September, 1972, World Hockey Summit Series

Game three of the World Hockey Summit Series between the Canadian NHL all-stars and the Russian National hockey team was played in Winnipeg. We all wondered wondered which Team Canada would show up: The one that bombed in Montreal, or that dominated inToronto? The answer was both. Canada probably should have won the game, but they blew two two-goal leads during this game. It became obvious that this team was not yet in good enough condition or playing as a cohesive unit. My biggest impression of the game in which I was the penalty time-keeper, was watching Phil Esposito score a goal on the Russian goalie, Tretiak, at the end of the first period. This would have given Canada a 3-1 lead. The referee waved it off because the period had already ended. No one heard the buzzer because the 10,000 people in the jam-packed arena were making so much noise! I was watching Tretiak preparing to block the anticipated shot from Esposito when suddenly I saw him just relax and watch the puck as it sailed by him into the net. He made no attempt to stop it because he had seen the green light go on behind the Canadian goalie, Tony Esposito, at the opposite end of the rink. The green light meant the period was over. 

The Canadians’ glee turned to anger and Phil Esposito skated over to our time-keepers’ area and started berating us in very “colorful” language. He wouldn’t listen to our pleas that we had no control over the level of sound the buzzer made. Fortunately the Mahovlich brothers, Frank and Pete, pulled him away to go to the dressing room. To give Esposito his due, he didn’t hear the buzzer along with most of the people in the arena. And he took his frustration out on us. Before the start of the second period, he skated over to us and apologized for his tantrum. As he said, “We are playing under a lot of pressure!” 

After years of the Canadian National team, which was made up of excellent amateur players,being beaten by the Russians on the world stage, this series between the Russians and our best professionals would show the Russians how much superior we were to them. Obviously the whole series became a vindication for the amateur Canadian National team who had played so well against the Russians but failed to defeat them in meaningful games. It was also a wake-up call to Hockey Canada. An added note: the Winnipeg Enterprises which was responsible for running the old barn, Winnipeg Arena, shortly after installed a loud klaxon-like horn to signal the end of a period.