Canada Cup (ice hockey)

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Following the exciting 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, interest in a world professional ice hockey championship increased substantially. The Canada Cup would bring together the top hockey-playing countries in the world. It was held in 1976, 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1991. It featured competition between teams representing Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, the Soviet Union, Sweden, the United States, and (in 1984 only, taking the place of Finland) West Germany. All the tournaments were won by Canada except the 1981 tournament, which was won by the Soviet Union. The 1987 event is often called one of the most spectacular in hockey history as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux combined forces to capture the Canada Cup at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario as Team Canada defeated the Soviets. Canada won that series 2 games to one and all three games ended in 6-to-5 scores.[1]


Year Champion Runner-up
1976  Flag of Canada Canada  Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia
1981 Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union Flag of Canada Canada
1984 Flag of Canada Canada Flag of Sweden Sweden
1987 Flag of Canada Canada Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
1991 Flag of Canada Canada Flag of the United States United States

In 1996, the Canada Cup was replaced by the World Cup of Hockey.

Contents

[edit] Trophy

The Canada Cup trophy is shaped like half of a maple leaf and is made of solid nickel. It weighs nearly 140 pounds.

The 1981 win by the Soviet Union caused controversy when Canadian officials found the trophy in the Soviet's luggage and announced that the trophy would not actually go home with the winning team. Canadian fans, feeling this was unsportsmanlike, raised money to produce a duplicate trophy to give to the Soviet team. Three weeks later the trophy was presented to the Soviet Union's ambassador Vladimir Mechulayev in Winnipeg.

[edit] Trivia

  • Alan Eagleson came up with the idea for the Canada Cup in 1966 after watching the FIFA World Cup final on TV. He said to himself, "if they can do a World Cup for soccer then why not a World Cup for hockey as well?"[citation needed]
  • Every player from the USSR's 1984 Canada Cup team was a left-handed shooter.[citation needed]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Hamilton Spectator-Memory Project (Souvenir Edition) page MP56 (2006-06-10). ""Tigertown Triumphs"". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.