1974 Summit Series: Hockey vs Khokkey

The 1974 Summit Series was the second of two competitions between Soviet and Canadian professional ice hockey players, following the same format as the 1972 Summit Series, with four games across Canada and four in Moscow. The Soviet team won the series 4–1–3, with Canada's lone victory at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. A significant difference from the previous series was that Canada's roster was selected from the World Hockey Association instead of the National Hockey League.Show more

Negotiations for the event started at the 1974 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, when Andrey Starovoytov of the Soviet Union approached Jack Devine and Gordon Juckes of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association regarding another series. Initially the event was to be six-games, but it was later extended to eight.

WHA players had been banned from playing in the 1972 series. Bobby Hull, who had just jumped from the NHL to the Winnipeg Jets, had been named to the Canadian team by Harry Sinden, but was not allowed to participate. The 1974 series was an opportunity for Hull and 46-year-old Gordie Howe to play for Canada against the Soviet Union. The number one goaltender was Gerry Cheevers who played in seven of the eight games, missing game three to attend the funeral of his father. Don McLeod and Gilles Gratton were the backup goalies for Team Canada. Vladislav Tretiak and Alexander Sidelnikov were the goaltenders for the Soviets, with Tretiak playing in all but game eight for the Soviets.

In 1974, the two-season-old WHA was largely composed of players scavenged from the minor leagues, mixed with a few NHL stars and aging veterans. Playing on both the 1972 and 1974 teams for Canada were Paul Henderson, Frank Mahovlich and Pat Stapleton. The last active player from the series was Mark Howe, who retired in 1995. Team Canada players were paid C$6,000 each for participating in the event.