1981 Canada Cup
Encyclopedia
The 1981 Canada Cup was the second best-on-best
Best-on-best
"Best-on-best" is an ice hockey term describing a competition that involves most of the elite level of players as possible. Usually it refers to an international men's tournament that allows professional players.-History:...

 ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title, while Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...

 was named most valuable player. Canada's Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

 led the tournament in scoring with 12 points.

This second edition of the Canada Cup
Canada Cup
The Canada Cup refers to several types of professional sporting events held in Canada: It is also the previous name of the World Cup of Golf and the World Cup of Hockey.* Canada Cup for men's professional ice hockey* Canada Cup...

 was originally scheduled to be held in 1979 but was postponed due to disputes between the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....

 and Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...

. It was postponed a second time in 1980 following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 and Canada's boycott of sporting events with the Soviet Union as a result. When finally held in 1981, tournament organizer Alan Eagleson
Alan Eagleson
Robert Alan Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, convicted felon in two countries, former politician, hockey agent and promoter...

 speculated it could be the last such event due to rising costs and disappointing attendance. Eagleson generated additional controversy when he refused to allow the Soviets to take the Canada Cup trophy with them to the Soviet Union.

Organization

At its congress in the summer of 1978, the International Ice Hockey Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...

 approved proposals to hold the second and third Canada Cup
Canada Cup
The Canada Cup refers to several types of professional sporting events held in Canada: It is also the previous name of the World Cup of Golf and the World Cup of Hockey.* Canada Cup for men's professional ice hockey* Canada Cup...

 tournaments in 1979 and 1982. However, tensions between Canada's rival governing bodies, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....

 (CAHA) and Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...

, increased after the latter body accused the CAHA of reneging on promises it had made regarding Hockey Canada's control of international events involving professional players. Hockey Canada's chief negotiator for international events, Alan Eagleson
Alan Eagleson
Robert Alan Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, convicted felon in two countries, former politician, hockey agent and promoter...

, accused the CAHA of attempting to sabotage the Canada Cup and threatened to cancel the tournament if the CAHA refused to compromise with his body.

The tournament was put in further jeopardy in January 1979 when General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 withdrew as a major sponsor; Eagleson argued GM withdrew as a result of the dispute with the CAHA. The disputes put the two bodies on the verge of severing all ties, a move that would have led to Hockey Canada refusing to release any professional or university player to any of Canada's national teams. The tournament was ultimately postponed by a year until September 1980.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...

 in December 1979 and threatened boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...

 in Moscow led organizers to consider again postponing the Canada Cup. While Eagleson initially favoured allowing the tournament to go ahead regardless of the political situation, he ultimately agreed that Hockey Canada should again postpone the Canada Cup after the Canadian Government joined the Olympic boycott. A brief effort to move the tournament to Sweden was quickly put down when Eagleson informed them that neither Hockey Canada nor the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) would participate in such an event.

Undaunted, Eagleson and IIHF president Gunther Sabetzki
Gunther Sabetzki
Günther Sabetzki was an executive for several ice hockey leagues and organizations....

 announced that the tournament had again been rescheduled for September 1981. This time, the tournament went ahead as scheduled.

Teams

The Soviet Union treated the 1976 Canada Cup
1976 Canada Cup
The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2–15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec, Canada as well as in Philadelphia, United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991...

 with disdain, but entered this tournament intent on re-asserting themselves following their upset loss to the United States at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics was held at the Olympic Arena and the Olympic Fieldhouse in Lake Placid, New York. Twelve teams competed in the tournament, which was held from February 12 to February 24...

. They were led by the KLM line of Vladimir Krutov
Vladimir Krutov
Vladimir Yevgenyevich Krutov born June 1, 1960) is a former Soviet hockey forward. Together with Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov, he was part of the famed KLM Line...

, Igor Larionov
Igor Larionov
Igor Nikolayevich Larionov is a Russian retired professional ice hockey player, known as The Professor. Along with Viacheslav Fetisov, he was instrumental in breaking the barrier that stopped Soviet players from joining the National Hockey League . He primarily played the centre position, and is...

 and Sergei Makarov
Sergei Makarov
Sergei Mikhailovich Makarov is a Russian former ice hockey right wing and two-time Olympic gold medalist, regarded as one of the greatest players to play the sport...

 on offence, as well as the "Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...

 of the Soviet Union", Vyacheslav Fetisov, and Alexei Kasatonov
Alexei Kasatonov
Alexei Viktorovich Kasatonov is a retired ice hockey defenceman, a long-time member of the Soviet Union national team.On the international stage, Kasatonov won two golds and one silver in the Olympics, and five golds in the World Championships...

 on defence, with the venerable Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...

 in goal. With a strong mixture of veterans and young players, the Soviets entered the tournament as favourites.

Canada brought a considerably younger team as compared to their 1976 entry. Three defencemen – Ray Bourque
Ray Bourque
Raymond Jean "Ray" Bourque is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player. He currently holds records for most goals, assists and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League . Bourque has become near-synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise, for which he played 21 seasons and...

, Paul Reinhart
Paul Reinhart
Paul Gerard Reinhart is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL.Reinhart was drafted 12th overall by the Atlanta Flames in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft...

 and Craig Hartsburg
Craig Hartsburg
Craig William Hartsburg is a retired Canadian professional hockey player and associate coach in the National Hockey League for the Calgary Flames. He also coached in the Ontario Hockey League. He has previously been an NHL head coach with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and...

 were under the age of 22, while 20-year-old Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

 was expected to be the offensive catalyst. Gretzky's pairing with Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur
Guy Damien "The Flower" / "Le Démon Blond" Lafleur, OC, CQ is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted and popular players ever to play professional ice hockey...

 was highly anticipated, while the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 quartet of Mike Bossy
Mike Bossy
Michael Dean Bossy is a former Canadian ice hockey player who played for the New York Islanders for his entire career and was part of their four-year reign as Stanley Cup champions in the early 1980s...

, Brian Trottier, Butch Goring
Butch Goring
Robert "Butch" Goring is a retired Canadian ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. He is a four-time Stanley Cup winner with the Islanders. Since retiring as a player he has served as head coach of...

 and Clark Gillies
Clark Gillies
Clark "Jethro" Gillies is a retired professional ice hockey player. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He provided both physical presence and offensive punch for the NHL's New York Islanders during their four-year run as Stanley Cup champions. In a career that spanned 958 games, Gillies...

 were also expected to be offensive leaders.

With 17 National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 (NHL) players on their roster, Sweden felt confident they could upset the Soviet Union and Canada by utilizing a system of strong team play. Kent Nilsson
Kent Nilsson
Kent Åke "Kenta" Nilsson is a retired professional ice hockey centre.During his NHL career he was called "Mr. Magic" and "The Magic Man"...

, coming off a 131-point season for the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...

, Thomas Steen
Thomas Steen
Thomas Steen is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player and coach. Steen is the current city councillor for the Winnipeg ward of Elmwood-East Kildonan. Steen played professional ice hockey in the Elitserien, National Hockey League and Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-Hockey career:Steen was born...

, Ulf Nilsson
Ulf Nilsson
Ulf "Lill-Pröjsarn" Gösta Nilsson is a former professional ice hockey player who played for the Winnipeg Jets, the New York Rangers, the Springfield Indians and the Tulsa Oilers. Part of the first major wave of Europeans to star in North American hockey, he was a major star in the WHA from 1974 to...

 and Borje Salming
Börje Salming
Anders Börje Salming , nicknamed "The King", is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for Kiruna AIF, Brynäs IF, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Detroit Red Wings, and AIK. Salming was one of the first European players to make an impact in the National Hockey League , paving...

 were expected to be the team's leaders. With only five returning players from their appearance in the 1976 final and suffering from the defections of the Šťastný brothers – Peter
Peter Stastny
Peter Šťastný , also known colloquially as "Peter the Great" and "Stosh", is a retired Slovak professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1980 to 1995. During his time with the Quebec Nordiques, Stastny became a Canadian citizen. Since 2004, he has also served as a...

, Marián
Marian Stastny
Marián Šťastný is a former Slovak professional ice hockey right wing who played for five seasons in the National Hockey League from 1981 through 1986....

 and Anton
Anton Stastny
Anton Šťastný is a former Slovak professional ice hockey left winger who played nine seasons with the Quebec Nordiques of the National Hockey League from 1980 until 1989. He was the first player born and trained in Slovakia to be drafted by an NHL team...

 – to Canada, the Czechoslovakian team entered the tournament in the midst of a rebuilding phase and were not considered contenders in 1981.

The Americans, riding high following their gold medal victory at the 1980 Olympics were considered to have the potential of upsetting the stronger teams in the tournament. Mark Howe
Mark Howe
Mark Steven Howe is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League and 6 seasons in the World Hockey Association . He is the son of Colleen and Gordie Howe, and early in his career was a teammate of his father...

 and Rod Langway
Rod Langway
Rod Cory Langway is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played for the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League and Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association...

 and several players from the Olympic team were expected to lead the United States. Tony Esposito
Tony Esposito
For the Italian musician, please see Tony Esposito .Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a retired Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style....

 was the American goaltender for the tournament. Esposito represented Canada at the 1972 Summit Series
Summit Series
The Summit Series was the first competition between the Soviet and an NHL-inclusive Canadian national ice hockey teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972...

, but gained his American citizenship in time to represent his new nation. As in 1976, Finland was expected to finish last in the six-team tournament despite the fact that the Finnish hockey association considered the team sent to Canada among the best their nation had assembled.

Round robin

The tournament opened on September 1 at Northlands Coliseum
Rexall Place
Rexall Place is an indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada situated on the north side of Northlands. It is currently the home to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League and the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL...

 in Edmonton as the Americans defeated a disorganized Swedish team, 3–1. Swedish coach Anders Parmström
Anders Parmström
Anders "Ankan" Parmström is a Swedish former ice hockey player and coach, who currently serves as a hockey expert analyst on the Canal Plus television network in Sweden....

, upset at how his team underestimated the Americans, sat several of his top players for extended periods of the third period. At the Winnipeg Arena
Winnipeg Arena
Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located at 1430 Maroons Road in Winnipeg, Manitoba, across the street from Canad Inns Stadium and just north of Polo Park.Built in 1955, it was owned by community-owned Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation...

, a young Czechoslovak team battled the Soviet Union to a 1–1 draw in a game marked by rough play. The Soviets were forced to rely on the stellar goaltending of Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...

 to preserve the tie. In the third game of the opening day, Canada's "dream line" of Gretzky, Lafleur and Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for seventeen seasons with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters, he was regarded as one of the...

 combined for ten points as Canada easily defeated Finland 9–0. The second line of Gillies, Trottier and Bossy also combined to score ten points in the game.

Finland fared little better against Czechoslovakia two nights later, dropping a 7–1 result. Finnish goaltender Hannu Lassila was the star of the game, however, as he made several difficult saves to keep the Finns close through two periods. Despite outshooting Finland 26–9, the Czechs managed only a 2–1 lead after 40 minutes before finally overcoming Lassila to score five goals in the third period. Sweden attempted to employ a physical style against the Soviet Union without success, as they surrendered five power play
Power play (sport)
"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...

 goals in a 6–3 loss. Canada then defeated the United States, 8–3, in a game that was played much closer than the score indicated. The Americans appeared to be headed to a draw with Canada as the two teams were tied at three with nine minutes to play before a power play goal by Mike Bossy sparked a five goal outburst for the Canadians in the dying minutes of the game.

The Soviets then avenged their 1980 Olympic defeat
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...

 to the United States with a 4–1 win, while the Swedes defeated Finland 5–0. Ending the third night of play, Czechoslovakia was able to overcome a late two-minute, two-man disadvantage to emerge with a 4–4 tie against Canada in a game that was described as the best of the tournament. Canada then defeated Sweden 4–3, but not before losing Perrault to a broken ankle. Perrault was Canada's leading scorer over the first four games and was considered a contender to be named most valuable player at the time of his injury. The United States then overcame an early two-goal deficit against the Czechs to win 6–2 while the Soviets easily defeated Finland 6–1

The final night of round robin play opened with a meaningless game between the United States and Finland. The Americans had already advanced to the playoff round while Finland had been eliminated. The game ended in a 4–4 draw and was most notable for Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum
The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...

 staff accidentally playing the Italian national anthem instead of the Finnish anthem prior to the start of the game. The Czechs then easily defeated Sweden, 7–1, to advance to the playoff round and eliminate the Swedes. Canada and the Soviet Union closed out the round robin with a battle for first place. A five-goal outburst by Canada in the third period broke a 2–2 tie and sent Canada into the playoffs as the top ranked team. Their 7–3 win was the most lopsided victory Canada had recorded against the Soviets in 20 years.

Semi-finals

As the top team in the playoff round, Canada faced the fourth place Americans in the first semi-final. Talk entering the game revolved around the defensive style of the United States and whether they could overcome Canada's offensive game and upset the favoured nation in a one-game, winner-take-all scenario. Early play favoured Canada, as they opened the scoring 2:01 into the game on a goal by defenceman Brian Engblom
Brian Engblom
Brian Paul Engblom is an ice hockey broadcaster and retired Canadian professional hockey defenseman.-Biography:...

, then extended their lead five minutes later when a long shot by Bossy eluded Esposito in the American goal. Another goal by Bossy saw Canada end the first period with a 3–0 lead. The remaining 40 minutes of the game lacked emotion, and the two teams traded goals for a 4–1 Canadian victory.

The second place Soviet Union faced third ranked Czechoslovakia in the second semi-final. Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov
Viktor Tikhonov
Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov is a Russian former ice hockey player and coach. He was the coach of the Soviet team when it was the most dominant team in the world...

 was agitated following his nation's 7–3 defeat to Canada to end the round robin, while the Czechs had grown increasingly confident of their ability as the tournament progressed. It was the Soviets, however, who scored three first period goals to take an early 3–0 lead. The young Czechoslovakian team pressured their opponents for much of the final 40 minutes, outshooting the Soviets 23–11 in the second and third periods combined. Tretiak withstood the pressure in the Soviet goal, however, allowing only one goal as the Soviet Union emerged with a 4–1 victory.

Final

Canada entered the final facing pressure to defeat the Soviets. The Soviet national team's easy victory over the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

's all-stars in the 1979 Challenge Cup
1979 Challenge Cup
The 1979 Challenge Cup was an international ice hockey series of games between the Soviet national ice hockey team and a team of all-stars from the National Hockey League, held in New York City. It replaced the NHL's all-star festivities for the 1978–79 NHL season.The Challenge Cup, unlike its...

 left the Canadians searching to regain command of their rivalry with the Soviets. Coach Scotty Bowman
Scotty Bowman
William Scott "Scotty" Bowman is a retired National Hockey League head coach. He holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He coached the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and...

 called it a "must win game" for Canada: "We really are favorites in the final. Nobody in this country will tolerate a loss." The players also spoke of their desire to show the Russians that they were the world's top hockey nation. During their pre-game preparations, Tikhonov called upon his team to play the finest games of their lives: "Today you got to play so well that the entire Canadian population will talk about you afterwards and remember you for a long time. Play so well that the Canadian fans when they will leave Forum will wait for you when you get on the bus after the game and admire you."

Canada held the early advantage of play, outshooting the Soviets 12–4 in the first period as their opponent was unable to generate offence. Despite their advantage, Canada was unable to put a puck past Tretiak, and the first period ended with no scoring. The Soviets counterattacked in the second period, opening the scoring five minutes in on a goal by Igor Larionov
Igor Larionov
Igor Nikolayevich Larionov is a Russian retired professional ice hockey player, known as The Professor. Along with Viacheslav Fetisov, he was instrumental in breaking the barrier that stopped Soviet players from joining the National Hockey League . He primarily played the centre position, and is...

. Clark Gillies
Clark Gillies
Clark "Jethro" Gillies is a retired professional ice hockey player. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He provided both physical presence and offensive punch for the NHL's New York Islanders during their four-year run as Stanley Cup champions. In a career that spanned 958 games, Gillies...

 tied the game for Canada three minutes later, but Sergei Shepelev
Sergei Shepelev
Sergei Mikhailovich Shepelev is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played left wing for HC Spartak Moscow. Internationally, he was a member of the USSR national ice hockey team that won the 1981 Canada Cup and the gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo...

 restored the Soviet lead three minutes after that. Shepelev added a powerplay goal late in the period to give the Soviets a 3–1 lead heading into the third period. The third period turned into a rout; Shepelev completed a natural hat trick, and the Soviets scored three goals in the final four minutes to claim the championship by an 8–1 score.

Canadian goaltender Mike Liut
Mike Liut
Michael Dennis Liut is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender.Liut played for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association from 1977 to 1979 and for the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, and Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League from 1979 to 1992. He won...

 became the scapegoat for Canada's embarrassing loss. The game was one of the worst of his career, but Canada managed only four shots in the third period and never threatened the Soviets even though they entered the final 20 minutes down by only two goals. Tretiak, meanwhile, was named the tournament most valuable player on the strength of his goaltending throughout the event.

Legacy

Tournament organizer Allan Eagleson, lamenting the rapidly increasing costs of hosting such a event, speculated that the 1981 Canada Cup could be the last. Noting that some costs had increased up to 200% over what was paid in 1976, Eagleson speculated that a third Canada Cup might have to be held in a different format. Organizers were also disappointed in tournament attendance. The two games scheduled to be held in Quebec City were transferred to Ottawa after only 300 tickets were pre-sold for the round robin game between Czechoslovakia and Sweden and 1,000 for the semi-final game. Low ticket sales also led to fears that the games scheduled for Winnipeg would also be moved, but the investments the television partners had made in rental equipment to broadcast the games from Winnipeg prevented a switch. Adding to Eagleson's woes, Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 owner Harold Ballard
Harold Ballard
Harold E. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957, he became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February...

 refused to allow any games to be held in Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...

 as a result of his hatred of the Soviet Union.

Strong support in Montreal, and the response in Ottawa after the games were moved to the national capital left Eagleson increasingly confident in the tournament's future. The 1981 Canada Cup turned a profit of about C$1 million to be split between Hockey Canada and the National Hockey League Players Association pension fund, one third that of the 1976 tournament. Shortly after the tournament ended, Eagleson confirmed he intended to hold a third Canada Cup. He noted that Canada's loss in the final played a role in his decision: "As far as I am concerned personally, it's probably preferable that we lost. I think if we had won, I'd have said, 'To hell with it'."

The fate of the championship trophy itself was the subject of controversy after Canadian hockey officials prevented the Soviet team from taking the trophy back to the Soviet Union. As he took the Cup from the Soviets at the airport, Eagleson claimed that the trophy was intended to remain in Canada at all times. The decision upset the Soviets who claimed that Eagleson's decision was made "in violation of the traditions existing at international competitions". Also disappointed in Eagleson's action was a trucker from Winnipeg, George Smith, who organized a fundraising campaign that raised enough money to create a replica trophy that was given to Soviet officials at their embassy in Ottawa. Soviet officials praised the sportsmanship of the Canadian people as they accepted the replica.

Round-robin standings

Team
5 4 0 1 32 13 +19 9
5 3 1 1 20 13
7
7
5 2 1 2 21 13
8
6
5 2 2 1 17 19 –2 5
5 1 4 0 13 20 –7 2
5 0 4 1 6 31 –25 1

Round-robin

Semi-finals

Final

Scoring

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
7 5 7 12 2
7 8 3 11 2
7 3 8 11 6
7 2 9 11 0
7 1 10 11 8
4 3 6 9 0
7 3 6 9 0
7 6 2 8 4
7 4 4 8 10
7 1 7 8 10

Goaltending

Player Team GP Min W L T SO SV% GAA
6 360 5 0 1 0 .947 1.33
6 341 2 2 2 0 .894 2.35
6 360 4 1 1 1 .867 3.17
4 208 1 2 0 1 .888 3.17
5 300 2 3 0 0 .872 3.80
Minimum 120 minutes played

Awards

Recipient Team
Most Valuable Player
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...

 
All-Star team
G – Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...

 
D – Arnold Kadlec 
D – Alexei Kasatonov
Alexei Kasatonov
Alexei Viktorovich Kasatonov is a retired ice hockey defenceman, a long-time member of the Soviet Union national team.On the international stage, Kasatonov won two golds and one silver in the Olympics, and five golds in the World Championships...

 
F
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...

 – Mike Bossy
Mike Bossy
Michael Dean Bossy is a former Canadian ice hockey player who played for the New York Islanders for his entire career and was part of their four-year reign as Stanley Cup champions in the early 1980s...

 
F
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...

 – Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for seventeen seasons with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters, he was regarded as one of the...

 
F
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...

 – Sergei Shepelev
Sergei Shepelev
Sergei Mikhailovich Shepelev is a retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played left wing for HC Spartak Moscow. Internationally, he was a member of the USSR national ice hockey team that won the 1981 Canada Cup and the gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo...

 

See also

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