from Stu Hackel of the Red Light,

Friday, Sept. 28 marks the 40th Anniversary of Game 8, the final contest of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet National team, the culmination of a monumental event of historic proportions not just for one sport, or all sports, but the world.

In the midst of the Cold War, it was hockey, among the team sports, that first broke down the barriers between the world’s two dominant socioeconomic systems and allowed the very best professional athletes on either side to compete against each other. The Summit Series was seen by many people as something much larger than a test of supremacy between two contrasting styles of play — the Russians’ fluid skating and intricate, weaving, puck possession vs. Canada’s basic, hard-charging up-and-down-the ice approach. The tournament was expected to help reveal which way of life was better. In retrospect, this may seem like a screwy perspective, but that’s how almost everyone thought 40 years ago. Many certainly felt that way eight years later when a bunch of American college students defeated an even stronger Soviet team at the Lake Placid Olympics.

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added 12:16pm,

Paul Henderson was on CBC this morning to talk about the goal, watch below...