How The 1972 Summit Series Affected Canada
1972 Summit Series
It was described as “the goal heard around the world.” Paul Henderson scored to make the score 6-5 with 34 seconds remaining in game 8 of the 1972 Summit Series. This goal sealed the comeback victory for Canada after falling behind the USSR hockey team 3 games to 1. The 8 game series is considered by some as a huge defining moment in Canadian history with repercussions beyond sports. The series had an impact on Canadian politics, the economy and the social unity of the entire nation.
Most people do not see hockey as being a political statement. Pierre Trudeau did. He saw the Summit series as a chance to be re-elected into office. Trudeau became prime minister in 1968, using national pride as his campaign platform. He used …show more content…
the anniversary of 1967 to convince Canada to vote for him. Over the next four years Trudeau’s supporters decreased severely. Trudeau used the Summit Series to gain more support because nothing unites Canada more than our game. He dropped the ceremonial puck at the first game. He also fought for famous Canadian hockey player Bobby Hull to be able to play for Team Canada. When Canada fought back and won the series, the wave of Canadian pride and Nationalism that swept the country helped Trudeau win back the hearts and votes of the citizens.1
Even with his decreasing support before the beginning of the hockey series Trudeau returned to office in 1972 with a minority government.
Today many people and businesses use hockey to promote social events in Canada. I think one of the ways the summit series affected Canada socially is that it united the country as one. Millions of people watched. They could not stop talking about it. Proud Canadian fans packed the arena for every game and cheered loud and proud. They held their breath in the third period of game 8 and the entire country erupted with Paul Henderson scored the goal. “I found myself with the puck in front of the net,” remembers Henderson. “Tretiak made one stop and the puck came right back to me. There was room under him, so I poked the puck through.” “When I saw it go in, I just went bonkers.” Millions of thrilled and extremely relieved Canadians went bonkers as well. Many people rank the goal in the final game as the fifth greatest event in Canadian history2
It not only united our country but allowed Canadians to unite with Russian people. The differences between the two societies were set aside and we learned to tolerate and embrace other
cultures.
The summit series even affected Canada economically. For the players, this was the biggest paycheck they could ever imagine
As for the fans, they were dropping big bucks just to see their favorite professional players play hockey. Many Canadian and International tourists came to the cities that the games were held in to watch the games and stay in the hotels and eat in the restaurants. A ticket for the summit series cost $50.00. Merchandise such as t shirts went from $7.99- $14.99. Even today hockey lovers still buy Summit Series jerseys and memorabilia. You can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a Paul Henderson jersey online. An economic impact that wasn’t immediate but is still affecting our economy today is the Olympics. In 1972 Canadian NHL players were not allowed to play in the Olympics. Russians playing full time for the state were allowed and usually won at the Olympics. The Series showed that we could play together with other countries and got the ball rolling. Soon after the NHL opened up to Europeans and eventually Russians. In 1998, NHL players were finally allowed to play in the Olympics for their country. Hockey Canada anything (merchandise, tickets) is a multi-million dollar boost to our economy.
The 1972 Summit Series was a historical and defining moment in Canadian History. The ups and downs of the event had Canadian and Russian fans on their toes and holding their breath the entire series. As stated before, the series affected Canada politically, socially, and economically. It brought the entire country together as one enormous fan base, helped Prime Minister Trudeau on his way back into office, and made players and business owners alike a lot of money.
Bibliography
“1972 Summit Series.com: A September to Remember.” 1972 Summit Series. Com: A September to Remember. N.p.,n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013 This article was very helpful in forming me of the role of the Summit Series played in not only Canadian politics, but also Russian politics. It was also helpful because it contained links to many other original articles written about the summit series.
“1972 Summit Series shaped modern hockey.” 1972 Summit Series between Soviet Union and Canada shaped modern hockey. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=640724 This article informed me of how the Summit series impacted Canadian and world hockey and also the relationships between Canadians and Russians.
“The 1972 Summit Series: Team Canada Player Stats.” About.com Hockey. http://proicehockey.about.com/od/history/a/1972-Summit-Series-player-stats.htm This website gave me information on players stats, links to players pay scale and examples of the price of Summit Series tickets and merchandise.
It was described as “the goal heard around the world.” Paul Henderson scored to make the score 6-5 with 34 seconds remaining in game 8 of the 1972 Summit Series. This goal sealed the comeback victory for Canada after falling behind the USSR hockey team 3 games to 1. The 8 game series is considered by some as a huge defining moment in Canadian history with repercussions beyond sports. The series had an impact on Canadian politics, the economy and the social unity of the entire nation.
Most people do not see hockey as being a political statement. Pierre Trudeau did. He saw the Summit series as a chance to be re-elected into office. Trudeau became prime minister in 1968, using national pride as his campaign platform. He used …show more content…
the anniversary of 1967 to convince Canada to vote for him. Over the next four years Trudeau’s supporters decreased severely. Trudeau used the Summit Series to gain more support because nothing unites Canada more than our game. He dropped the ceremonial puck at the first game. He also fought for famous Canadian hockey player Bobby Hull to be able to play for Team Canada. When Canada fought back and won the series, the wave of Canadian pride and Nationalism that swept the country helped Trudeau win back the hearts and votes of the citizens.1
Even with his decreasing support before the beginning of the hockey series Trudeau returned to office in 1972 with a minority government.
Today many people and businesses use hockey to promote social events in Canada. I think one of the ways the summit series affected Canada socially is that it united the country as one. Millions of people watched. They could not stop talking about it. Proud Canadian fans packed the arena for every game and cheered loud and proud. They held their breath in the third period of game 8 and the entire country erupted with Paul Henderson scored the goal. “I found myself with the puck in front of the net,” remembers Henderson. “Tretiak made one stop and the puck came right back to me. There was room under him, so I poked the puck through.” “When I saw it go in, I just went bonkers.” Millions of thrilled and extremely relieved Canadians went bonkers as well. Many people rank the goal in the final game as the fifth greatest event in Canadian history2
It not only united our country but allowed Canadians to unite with Russian people. The differences between the two societies were set aside and we learned to tolerate and embrace other
cultures.
The summit series even affected Canada economically. For the players, this was the biggest paycheck they could ever imagine
As for the fans, they were dropping big bucks just to see their favorite professional players play hockey. Many Canadian and International tourists came to the cities that the games were held in to watch the games and stay in the hotels and eat in the restaurants. A ticket for the summit series cost $50.00. Merchandise such as t shirts went from $7.99- $14.99. Even today hockey lovers still buy Summit Series jerseys and memorabilia. You can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a Paul Henderson jersey online. An economic impact that wasn’t immediate but is still affecting our economy today is the Olympics. In 1972 Canadian NHL players were not allowed to play in the Olympics. Russians playing full time for the state were allowed and usually won at the Olympics. The Series showed that we could play together with other countries and got the ball rolling. Soon after the NHL opened up to Europeans and eventually Russians. In 1998, NHL players were finally allowed to play in the Olympics for their country. Hockey Canada anything (merchandise, tickets) is a multi-million dollar boost to our economy.
The 1972 Summit Series was a historical and defining moment in Canadian History. The ups and downs of the event had Canadian and Russian fans on their toes and holding their breath the entire series. As stated before, the series affected Canada politically, socially, and economically. It brought the entire country together as one enormous fan base, helped Prime Minister Trudeau on his way back into office, and made players and business owners alike a lot of money.
Bibliography
“1972 Summit Series.com: A September to Remember.” 1972 Summit Series. Com: A September to Remember. N.p.,n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013 This article was very helpful in forming me of the role of the Summit Series played in not only Canadian politics, but also Russian politics. It was also helpful because it contained links to many other original articles written about the summit series.
“1972 Summit Series shaped modern hockey.” 1972 Summit Series between Soviet Union and Canada shaped modern hockey. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=640724 This article informed me of how the Summit series impacted Canadian and world hockey and also the relationships between Canadians and Russians.
“The 1972 Summit Series: Team Canada Player Stats.” About.com Hockey. http://proicehockey.about.com/od/history/a/1972-Summit-Series-player-stats.htm This website gave me information on players stats, links to players pay scale and examples of the price of Summit Series tickets and merchandise.