1981 Canada Cup

The tournament opened on September 1 at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton as the Americans defeated a disorganized Swedish team, 3–1. Swedish coach Anders Parmström, upset at how his team underestimated the Americans, sat several of his top players for extended periods of the third period.[21] At the Winnipeg Arena, 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 to preserve the tie.[22] In the third game of the opening day, Canada's "dream line" of Gretzky, Lafleur and Gilbert Perreault 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.[23]

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.[24] Sweden attempted to employ a physical style against the Soviet Union without success, as they surrendered five power play goals in a 6–3 loss.[25] 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.[26]

The Soviets then avenged their 1980 Olympic defeat to the United States with a 4–1 win,[27] while the Swedes defeated Finland 5–0.[28] 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.[29] 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.[30] 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[31]

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 staff accidentally playing the Italian national anthem instead of the Finnish anthem prior to the start of the game.[32] The Czechs then easily defeated Sweden, 7–1, to advance to the playoff round and eliminate the Swedes.[33] 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.[34]

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.[35] Early play favoured Canada, as they opened the scoring 2:01 into the game on a goal by defenceman Brian Engblom, 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.[36]

The second place Soviet Union faced third ranked Czechoslovakia in the second semi-final. Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov 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.[37] 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.[38]

Canada entered the final facing pressure to defeat the Soviets. The Soviet national team's easy victory over the National Hockey League's all-stars in the 1979 Challenge Cup left the Canadians searching to regain command of their rivalry with the Soviets. Coach Scotty Bowman called it a "must win game" for Canada: "We really are favorites in the final. Nobody in this country will tolerate a loss."[36] The players also spoke of their desire to show the Soviets that they were the world's top hockey nation.[39] But also the Soviet Union was under pressure, as their most desirable trophy, the Olympic gold medal, had been denied them by the United States Amateur team, during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. 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."[40]

Canada held the early advantage of play, outshooting the Soviets 12–4 in the first period as their opponent was unable to generate offence. But that's a North American perspective of the game of Ice Hockey, to shoot the puck across the blue line. The Soviets instead passed the puck sideways, to a player coming from behind with higher speed, which requires an exceptional interaction.[41] And Canada was unable to put a puck past Tretiak, with the first period ending with no scoring.[42] The Soviets counterattacked in the second period, opening the scoring five minutes in on a goal by Igor Larionov. Clark Gillies tied the game for Canada three minutes later, but Sergei Shepelev 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.[43] 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.[42]

Canadian goaltender Mike Liut became the scapegoat for Canada's embarrassing loss.[44] The game was one of the worst of his career,[42] 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.[44] Tretiak, meanwhile, was named the tournament most valuable player on the strength of his goaltending throughout the event.[45]

Player	Team	GP	Min	W	L	T	SO	SV%	GAA
Vladislav Tretiak	Soviet Union	6	360	5	0	1	0	.947	1.33
Karel Lang	Czechoslovakia	6	341	2	2	2	0	.894	2.35
Mike Liut	Canada	6	360	4	1	1	1	.867	3.17
Peter Lindmark	Sweden	4	208	1	2	0	1	.888	3.17
Tony Esposito	United States	5	300	2	3	0	0	.872	3.80

Minimum 120 minutes played