While the NHL now consists of a wide variety of international players, it used to be very Canadian. So when, in 1972, a team of Canadian stars had to score in the last minute of the last game to win an eight-game series against the Soviet national team, there was suddenly a recognition that there might be good hockey elsewhere in the world. (This is an 82-minute documentary about the 1972 Summit Series.)
From time to time after that, Russian teams would tour North America to play exhibitions against NHL teams. Five of those games took place in Pittsburgh.
The first was December 29, 1975, against the Soviet Wings. Penguin coach Marc Boileau was worried about his team thinking too much about the matchup as they lost in Atlanta three nights before. "I can see that would be a problem," said Flames coach Fred Creighton. "I'm glad I'm not in Marc's position."
Vic Hadfield, who was still a New York Ranger when he played in two of the 1972 games, said, "If you compare the Russians to a team in our league, they're more like the Canadiens."
He added, "We like to be on the move when we get the puck, but they stop and go a lot. They have a lot of stationary drills where they just stand and pass the puck back and forth."
And Hadfield was happy that a set team would play, instead of a loosely trained group of stars. "People in Pittsburgh should feel very fortunate to see a game like this."
There were eight games scheduled around the league. The financial deal was that NHL players and owners would share the receipts after the Soviets were paid $25,000 per game plus all expenses.
By the day before the game, Boileau said, "I don't think the guys were thinking too much about this game before today. They were more worried about regular season games. But after coming out and seeing the Russians skate around, I think everyone is looking forward to the game.
"We'll be going all out to win, I can promise that much."
The Wings were in fourth in Division One, after having finished second to Central Red Army the previous season. They added a line from Spartak that included Aleksandr Yakushev, "considered Russia's finest player." Wings coach Boris Kulagin, through an interpreter, couldn't compare Yakushev with anyone in the NHL. "It is difficult. His techniques are very original."
Kulagin also coached the Russian national team. When he was asked to compare the Wings to the 1972 Russian team, where he was an assistant, he responded, "I don't understand you, gentlemen. That is like comparing a horse and a sheep."
Kulagin's assessment of the Penguins: "I got scared when I saw them. Seriously, they are good, strong. A regular professional team."
And when he was asked if he was worried about goonery, he replied, "Purely speaking, rough play as it is does not bother me much. I can add that before we came here, Mr. [NHL president Clarence] Campbell gave us his assurances there would be no rough play."
On the day of the game, The Pittsburgh Press said that, "A strong gate sale will be needed to push attendance past 10,000." They got it; attendance was 13,214.
The game was played under NHL rules, but with a Russian referee and NHL linesmen. One NHL rule that Victor Dombrowsky ignored was the one that limited stick curves. Penguin goalie Michel Plasse noted that with the three-inch curves that some of the Wings used, "It's like picking up the puck and throwing it past you."
Whether or not it could be blamed on curves, the Wings scored four goals in the first period on their way to a 7-4 win. Vyacheslav Anisin scored 1:45 into the game, and the Soviets never looked back. Yuri Liapkin, Viktor Schialimov and Yakushev (on a rising 15-footer) added goals in the first. Vladimir Shadrin made it 5-0 early in the second before Pierre Larouche, all alone on the right side, scored at 5:35. Vladimir Repnyev answered 27 seconds later, and captain Ron Schock scored 51 seconds after that. Barry Wilkins' goal at 14:52 made it 6-3 at the second intermission. Liapkin and Lew Morrison traded goals early in the third period.
The line from Spartak, with Yakushev, Schialimov and Shadrin, was on the ice for five Wings goals. Defenseman Liapkin, who was also on that unit, had two assists to go with his pair of goals, making him the No. 1 star. Aleksandr Sidelnikov stopped 26 Pittsburgh shots, including 17 in the third period, while Plasse made 28 saves. Pittsburgh won 50 of 76 faceoffs. Each team went 0 for 3 on the power play.
"If we would have been able to get past the first 10 minutes, we could have made it a pretty good hockey game," observed Hadfield.
"I really think we were nervous," said Boileau. "We were running around a little ... would have three guys guarding one man ... but once we settled down, we were okay.
"We only lost the first period. At least we won the second and tied the third."
Kulagin thought that, "The Penguins are a very good professional team. I think they got the message from their coach in the first period and played very well after that."
Defenseman Dave Burrows thought the Pens had trouble adjusting to the Wings' style. "We just kind of sat back and watched the way they played.
"They kept switching positions all the time, like sending a basketball player into the key for three seconds, then getting him out so the next guy can go in.
"Until you get used to that, they can burn you. I don't want to take anything away from them. They're good, but if they were in our league, we'd play them more than once and it would be a different story."
As far as the physical play was concerned, Kulagin said, "We are firmly convinced that hockey is a team game and that good technique will win more games than roughness will."
Penguin defenseman Colin Campbell (yes, the future league executive) kept hitting Yakushev. "He wasn't as solid as I expected him to be, but he's strong on his skates."
Yakushev suggested, "I think we're in better condition."
"It doesn't help the NHL, it hurts," was Schock's summary. "We always thought the NHL was best. It's funny to think another team somewhere can play better than NHL teams."
It would be another decade before the Penguins played another Soviet team, but that's a story for another time.
All quotes are from the original newspaper coverage.
