A Wild Stab For It

On the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series, a personal and poetic journey into the heart of hockey in Canada

As summer turned to fall in 1972, Canada was redefining itself and its place in the world. Politically, a spirited election campaign asked probing questions about the nation’s past, present, and future — the nationalist pride of recent centennial celebrations contrasted with the stressed relationship between English and French Canada post-FLQ crisis. In a very different arena, similar issues were raised by the trials and triumphs of the players of Canada’s game.

On the 50th anniversary of what is arguably the single most important sporting event in Canadian history, Dave Bidini travels back through time to September 28, 1972. By asking Canadians of all stripes — athletes, artists, politicians, and pundits — to share their memories, whether they were there in Moscow’s Luzhniki Ice Palace or watching a TV rolled into a classroom, Bidini explores how the legendary Canada–Russia Summit Series changed hockey history and helped shape a nation’s identity.

Doing what John McPhee’s Levels of the Game did for tennis and American culture, Bidini asks: Did something about being Canadian influence the outcome of the series, or did the outcome of the series change what it means to be Canadian?