1972-1976-1987 Canada Cup
zsz70
Posts: 541 ✭
Well a lot of us have graded cards from many of the Canadian
players that participated in these 3 series.
I was wondering your thoughts on the top three Canadian players
from each series. Your list doesn't indicate that you are ranking
them 1, 2, 3. For example, if I said that......
Messier
Gretzky
Lemieux
were the top three players in the 1987 Canada cup for Team Canada,
that does not mean that I feel Messier was the best player.
marc
players that participated in these 3 series.
I was wondering your thoughts on the top three Canadian players
from each series. Your list doesn't indicate that you are ranking
them 1, 2, 3. For example, if I said that......
Messier
Gretzky
Lemieux
were the top three players in the 1987 Canada cup for Team Canada,
that does not mean that I feel Messier was the best player.
marc
0
Comments
1- Henderson
2- Esposito (a close second)
3- Clarke
76 >>> ORR . HULL , VACHON
87 >>> GRETZKY , LEMIEUX , LARRY MURPHY
THANKS FOR NOT MENTIONING 81
Randy - You did not like 81 when Luit was in goal, Engblom had Canada's best chance and Lafleur and Gretzky pulled a flamingo on Makarov. That was one depressing game.
Anyway
1972 - Esposito, Henderson, Cournoyer Russians - Yakashev, Kharlamov, Mikhalov
1976 - Orr, Vachon, Potvin or Sittler Czechs - Novy, Dzurilla, Swedes - Salming the second best player in the tourny after Orr
1987 - Lemieux, Gretzky, Messier
How about 1984? Coffey, Tonelli or Bossy, Gretzky
or 1974 ? Hull, Cheevers, Howe
Wasn't around in 72 and don't remember 76, but what about Larmer is 91?
Great hockey. Honestly, I've watched game 3 at least 10 times in my life. If you get a chance to watch the clincher in 87 do so, we'll never see hockey that good again!
Jay
Silver Coins
e-bay ID: grilloj39
e-mail: grilloj39@gmail.com
Only tried to list the three most exciting for Canadian fans.
I could have listed more to include Soviet and American fans.
Hockeybonkers...
If it wasn't for Hawerchuk's hook that didn't get called in
game 3 against the Soviets in 1987, Mario would have been
backchecked and never got the shot off to win the game.
Hawerchuk was an awesome player. Imagine his numbers
if he played with Kurri, Coffey, and Messier !!!
marc
to this day i cant figure out why Mike Liut started ahead of Don Edwards. Edwards had owned the Soviets and had beaten them in the round robin. Too bad Perreault got hurt in that series. The line of Gretzky-Perreault-Lafleur was incredible. The sweet revenge was the 7-0 shutout of Russia by the world juniors later that year to capture the world junior tournament
1984 >>> was a really wierd tournament , the oiler-islander feud , noone really giving Canada a chance to beat the Russians in the semifinal, the team being called Team too many Oilers ,Paul Coffey making a gamesaving defensive play in OT to break up a 2 on 1. , John Tonelli being an absolute force on the ice, Bossys OT winner. No Tretiak, Bryan Trottier playing for the US, Peter Stasny playing for Canada. I dont even remember the finals against Sweden.
80sToyguy
Agreed 1987 was simply awesome hockey
He laid it all out there in that nationally televised interview. To this day I don't feel he gets the credit he deserves for winning that war on ice. When most people think of that series, it's Paul Henderson and " the goal " that first comes to mind. For me however, it's Esposito that was the hero. If it wasn't for his heart and leadership I doubt that Henderson would have had the opportunity to score that goal.
Rob..
Dave
On these same lines what was the best Canadian team of all-time? I would probably vote for 1976.
1987
Glenn Anderson
Kevin Dineen
Mike Gartner
Doug Gilmour
Michel Goulet
Wayne Gretzky
Dale Hawerchuk
Claude Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mark Messier
Brian Propp
Brent Sutter
Rick Tocchet
Raymond Bourque
Doug Crossman
Paul Coffey
Craig Hartsburg
Larry Murphy
James Patrick
Norman Rochefort
Grant Fuhr
Ron Hextal
Kelly Hrudey
1976
Bill Barber
Bobby Clarke
Marcel Dionne
Phil Esposito
Bob Gainey
Danny Gare
Bobby Hull
Guy Lafleur
Reg Leach
Pete Mahovlich
Rick Martin
Lanny McDonald
Gilbert Perreault
Jean Pronovost
Rene Robert
Steve Shutt
Darryl Sittler
Guy Lapointe
Bobby Orr
Denis Potvin
Larry Robinson
Serge Savard
Paul Shmyr
Carol Vadnais
Jim Watson
Gerry Cheevers
Ken Dryden
Glen Resch
Rogatien Vachon
The series would go three games.
The 1987 team would demonstrate its supreme skill on
the power play, but the 1976 team would frustrate them
with their superior defense.
The 1987 defense would have trouble with the physical
strength of the 1976 forwards. The 1987 defense was
not a great one, but the offense would bail it out.
Guys like Sutter, Tocchet, and Hawerchuk were asked
by Keenan to backcheck more because Keenan would
realize that his defense can not handle guys like Barber,
Sittler and others.
In the end it came down to the desire of
Gretzky and Lemieux versus the desire of Orr and Clarke.
The goaltending was a draw as both goalies were awesome.
Game one was won by team 1976 as Sittler proved again
that he can play big in the big game. Messier took a critical
high sticking penalty that led to the winning goal.
Game two was won by the 1987 team 6-5 in Hamilton as
Gretzky and Lemieux combined for six points.
Keenan was upset at Doug Crossman for being a
minus four for the night.
The final game was decided by the greatest player
of all time. Gretzky scores a hat trick in 1987's
5-4 victory over 1976 in overtime.
The greatest part of the series was to see the
expression on Don Cherry's face after he saw
an awesome series WITH NO fighting and all
of Canada loved it. The series changed the way
hockey was taught in Canada as coaches decided
that the hockey was so great that we should
encourage kids to skate, pass, and shoot instead
of being goons. Hence, Tie Domi and others
never made it into the NHL after 1988.
marc