1976 Canada Cup Story
The Canada Cup in 1976 ushered in a new era of international play. Unlike the 1972 series where only Canada and the Soviet Union clashed head –on for hockey’s ultimate bragging rights, the Canada Cup added four more of the hockey world’s superpowers: Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Finland and the United States. The timely inclusion of Czechoslovakia, in particular, increased the credibility of the tournament as the ever-improving Czech squad had won the 1976 World Championships with a resounding triumph over the Soviet Union.
This was especially important as a new look Soviet Union was missing several star players. Even with newly emerging talent such as Viktor Zhlutkov mixed with returning veterans like Vladislav Tretiak failed to improve the Soviets’ chances.
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