apology as crocodile tears and can't show the slightest shred of compassion.

Agreed. What Clarke did was cowardly and doesn't belong to hockey.

Agreed. What Clarke did was cowardly and doesn't belong to hockey.these players have to walk a fine line between what is cheap and what is just hard nosed and sometimes they cross it. I think this incedent is one of the more overblown on all hockey boards.

Its hard to say. I wouldnt call it a patriotic act by any means. Canada still could have won if it wasnt for the slash. Kharlamov did play after that too. Another thing I find interesting is that if he so called "broke' his ankle then why is it that even when he slashed him Kharlamov didnt go down? I mean if I had a broken ankle I wouldnt be able to stand. Look at the footage Kharlamov was standing fine on his own. How is that?

Not condoning any of this by any means it was a cheap shot but hardly the only one in that series. Mikhailov's "kick" to Bergman was dirty as well the Russians weren't any more saintly than the Canadians.

Lets just say it was a tough series and emotions got out of whack. I mean Rod Gilbert of all people got in a fight in the 8th game of the third period. That's not like him. J-P Parise nearly lumberjacked the ref Kompalla. I mean it was more than a game at that time.

My intent was not to say that I should expect anything different in sports. I know that adrenaline and testosterone makes people do stupid things, and that won't be changed. Although the acts are disgusting, sports ceases loses a lot of its competitive nature if you try and pacify everyone. The point I was making is that patriotism is no excuse for what Clarke did, nor should political climate be a means of justifying bending the rules.

Do you think that the famous two-handed slash by Bobby Clarke that broke Valeri Kharlamov's ankle in the 1972 Summit Series was a patriotic act? Did Clarke do the right thing since Kharlamov was "killing Canada" with his scoring plays and skill?

From Wikipedia:

"Years later, John Ferguson, Sr., an assistant coach with Team Canada, was quoted as saying "I called Clarke over to the bench, looked over at Kharlamov and said, 'I think he needs a tap on the ankle.' I didn't think twice about it. It was Us versus Them. And Kharlamov was killing us. I mean, somebody had to do it.""

Do you agree with Mr. Ferguson here? Was the slash a necessary thing to do to save Canada's reputation as a top hockey country?


If you need to break an ankle to win, have you really won?

Patriotic? No. Idiotic? Yes.

If you need to break an ankle to win, have you really won?



A bodyguard is ok though, eh?

A bodyguard is ok though, eh?

Ah yes, our old friend choochie, who posts only to troll..

Thanks for not posting quite as much as you used to chooch, I hope you didn't mind me letting you know I didn't want to be more than just friends. Again I really did appreciate your interest, but would be much more at ease if you not p.m. me in the future. ;)

Patriotic was a bad choice of Words. Much like when we all call players warriors at times. I still say that Clark was OK with what he did.

One sportsman purposely injuring the other is OK? Sorry, but even with a large portion of goodwill from my side I cannot understand this statement.

Ah yes, our old friend choochie, who posts only to troll..

Thanks for not posting quite as much as you used to chooch, I hope you didn't mind me letting you know I didn't want to be more than just friends. Again I really did appreciate your interest, but would be much more at ease if you not p.m. me in the future. ;)

yeah, get a mod to certify that i pm'ed you and then we'll believe it. or are you goin to go crying to the mods like beofre "oh chooch youve gone too far this time" bwah bwah bah

A bodyguard is ok though, eh?

I would appreciate it if you no longer respond to my posts. I will ignore all of your future posts.

Thank you.

Almost every Canadian who watched that series applauded Clarke for what he did at the time.I'll bet the people putting it down were too young to see it,or they're forgetting how they actually felt when it happened.Looking back on it,it was a vicious attack,but as previously mentioned,it was a dirty series.Given the chance,at that time,in that situation,most of us would have done the same. :toothless :toothless

I pasted a whole thread about how despicable I think Clarke is in the "GMs you hate" thread, not for his GMing skills, but for his acts as a human. I got "flamed" sort of speak for it so I wont go on a rant like I did before. If you have to purposely try to injure someone to win, its not really winning based on heart and skill.

It was dirty, cheap, and disgusting.

If you call that patriotic, then you're a moron. Simple as that.

Flash forward the Summit Series 15 years. Now, some chump from Russia does that to Gretzky. Whats the reaction?

How is a deilbrite attack with an intent to injure part of the game???
Maybe it's part of CanaDUH'S game. Clarke Is a typical canadian coward with no skill. Just because Kharlamov was skating around team Canaduh like they were pylons gives clarke no reason to put on his skirt and act like a sissy.

I can't begin to imagine what would have happened if in the 1987 Canada cup the Russians would have done that to Gretzky. The canadian people would still be ******** bricks till today.

Just take one minute and think if you would be asking that stupid question if it would have been done to Gretzky or to Lemieux or any other team canaduh player,,
I don't think you'd call it patriotic then would you????

It was a disgusting act.

Like someone said what if we went to the Canada Cup games and a russian player break's Gretzky's ankle.

he'd be considered one of the cheapest dirtiest human beings of all time.

with good reason.

People accept this because it was a different time, but that attack on Kharlamov was every bit as premeditated and disgusting as the whole Steve Moore/todd Bertuzzi incident. I have nothing but contempt for Bobby Clarke's actions. Cold war or not, politics have no place in sporting competition. Saying this was ok is tantamount to saying that cheating is acceptable if it is to beat someone you hate. Should olympic athletes take steroids so that they can beat the communist athletes from Cuba? Would that be acceptable?

Kharlamov wasn't the same after the injury, and although he did play hockey again, I find it ludicrous that more people don't have contempt for Bobby Clarke.

I'm going to get flamed for saying what I did, becuase I compared it to Moore/Bertuzzi, and yes, I admit that Moore's injuries are far worse than Kharlamov's were, I don't think it's fair that people cheer Clarke for being "patriotic" even though he doesn't seem to show any remorse for what he did, and yet everyone decry's Bertuzzi's apology as crocodile tears and can't show the slightest shred of compassion.

I'm sorry but it seems like almost every poster that isn't a Flyers fan have ALOT of contempt for Clarke. Me personally, I have no problem with what he did and would have done it myself had I been in his situation. This wasn't just a game to the players there was a deep contempt between these teams. It was a rivalry that brought out the worst in alot of players including Clarke and Esposito. But to say that Kharlamov was a victim and had not done anything to instigate the attack is ridiculous because none of us were on the ice. I remember reading an article where Clarke discussed how Valerie had been spearing and slashing the Canadiens every chance that he had. Now i'm going to trust Bobby because a liar he isn't, he's much more likely to open up and say something entirely too true no matter how aweful it may sound.

Almost every Canadian who watched that series applauded Clarke for what he did at the time.I'll bet the people putting it down were too young to see it,or they're forgetting how they actually felt when it happened.Looking back on it,it was a vicious attack,but as previously mentioned,it was a dirty series.Given the chance,at that time,in that situation,most of us would have done the same. http://www.hfboards.com/images/smilies/toothless.gif http://www.hfboards.com/images/smilies/toothless.gifSo, a dirty series rationalizes intent to injure? Yes, I will admit that I wasn't even born when the Summit Series happened, but my point still stands. I don't care what the political climate is, what the tone of the series is, what the tone of that very game is. There is absolutely no reasoning or justification for a deliberate and violent intent to injure. Even if Canada could be forgiven for playing dirty, there is a line between "dirty" and "reprehensible" that does not need to be crossed under any circumstances.

If I'm understanding your comments correctly, I could get into a fight with someone who spits at me and pulls my hair, at which point I would be totally justified for wielding my stick like a baseball bat and trying to club the guy's head clean off his shoulders. Guess you had a good laugh when Perezhogin did his Barry Bonds impression last year, right?

How is a deilbrite attack with an intent to injure part of the game???
Maybe it's part of CanaDUH'S game. Clarke Is a typical canadian coward with no skill. Just because Kharlamov was skating around team Canaduh like they were pylons gives clarke no reason to put on his skirt and act like a sissy.

I can't begin to imagine what would have happened if in the 1987 Canada cup the Russians would have done that to Gretzky. The canadian people would still be ******** bricks till today.

Just take one minute and think if you would be asking that stupid question if it would have been done to Gretzky or to Lemieux or any other team canaduh player,,
I don't think you'd call it patriotic then would you????Alright then... Nothing accentuates a post like a little bit of petty jingoism.



I'm sorry but it seems like almost every poster that isn't a Flyers fan have ALOT of contempt for Clarke. Me personally, I have no problem with what he did and would have done it myself had I been in his situation. This wasn't just a game to the players there was a deep contempt between these teams. It was a rivalry that brought out the worst in alot of players including Clarke and Esposito. But to say that Kharlamov was a victim and had not done anything to instigate the attack is ridiculous because none of us were on the ice. I remember reading an article where Clarke discussed how Valerie had been spearing and slashing the Canadiens every chance that he had. Now i'm going to trust Bobby because a liar he isn't, he's much more likely to open up and say something entirely too true no matter how aweful it may sound.Once again, there's a difference between playing dirty and violent intent to injure. Show me footage of Kharlamov doing something as directly and obviously vicious as Clarke and then maybe I'll allow for motive.

So, a dirty series rationalizes intent to injure? Yes, I will admit that I wasn't even born when the Summit Series happened, but my point still stands. I don't care what the political climate is, what the tone of the series is, what the tone of that very game is. There is absolutely no reasoning or justification for a deliberate and violent intent to injure. Even if Canada could be forgiven for playing dirty, there is a line between "dirty" and "reprehensible" that does not need to be crossed under any circumstances.

If I'm understanding your comments correctly, I could get into a fight with someone who spits at me and pulls my hair, at which point I would be totally justified for wielding my stick like a baseball bat and trying to club the guy's head clean off his shoulders. Guess you had a good laugh when Perezhogin did his Barry Bonds impression last year, right?

Alright then... Nothing accentuates a post like a little bit of petty jingoism.


Once again, there's a difference between playing dirty and violent intent to injure. Show me footage of Kharlamov doing something as directly and obviously vicious as Clarke and then maybe I'll allow for motive.

OK, but for the sake of discussion, let's say Clarke was right...

Doesn't a spear constitute an attempt to injure? In my opinion it does...

In that case the only difference would be that Clarke's attempt was more successful.

Here you go Nemesis, if you're really interested in seeing what happened you can shell out the cash here HD Hockey TV (http://www.hdhockey.tv/games/viewall.php) .

Secondly I can't stand listening to people say that there is no justification for it. At that time with those people there was absolute hate between those two teams. If you can say that if that were you lacing up your skates with you're coach telling you to slash the man then you're a liar. Just read the comments here (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2002/09/27/summit_anniversary_ap/) by Phil Esposito, and this was thirty years after the fact. This wasn't an IIHF tournament like everyone seems to assume. What he did was morally wrong but it was "a war on ice" and what he did was necessary to come out with the win.

So, a dirty series rationalizes intent to injure? Yes, I will admit that I wasn't even born when the Summit Series happened, but my point still stands. I don't care what the political climate is, what the tone of the series is, what the tone of that very game is. There is absolutely no reasoning or justification for a deliberate and violent intent to injure. Even if Canada could be forgiven for playing dirty, there is a line between "dirty" and "reprehensible" that does not need to be crossed under any circumstances.

If I'm understanding your comments correctly, I could get into a fight with someone who spits at me and pulls my hair, at which point I would be totally justified for wielding my stick like a baseball bat and trying to club the guy's head clean off his shoulders. Guess you had a good laugh when Perezhogin did his Barry Bonds impression last year, right?


You want to make my comments more correct put it this way. A muslim walks up and hits a white collard American after September 11th, the American turns around and bludgeons the Muslim with a beer bottle on the side of the street. We all know it was wrong but the Twin Towers caused alot of bad blood between patriotic Americans and the Muslim community which in turn made the retaliation even more violent.

And no I don't like it when players get injured because someone has a tempertantrum on ice.

how about we call a truce. It's pretty clear that I won't convince you of my point of view, and you won't convince me of yours. We could argue for all eternity and it wouldn't actually accomplish anything.

I'm just going to go back to being glad that there's hockey to be played this year (and angry that I can't watch the Sharks where I live, and that Doug Wilson sees fit to make no moves at all.)

I don't have contempt for Clarke. I have contempt for that act. Clarke did a lot of great things in the game of hockey but that was not one of them.

Much like Bertuzzi. He has played some great hockey but, his act against Steve Moore was extremely repulsive.

People accept this because it was a different time, but that attack on Kharlamov was every bit as premeditated and disgusting as the whole Steve Moore/todd Bertuzzi incident. I have nothing but contempt for Bobby Clarke's actions. Cold war or not, politics have no place in sporting competition. Saying this was ok is tantamount to saying that cheating is acceptable if it is to beat someone you hate. Should olympic athletes take steroids so that they can beat the communist athletes from Cuba? Would that be acceptable?

Kharlamov wasn't the same after the injury, and although he did play hockey again, I find it ludicrous that more people don't have contempt for Bobby Clarke.

I'm going to get flamed for saying what I did, becuase I compared it to Moore/Bertuzzi, and yes, I admit that Moore's injuries are far worse than Kharlamov's were, I don't think it's fair that people cheer Clarke for being "patriotic" even though he doesn't seem to show any remorse for what he did, and yet everyone decry's Bertuzzi's apology as crocodile tears and can't show the slightest shred of compassion.

It was a shameless, cowardly act.

It was also an admission - Canada could not win on talent alone.

But in some ways it was worse than Moore/Bertuzzi. Bert's might have been premeditated, but Clarke's was not only premeditated, but following instructions from the bench. The analogous case would have been Crawford ordering Bertuzzi to take out Moore. What do you think the response would have been if that were the case and it came to light?

You want to make my comments more correct put it this way. A muslim walks up and hits a white collard American after September 11th, the American turns around and bludgeons the Muslim with a beer bottle on the side of the street. We all know it was wrong but the Twin Towers caused alot of bad blood between patriotic Americans and the Muslim community which in turn made the retaliation even more violent.


Now THAT is tasteless. Comparing something as trivial and stupid as a hockey game to 9/11?

yeah, get a mod to certify that i pm'ed you and then we'll believe it. or are you goin to go crying to the mods like beofre "oh chooch youve gone too far this time" bwah bwah bah


I really wasn't trying to hurt your feelings, it's just that I'm happily married (*to a woman), and your frisky suggestions and innuendo were making me very uncomfortable. I'm sure that there's someone out there just for you, but it isn't me.. try the prison population perhaps :dunno: .

I'm with Ogo now- this is my last response to you- hopefully others will follow suit and like the monster under the bed you will go away when no one believes in you anymore.

Here you go Nemesis, if you're really interested in seeing what happened you can shell out the cash here HD Hockey TV (http://www.hdhockey.tv/games/viewall.php) .

Secondly I can't stand listening to people say that there is no justification for it. At that time with those people there was absolute hate between those two teams. If you can say that if that were you lacing up your skates with you're coach telling you to slash the man then you're a liar. Just read the comments here (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2002/09/27/summit_anniversary_ap/) by Phil Esposito, and this was thirty years after the fact. This wasn't an IIHF tournament like everyone seems to assume. What he did was morally wrong but it was "a war on ice" and what he did was necessary to come out with the win.

There was NO JUSTIFICATION for it, like it or not. This crap about war on ice is absolutely ridiculous. It's sport, not war.

And before you ask, yes, I am old enough to have lived through those times and having lived in a small country neighboring Soviet Union I had/have absolutely no love for the Soviet Union. Yet I would spit on the graves of people behaving like Clarke did.

Actually, the series was much more than 8 hockey games. It was us & them, war on ice.

If you single out the act, it's a cheap shot for sure, nothing to be proud of. But as previously stated, watch the series. The desire to win was much greater than a Stanley Cup final. There was stuff beyond the rules from both sides.

Exactly.People too young to see it tend to forget,they stopped school to let us watch this series.It's hard to believe,but it WAS more than just hockey.

How long are we going to keep reliving this? It happened 33 years ago in a series that also included Boris Mikhailov KICKING Gary Bergman so hard he put the toe of skate blade through his shin pad and into his leg. Was that a patriotic act too? They were cheapshots on both sides so get over it.

Anybody who watches hockey understands that players are deliberately slashed and hacked all the time, and occasionally guys are hurt as a result.

Ok i know a way to convince all those that think this act by clarke was justified to change there minds. We'll have a game of pickup hockey, Now i am compettive and a game is a game i wanna win,,, what do ya think i am gonna do to ya?????
You gonna sit there and tell me your cool with me TRYING to injure you????
It's a game that i wanna win Pick up hockey, NHL game, Canada cup, super series whats the differeance????? I wanna win Just like clarke wanted to win..and i try to hurt you to win YOUR COOL WITH THAT???

Wake up!!! open your freaking EYES!!!! I have all the games on DVD and i would challange anybody to find anything that Kharlamov did to deserve that Sick slash.
The only thing Kharlamov did was show those Canadians what real skill is. He made some of those guys look like pylons. I also have highlites of Kharlamov from that series and other series and the guy did things with the puck NEVER seen before or ever seen agian.

Well well I have read all the posts and some people have no idea what realy happened in 72.
Let me enlighten everyone, and yes I saw the whole thing.

There were two completly different sets of games in 72.
The 4 in north america and the 4 in the CCCP.

The games in north america were a realy awakening for team canada.
These CCCP players were in top shape and they indeed can play a great game of hockey. Lots of set plays and the 4 man defensive box during a penilty kill. Tretiak was far far better then our scouts had ever seen. The CCCP players were put up in great hotels and lacked of nothing. That initself was a real eye opener to the CCCP players as they had always been told that north america was full of coruption, raceism and that freedom was an imperialistic lie. Standards of living were virtualy the same as in the CCCP.

On the ice, a legal bodycheck was a penilty and a spear or a slash was hardly ever called. In the NHL the natural evolution of the on ice rules had defined that a spear was a huge no no and a slash was also with most results leading to a fight to teach the ofending player a lesson.
Although some bodychecking penilties were called by the eruo refs, they took heed of the north american fan reactions and those off calls did not have any effect on the outcome of the 4 north american games.

Now we move to the CCCP for 4 games. The north american player were subject to dirty tricks from the moment they landed in Moscow.At his point it was not the CCCP players but the state that was doing all the dirty stuff. They lost all the luggage, they lost all the fresh food they lost all the names of the hotels, they lost the hockey sticks ( for a while ). They bugged each hotel room. The had people call in the night to wake up each player.Prostitutes were offered for free. The players were followed by the KGB everywhere they went. More bugs in the team dressing rooms and so on and so on.
On the ice, again this continued. With the croud out of the way the refs were calling almost every bodycheck and not calling any spear.
Every advantage was given to the CCCP team. tons of 2 man advantages, especialy after a team canada goal. I remember a game that right after canada scored. Canada got 3, 2 man disadvantages in a row until the CCCP players finally scored. It was plain to see and drove the north american players nuts. All this was designed to have the CCCP win the series so the state could claim that communisim was a better system then any thing the west had to offer.
I can fully understand the posters that are saying it was a war.
On the ice it was a clash of 2 entirely different styles of play.
Outside the rink it was a political war, us vs them.

On the ice, as time went on the team canada players were getting back in shape and learning how to counter all the CCCP set plays. Talent is talent and it started to come through.

Canada was lucky to win the 8 game series but all that followed the series could tell you that if the series was 20 games and not 8 the CCCP would have lost most of the added games. When team canada got in shape and learned the CCCP style the games were entirely different. Team canada coaches had adjusted and so did the canadian players. World opinion from watching the refs had turned against the CCCP and the refs had to almost stop calling bad penilties. The on ice effect on the game was real and team canada started to dominated many aspects of the game.

As for the " Clarke Slash " the most important thing I remember from the incident was the reaction from the CCCP players. Their virtualy was nun, as if to say " now the Canadian player are giving as good as the get, so how are we ever going to win this thing? "

I can only imagin what the score would have been if an extra 4 games would have been back in north america and the CCCP players were subjected to a full scale retribution for all the dirty tricks.
Tons of 2 man advantages for spearing and slashing and so on and so on.

The sad part of this I believe is the actual CCCP players wanted to meet team canada head on, without all the dirt, but as usual for the CCCP of that time, if the CCCP does not win it's the sibierian gulag for all of you, and what the state does to help you win is nun of your concern.

Was the Clarke slash wrong, well shure ! but was all the CCCP did wrong, well of course.
On balance the hunderds of things done to the canadian players vs the one slash is way off.

If no tricks had been used by ither team or state then we would have seen a very different 1972 hockey series.

It was the heart of the canadian players, overcomming all that adversity that won the series.

This is what I remember about all that.

Well well I have read all the posts and some people have no idea what realy happened in 72.
Let me enlighten everyone, and yes I saw the whole thing.

<<<<<<<STORY>>>>>>>

This is what I remember about all that.


Somehow this is a sad story.
I´m glad you are smart enough to realize that Soviet players are not as the same people that actually played hockey for.
I´m glad this is all behind us / behind them.
Sports should always be sports. Nothing more.

How is a deilbrite attack with an intent to injure part of the game???
Maybe it's part of CanaDUH'S game. Clarke Is a typical canadian coward with no skill. Just because Kharlamov was skating around team Canaduh like they were pylons gives clarke no reason to put on his skirt and act like a sissy.


Are you as critical of Mikhailov's kick? I suspect not.

Sports should always be sports. Nothing more.

If you have followed the Olympics over the years, then you know how often politics have entered into them.

Do you think that the famous two-handed slash by Bobby Clarke that broke Valeri Kharlamov's ankle in the 1972 Summit Series was a patriotic act? Did Clarke do the right thing since Kharlamov was "killing Canada" with his scoring plays and skill?

From Wikipedia:

"Years later, John Ferguson, Sr., an assistant coach with Team Canada, was quoted as saying "I called Clarke over to the bench, looked over at Kharlamov and said, 'I think he needs a tap on the ankle.' I didn't think twice about it. It was Us versus Them. And Kharlamov was killing us. I mean, somebody had to do it.""

Do you agree with Mr. Ferguson here? Was the slash a necessary thing to do to save Canada's reputation as a top hockey country?

Its a mans sport when guys play at such a high tempo and with so much emotion especially in such a phyical game, things happen, its hockey , if its so bad why dont you just become a NBA fan that seems more up your alley. :) Plus Russia was a bunch of Commies at the time anyway, screw them.

Im not saying its right to hurt anyone or even mention it, but it is hockey and thats how it goes.

If you have followed the Olympics over the years, then you know how often politics have entered into them.


I know, sadly.
That´s why i said SHOULD.

Although it´s not as bad as it was, with countries not going to the Olympics because of political situations.
Although I´m afraid that will continue to happen as long as there´s always a war somewhere in the world. (Man, I sound poetic almost...)

What I´m trying is that anyway that whole COMMUNISM vs. CAPITALISM horsecrap is gone.
Though it has been replaced by other horsecrap.. :shakehead

Its a mans sport when guys play at such a high tempo and with so much emotion especially in such a phyical game, things happen, its hockey , if its so bad why dont you just become a NBA fan that seems more up your alley. :) Plus Russia was a bunch of Commies at the time anyway, screw them.
Im not saying its right to hurt anyone or even mention it, but it is hockey and thats how it goes.


No, not that Russia was a bunch of Commies, just their government were a bunch of Commies. Not those poor people.
So screw them ??? No man, come on !
Have you ever seen footage/pictures of the circumstances those people had to live in ?
You can have a more joyfull life in a Turkish prison.
I really don´t think they were COMMIES FOR LIFE !! HOORAY !! No way !!!
We all have been spoiled (Europe & North America) with the luxury of having a choice. They hadn´t . And if they accidently didn´t agree with what them was told: " Here you are comrade, a one-way ticket tot Siberia, have a nice life !"

On the other hand they were just as brainwashed as The Westen World.
*We are the good guys and those damn´commies are the bad guys.
- No No, we are the good guys and those dirty capitalists are the bad guys.....
And so on...

Its a mans sport when guys play at such a high tempo and with so much emotion especially in such a phyical game, things happen, its hockey , if its so bad why dont you just become a NBA fan that seems more up your alley. :) Plus Russia was a bunch of Commies at the time anyway, screw them.

Im not saying its right to hurt anyone or even mention it, but it is hockey and thats how it goes.

Emotions and high tempo? Generally yes, but in this instance: bullcrap. What he did was premeditated and he had been advised to do so by his coach.

Bunch of commies? Do you even realize that a large part of the Soviet Union were basicly occupied countries that were forcefully made part of that union? This would include most Soviet Republics outside Russia, e.g. all the Baltic states. Yet you would just not care at all? This is the equivalent of me saying "Modern USA is just a bunch of theocratic war-mongerers. Screw them." A bit ignorant don't you think?

It was a shameless, cowardly act.

It was also an admission - Canada could not win on talent alone.

But in some ways it was worse than Moore/Bertuzzi. Bert's might have been premeditated, but Clarke's was not only premeditated, but following instructions from the bench. The analogous case would have been Crawford ordering Bertuzzi to take out Moore. What do you think the response would have been if that were the case and it came to light?

Oh please...

Everybody knows that had Orr and Hull been allowed to play it wouldn't have been a contest anyway...

jesus, this is a trainwreck.

Almost every Canadian who watched that series applauded Clarke for what he did at the time.I'll bet the people putting it down were too young to see it,or they're forgetting how they actually felt when it happened.Looking back on it,it was a vicious attack,but as previously mentioned,it was a dirty series.Given the chance,at that time,in that situation,most of us would have done the same. :toothless :toothlessI can agree with that.

Actually, the series was much more than 8 hockey games. It was us & them, war on ice.

If you single out the act, it's a cheap shot for sure, nothing to be proud of. But as previously stated, watch the series. The desire to win was much greater than a Stanley Cup final. There was stuff beyond the rules from both sides.If you watch the added stuff on the DVD's most of the players mention exactly that.

What's funny is that Gretzky was practically crying like a baby in 2002 over a few shots from Hamrlik to Fleury, going on and on about a Vast Anti-Canadian Conspiracy, and I'd bet most of the people defending Clarke here were the same ones agreeing with Gretzky.

What's funny is that Gretzky was practically crying like a baby in 2002 over a few shots from Hamrlik to Fleury, going on and on about a Vast Anti-Canadian Conspiracy, and I'd bet most of the people defending Clarke here were the same ones agreeing with Gretzky.I thought his display was pathetic, but it did have its desired effect and motivate that team.

The display was not pathetic IMO, because it had it's reasons and it played out perfectly.

Another funny whining moment (and a perfect example of how much of a hypocrite Clarke can be) was in 1998 when Clarke was complaining about Suter should have been suspended during the Olympics for the hit on Kariya during the NHL season.

Why exactly are all of the responses in this thread directed at the stupid posts, while RLC's excellent post that puts everything into context is ignored?

I am sorry. What Canada has to do with cold war. Where Soviet Union always met American athlets as heroes, if they were really talented. There was every year, starting in the middle of 60-th America-Russia track and field event. No one ever looked at America as the enemy. Not Russian common people. Growing up, everyone wanted to emulate their style. Thousands of people were immigraing. People loved Jazz, Elvis Presly, Rock-n-Roll. Pepsico cooperation was already building plants in Russia. Italian Fiat and behind him GM was already in Russia. Russians were cooperating with soyuz-apollo NASA flights in space. American agricultural technology was coming to Russia as well. If there was a cold war only on paper, not in people's minds, at least not in the Russian ones. Only the CIA against KGB staff. And why idiotic Canadian players would think they have something to do with cold war in the Canada-Russia friendly. It was laughable then and still laughable now.

Emotions and high tempo? Generally yes, but in this instance: bullcrap. What he did was premeditated and he had been advised to do so by his coach.

Bunch of commies? Do you even realize that a large part of the Soviet Union were basicly occupied countries that were forcefully made part of that union? This would include most Soviet Republics outside Russia, e.g. all the Baltic states. Yet you would just not care at all? This is the equivalent of me saying "Modern USA is just a bunch of theocratic war-mongerers. Screw them." A bit ignorant don't you think?

This is idiotic as well. Read some history. If Russia gave Finland the freedom, the other nations what is Russia now(federation of many nationalities) were not so lucky. Finland was Russia as well. Don't you know this. And plus, in Russia there 145 different nations, who could be independent tommorow.

And if you look deeper in the history. Slavs and VikingRUS-ruotsi(Russia is designated name for Swedes by finnish tribes) were the colonisators of finnish land.. Weird. Russia called by swedesh name. The same as France is called by invading german frankish tribe. To make the story short. Finnish lands were what is almost one third Russia is. Those ******* vikings. Blame them.

Are you as critical of Mikhailov's kick? I suspect not.

Bergman kicked back.btw

I dont rememeber that Clarkes slash was even talked about back then - us kids certainly didnt talk about it(but that in itself was probably saying something about the complicity of the media).

Canada won out on talent. They were better and could counter Kharlamohvs rushes with steady forechecking and better rushing and passing dmen etc.

Tretiak was shaky in Russia too but then he was 20. Yakushev was their best performer.

This is idiotic as well. Read some history. If Russia gave Finland the freedom, the other nations what is Russia now(federation of many nationalities) were not so lucky. Finland was Russia as well. Don't you know this. And plus, in Russia there 145 different nations, who could be independent tommorow.

And if you look deeper in the history. Slavs and VikingRUS-ruotsi(Russia is designated name for Swedes by finnish tribes) were the colonisators of finnish land.. Weird. Russia called by swedesh name. The same as France is called by invading german frankish tribe. To make the story short. Finnish lands were what is almost one third Russia is. Those ******* vikings. Blame them.

What the hell are you talking about? Idiotic? "Russia gave Finland freedom" Gave indeed, and a couple hundred thousand people died in the second world war while this gift was being given. You better read your history before instructing someone who is actually from there.

Finland was a part of Russia until 1917, and between 1154 and 1714 we were part of Sweden. Before that time we were part of no other country. And slavs and swedes were not the ones who colonised this country. It was a fenno-ugric tribe, with swedes coming later and in smaller numbers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland

Read that son, and see the light.

I am sorry. What Canada has to do with cold war. Where Soviet Union always met American athlets as heroes, if they were really talented. There was every year, starting in the middle of 60-th America-Russia track and field event. No one ever looked at America as the enemy. Not Russian common people. Growing up, everyone wanted to emulate their style. Thousands of people were immigraing. People loved Jazz, Elvis Presly, Rock-n-Roll. Pepsico cooperation was already building plants in Russia. Italian Fiat and behind him GM was already in Russia. Russians were cooperating with soyuz-apollo NASA flights in space. American agricultural technology was coming to Russia as well. If there was a cold war only on paper, not in people's minds, at least not in the Russian ones. Only the CIA against KGB staff. And why idiotic Canadian players would think they have something to do with cold war in the Canada-Russia friendly. It was laughable then and still laughable now.
Don't call Canadian hockey players idiots.Just take your devastating loss and move on.............you're stepping on some toes comrade.

[QUOTE=RedAce]How is a deilbrite attack with an intent to injure part of the game???
Maybe it's part of CanaDUH'S game. Clarke Is a typical canadian coward with no skill.

REALLY?????????

1.06 ppg average for career
2 - Stanley Cups
3 - Hart Trophies !
1 - Masterton trophy
1 - Selke trophy
1 - Lester Patrick trophy
Led Flyers in scoring 8 times
9 - All Star games

The NHL is a game of skill and real estate.....is Scott Stevens just as gutless for disabling Francis, Kariya and Lindros with his devastating hits in the playoffs - he knew those hits would put those players out, thats why he did it. Legal, yes, by the book......necessary to intentionally hurt somebody????????????????
Clarke was an absolute warrior, he gave as he got!, people forget that, that Clarke also took a beating EVERY nite.

Clarke a coward?, not on YOUR life!
:flyers
:teach:
Become a fan of the Ice Capades, probably more to your liking.

[QUOTE=RedAce]How is a deilbrite attack with an intent to injure part of the game???
Maybe it's part of CanaDUH'S game. Clarke Is a typical canadian coward with no skill.

REALLY?????????

1.06 ppg average for career
2 - Stanley Cups
3 - Hart Trophies !
1 - Masterton trophy
1 - Selke trophy
1 - Lester Patrick trophy
Led Flyers in scoring 8 times
9 - All Star games

The NHL is a game of skill and real estate.....is Scott Stevens just as gutless for disabling Francis, Kariya and Lindros with his devastating hits in the playoffs - he knew those hits would put those players out, thats why he did it. Legal, yes, by the book......necessary to intentionally hurt somebody????????????????
Clarke was an absolute warrior, he gave as he got!, people forget that, that Clarke also took a beating EVERY nite.

Clarke a coward?, not on YOUR life!
:flyers
:teach:
Become a fan of the Ice Capades, probably more to your liking.
:handclap: :bow: :clap:

No more of this. This isn't leading to anything in the way of 'good'

You can call Canadian players "untalented" as absurd as that is... but atleast they utilize their skills more often than Russians, who are typically lazy and uncommitted.

You can call Canadian players "untalented" as absurd as that is... but atleast they utilize their skills more often than Russians, who are typically lazy and uncommitted.
:clap: