Super Series
The Super Series were exhibition games between Soviet teams and NHL teams that took place on the NHL opponents' home ice in North America from 1976 to 1991. The Soviet teams were usually club teams from the Soviet hockey league. The exception was in 1983, when the Soviet National Team represented the Soviet Union. A total of 18 series were held; the Soviet teams won 14 and the NHL won 2, with the remaining two series tied. 98 games were played across the 18 series, with Soviet teams posting an overall record of 55–33–10.
| Super Series | |
|---|---|
| Status | inactive |
| Genre | sports event |
| Date(s) | winter |
| Frequency | annual |
| Location(s) | various |
| Inaugurated | 1976 |
| Most recent | 1991 |
| Organised by | NHL |
Summary of results
Soviet and NHL overall record by series and games
| Soviet team | Total series played with NHL | Series won by Soviet team | Series won by NHL teams | Series tied | Series win percentage for Soviets | Games played | Games won by Soviet team | Games won by NHL teams | Games tied | Game win percentage for Soviets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSKA Moscow (Red Army) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 34 | 24 | 8 | 2 | 0.735 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0.600 |
| Krylya Sovetov (Soviet Wings) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.667 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0.538 |
| Spartak Moscow | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.600 |
| USSR (National team) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.667 |
| Khimik Voskresensk | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.500 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Dinamo Riga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0.357 |
| Totals | 18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0.833 | 98 | 55 | 33 | 10 | 0.612 |
Records between individual Soviet and NHL teams
| NHL team | Soviet team | Totals | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Army | Dynamo Moscow | Soviet Wings | Spartak |  Soviet Union |
Khimik | Riga | ||||||||||
| GP | PCT | GP | PCT | GP | PCT | GP | PCT | GP | PCT | GP | PCT | GP | PCT | GP | PCT | |
| New York Rangers | 3 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 4 | 0.000 | ||||||||||
| Montreal Canadiens | 3 | 0.500 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 7 | 0.500 | ||||
| Boston Bruins | 2 | 0.000 | 2 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 6 | 0.000 | ||||||
| Philadelphia Flyers | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.500 | 1 | 0.000 | 5 | 0.300 | ||||||
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | 1.000 | 3 | 0.167 | 1 | 0.000 | 5 | 0.300 | ||||||||
| Buffalo Sabres | 2 | 1.000 | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 6 | 0.667 | ||||||
| Chicago Blackhawks | 2 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 4 | 0.250 | ||||||||
| New York Islanders | 2 | 0.000 | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 0.500 | 5 | 0.300 | ||||||||
| Vancouver Canucks | 2 | 0.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 5 | 0.600 | ||||||
| Colorado Rockies / New Jersey Devils | 1 | 0.000 | 2 | 0.750 | 1 | 0.000 | 4 | 0.375 | ||||||||
| St. Louis Blues | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 1.000 | 5 | 0.400 | ||||||
| Atlanta / Calgary Flames | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0.500 | 6 | 0.583 | ||
| Minnesota North Stars | 2 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 6 | 0.167 | ||||
| Detroit Red Wings | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0.000 | 3 | 0.333 | ||||||||
| Winnipeg Jets | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 0.000 | 3 | 0.333 | ||||||||||
| Edmonton Oilers | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 6 | 0.667 | ||||
| Washington Capitals | 2 | 0.750 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1.000 | 4 | 0.875 | ||||||||
| Quebec Nordiques | 3 | 0.500 | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.500 | 1 | 0.000 | 6 | 0.333 | ||||||
| Los Angeles Kings | 1 | 0.000 | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 0.000 | 4 | 0.250 | ||||||||
| Hartford Whalers | 1 | 0.000 | 1 | 0.500 | 1 | 1.000 | 3 | 0.500 | ||||||||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | 0.500 | 2 | 0.500 | ||||||||||||
| Totals | 34 | 0.265 | 20 | 0.400 | 13 | 0.462 | 5 | 0.400 | 6 | 0.333 | 13 | 0.500 | 7 | 0.643 | 98 | 0.388 |
- GP: games played between NHL and Soviet Team
- PCT: winning percentage of NHL team versus Soviet Team
Super Series 1976
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
The Red Army won a series against NHL teams, with 2 wins, 1 tie, 1 loss. The scores were:
- 1975-12-28 Red Army beat New York Rangers 7 to 3
- 1975-12-31 Red Army tied Montreal Canadiens 3 to 3
- 1976-01-08 Red Army beat Boston Bruins 5 to 2
- 1976-01-11 Philadelphia Flyers beat Red Army 4 to 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flyers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| CSKA | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| W: Stephenson | ||||
| Philadelphia: Goodenaugh (1), Bill Barber, Dornhoefer, 14.Joe Watson (1), 16.Bobby Clarke, 18.Lonsberry, 19.MacLeish (1), 26.Kindrachuk, 27.Reggie Leach (1), CSKA: Kutergin(1) | ||||
Soviet Wings versus the NHL
The Wings won a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 0 ties, 1 loss. The scores were:
- 1975-12-29 Soviet Wings beat Pittsburgh Penguins 7 to 4
- 1976-01-04 Buffalo Sabres beat Soviet Wings 12 to 6
- 1976-01-07 Soviet Wings beat Chicago Blackhawks 4 to 2
- 1976-01-10 Soviet Wings beat New York Islanders 2 to 1
Super Series 1978
Spartak Moscow versus the NHL
Spartak won a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 0 ties, 2 losses. The scores were:
- Vancouver Canucks beat Spartak 2 to 0
- Spartak beat Colorado Rockies 8 to 3
- Spartak beat St. Louis Blues 2 to 1
- Montreal Canadiens beat Spartak 5 to 2
- Spartak beat Atlanta Flames 2 to 1
Super Series 1979
Soviet Wings versus the NHL
Soviet Wings won a series against NHL teams with 2 wins, 1 tie, 1 loss. The scores were:
- Soviet Wings beat Minnesota North Stars 8 to 5
- Soviet Wings tied Philadelphia Flyers 4 to 4
- Detroit Red Wings beat Soviet Wings 6 to 5
- Soviet Wings beat Boston Bruins 4 to 1
Super Series 1980
Dynamo Moscow versus NHL
Dynamo Moscow won a series against NHL team with 2 wins, 1 tie, and 1 loss. The scores were:
- Vancouver Canucks beat Dynamo Moscow 6 to 2
- Dynamo Moscow beat Winnipeg Jets 7 to 0
- Dynamo Moscow beat Edmonton Oilers 4 to 1
- Dynamo Moscow tied Washington Capitals, 5 to 5.
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
Red Army won a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 0 ties, and 2 losses. The scores were:
- Red Army beat New York Rangers 5 to 2
- Red Army beat New York Islanders 3 to 2
- Montreal Canadiens beat Red Army 4 to 2
- Buffalo Sabres beat Red Army 6 to 1
- Red Army beat Quebec Nordiques 6 to 4
Super Series 1983
Soviet journalist Vsevolod Kukushkin reported in his 2016 book The Red Machine, that the nickname for the Soviet national team came into usage during the 1983 series, when a headline in a Minneapolis newspaper read "The Red Machine rolled down on us".[1]
Soviet national team versus NHL
The USSR won a series against NHL teams with 4 wins, 0 ties, and 2 losses. The scores were:
- Edmonton Oilers beat USSR 4 to 3
- USSR beat Quebec Nordiques 3 to 0
- USSR beat Montreal Canadiens 5 to 0
- Calgary Flames beat USSR 3 to 2
- USSR beat Minnesota North Stars 6 to 3
- USSR beat Philadelphia Flyers 5 to 1
Super Series 1986
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
Red Army won a series against NHL teams with 5 wins, 0 ties, and 1 loss. The scores were:
- Red Army beat Los Angeles Kings 5 to 2
- Red Army beat Edmonton Oilers 6 to 3
- Quebec Nordiques beat Red Army 5 to 1
- Red Army beat Montreal Canadiens 6 to 1
- Red Army beat St. Louis Blues 4 to 2
- Red Army beat Minnesota North Stars 4 to 3
Dynamo Moscow versus NHL
Dynamo Moscow won a series against NHL teams with 2 wins, 1 tie, and 1 loss. The scores were:
- Calgary Flames beat Dynamo Moscow 4 to 3 (OT)
- Dynamo Moscow tied Pittsburgh Penguins 3 to 3
- Dynamo Moscow beat Boston Bruins 6 to 4
- Dynamo Moscow beat Buffalo Sabres 7 to 4
Super Series 1989
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
Red Army won a series against NHL teams with 4 wins, 1 tie, and 2 losses. The scores were:
- Red Army tied the Quebec Nordiques 5 to 5
- Red Army beat the New York Islanders 3 to 2
- Red Army beat the Boston Bruins 5 to 4
- Red Army beat the New Jersey Devils 5 to 0
- Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Red Army 4 to 2
- Red Army beat the Hartford Whalers 6 to 3
- Buffalo Sabres beat the Red Army 6 to 5
Dynamo Riga versus NHL
The NHL teams won a series against Dynamo Riga with 4 wins, 1 tie, 2 losses. The scores were:
- Dynamo Riga tied the Calgary Flames 2 to 2 (Perry Berezan, Hakan Loob) (Alexander Kerch, Alexander Belyavsky)
- Edmonton Oilers beat Dynamo Riga 2 to 1
- Vancouver Canucks beat Dynamo Riga 6 to 1
- Dynamo Riga beat Los Angeles Kings 5 to 3
- Chicago Blackhawks beat Dynamo Riga 4 to 1
- St. Louis Blues beat Dynamo Riga 5 to 0
- Dynamo Riga beat Minnesota North Stars 2 to 1
- Washington Capitals beat Dynamo Riga 2 to 1 (19 September 1989 in Riga)
Super Series 1990
Khimik Voskresensk versus the NHL
Khimik Voskresensk tied a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 0 ties, 3 losses. The scores were:
- Khimik Voskresensk beat Los Angeles Kings 6 to 3
- Edmonton Oilers beat Khimik Voskresensk 6 to 2
- Calgary Flames beat Khimik Voskresensk 6 to 3
- Khimik Voskresensk beat Detroit Red Wings 4 to 2
- Washington Capitals beat Khimik Voskresensk 5 to 2
- Khimik Voskresensk beat St. Louis Blues 6 to 3
Soviet Wings versus the NHL
The NHL teams won a series against Soviet Wings with 3 wins, 1 tie, 1 loss. The scores were:
- New York Islanders beat Soviet Wings 5 to 4
- Hartford Whalers beat Soviet Wings 4 to 3
- Soviet Wings tied Quebec Nordiques 4 to 4
- Soviet Wings beat New York Rangers 3 to 1
- Montreal Canadiens beat Soviet Wings 2 to 1
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
Red Army won a series against NHL teams with 4 wins, 0 ties, 1 loss. The scores were:
- Winnipeg Jets beat Red Army 4 to 1
- Red Army beat Vancouver Canucks 6 to 0
- Red Army beat Minnesota North Stars 4 to 2
- Red Army beat Chicago Blackhawks 6 to 4
- Red Army beat Philadelphia Flyers 5 to 4
Dynamo Moscow versus NHL
Dynamo Moscow won a series against NHL team, with 3 wins, 0 ties, and 2 losses. The scores were:
- Dynamo Moscow beat Pittsburgh Penguins 5 to 2
- Dynamo Moscow beat Toronto Maple Leafs 7 to 4
- Buffalo Sabres beat Dynamo Moscow 4 to 2
- New Jersey Devils beat Dynamo Moscow 7 to 1
- Dynamo Moscow beat Boston Bruins 3 to 1
Super Series 1991
Khimik Voskresensk versus the NHL
Khimik Voskresensk tied a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 1 tie, 3 losses. The scores were:
- Los Angeles Kings beat Khimik Voskresensk 5 to 1
- St. Louis Blues beat Khimik Voskresensk 4 to 2
- Khimik Voskresensk tied New York Islanders 2 to 2
- Khimik Voskresensk beat Montreal Canadiens 6 to 3
- Khimik Voskresensk beat Buffalo Sabres 5 to 4
- Khimik Voskresensk beat Boston Bruins 5 to 2
- Minnesota North Stars beat Khimik Voskresensk 6 to 4
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
The Red Army won a series against NHL teams with 6 wins, 0 ties, 1 loss. The scores were:
- Red Army beat Detroit Red Wings 5 to 2
- Red Army beat New York Rangers 6 to 1
- Red Army beat Chicago Blackhawks 4 to 2
- Red Army beat Calgary Flames 6 to 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSKA | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Calgary | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| W: 20.Mihaylovski | ||||
| CSKA: 2.Mironov, 3.Zubov, 4.Kravchuk, 6.Biakin, 8.Nemchinov, 9.Maslenikov (2), 11.Davidov, 13.Kaminsky (1), 15.Prokopiev, 16.Konstantinov (1), 18.Vostrikov, 19.Khmylev (2), 21.Stelnov, 22.Brezgunov, 24.Gordiyuk, 25.Butsayev, 26.Kovalenko, 27.Kostichkin, 29.Chibirev, Calgary: Sweeney(2), Fleury(1), Gilmour(1) | ||||
- Edmonton Oilers beat Red Army 4 to 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| CSKA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| W: Takko | ||||
| Edmonton Oilers: 2.Joseph, 4.Lowe (1), 6.Beukeboom, 7.Lamb, 8.Murphy (1), 9.Anderson (1), 10.Tikkanen, 12.Graves, 14.MacTavish, 16.Buchberger, 18.Simpson (1), 19.Semenov, 20.Gelinas, 28.Muni, 29.Vyazmikin, 85.Klima, CSKA: Malahov(1), Biakin(1), | ||||
- Red Army beat Winnipeg Jets 6 to 4
- Red Army beat Vancouver Canucks 4 to 3 (OT)
Dynamo Moscow versus NHL
Dynamo Moscow won a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 2 ties, 2 losses. The scores were:
- Toronto Maple Leafs beat Dynamo Moscow 7 to 4
- Dynamo Moscow tied Hartford Whalers 0 to 0
- Dynamo Moscow tied New Jersey Devils 2 to 2
- Washington Capitals beat Dynamo Moscow 3 to 2
- Dynamo Moscow beat Philadelphia Flyers 4 to 1 (Yuri Leonov-2, Igor Dorofeyev, Alexandr Galchenyuk)(Rick Tocchet)
- Dynamo Moscow beat Pittsburgh Penguins 4 to 3 (Alexei Zhamnov, Ravil Yakubov, Alexander Semak, Andrei Lomakin)(Errey, Jiri Hrdina, S. Young)
- Dynamo Moscow beat Quebec Nordiques 4 to 1 (Igor Dorofeyev-2, Kovalev, Ravil Khaydarov)(Pearson)
See also
- Super Series '76-77
- Rendez-vous '87
- NHL Challenge
- 2007 Super Series
- List of international ice hockey competitions featuring NHL players
- Victoria Cup
- List of KHL vs NHL games
- Aggie Kukulowicz, Canadian-born Russian language interpreter for the series
References
- Lysenkov, Pavel (4 May 2016). "Russian Hall of Fame: The house where the Big Red Machine lives". 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2019.