1976 Canada Cup Canada Vs USA Round Robin

all rights to hockey Canada. I do not own this video

[@Merti63]

I was at the Montreal Forum that night with my dad. I was 13 at the time. I couldn't believe that Lafleur, Shutt, Robinson, Perreault, Esposito, Hull and the great Bobby Orr (to name a few) were actually there for real in front of me. Rogatien Vachon played his best hockey in career during that tournament. Great memories!

[@5inthehole]

Whoever recorded this, thank you for having the class for keeping The Great Roget Doucet singing "O'Canada" in this video. He was as important as any other part of Montreal's great history at The Forum. Thank You.

[@ejomamma6234]

Bobby Hull, overall, displays such phenomenal skating speed and powerful shots that all goalies were scared of. It's a pretty talented team for the day. Bobby Orr, of course, was exceptional too! Hull should have been on 72 team. NHL were still in full control of player's careers then, until Hull, single handedly changed everything, especially salaries! Thanks Bobby Hull! You're a great man!

[@wombatwilly1002]

A lot of people consider this version to be the best "Team Canada" put together.Could argue the point all day..:)

[@horst9537]

That was Canada's most beautiful jersey

[@user-kt6hi2cm8h]

Bobby Orr shut down the American player with a puck and the Canadiens player together, but the puck was brought to another Canadiens player in the seventh minute of the video. When Bobby Orr defended his gates, he knelt down in the ninth minute. A puck hit his hand after to his leg. Bobby Orr waved his hand in pain. He continued to play.

[@rjflesher]

Roger Doucet's rendition of "O Canada"= awesomeness.

[@roberthenry8690]

Powerful singer , the best in Hockey !

[@peterhunt5072]

That awesome Franco-Canadien employed at the Boston Bruins was also excellent!! His name is Rene Rancourt!!

[@danroux4010]

Lopresti, never considered to be a top tier goalie, faced 34 shots, most of them difficult to handle. He kept the U.S. in the game, preventing the blow out. I wonder how he felt before the game knowing he was about to face sharpshooters the likes of Lafleur, Perreault, Dionne, Esposito, Hull, Orr, etc. This is probably the highlight of his hockey career.

[@ericw3229]

However he felt it didn' t seem to bother him during the game.

[@danroux4010]

18:50 to 19:05 - In those 15 seconds, Lafleur positions himself perfectly for a great pass from Robinson, delivers a wicked slap shot forcing Lo Presti to make a good save, turns around to skate full throttle to effectively back check. That is a quick summary of what made Lafleur so great. His back checking was just as great as his offensive play. Poetry in motion.

[@wmarkdyer]

I remember Paul Kariya's skating reminding me of Lafleur.

[@September2004]

This is the 2nd time I've heard about about Lafleur's backchecking in a week. It's too bad when an player's offensive production is so focused over his defensive prowess that the average person thinks the player isn't much of a defensive player. I've also wondered why Lafleur is ranked so much higher than Dionne even though Dionne's career stats are way better *and* he never played for a Stanley Cup winning team. Someone suggested it was because Lafleur was better defensively. He did apparently struggle in his own end so much so that Anatoli Tarasov suggested to Scotty Bowman that he play Lafleur up high.

[@Exotic3000]

This 1976 Team Canada was the greatest hockey team ever assembled!

[@KMK7355]

I would take the CanadIan 2014 OT and the 2002 Canadian OT. Hull was well past his prime and his turnover on the US first goal was literally HS JV level. Ftorek gave a little pressure and he handed it to Jensen. In fact the 1996 US World Cup Team could beat the 1976 Canada Cup Team. Wouldn't be a big upset IMO. G Richter - Barrasso D - Chelios Suter Leetch K Hatcher Housley D. Hatcher C Modano Roenick Lafontaine Oto W Hull Tkachuk Guerin LeClair Amonte Weight Young Smolinski

[@LeonMcQ24]

This game was a big surprise. Canada was expected to hammer them. Great effort by team USA and great goaltending kept it very close. It would be two more decades before the USA had the raw talent to beat Canada. And that they did in 1996 at the World Cup in Canada. That one still stings. Thanks for posting!

[@quentin3330]

96 Team Canada was really a mix of the old guard and new..and was really much slower than Team U.S.A. I remember they couldn't find someone to coach Team Canada so Glenn Sather ended up coaching them.lol.

[@wmarkdyer]

The American players of the mid-90's were the direct fruit of the Miracle on Ice.

[@analogkid4957]

As an American the 1996 win was the greatest sports victory ever. They beat a great Canadian in Canada. I remember you couldn’t hear a pin drop in Montreal the night the USA win. It irritates how little coverage in the USA that win got inasmuch as hockey is not that popular in the USA

[@KMK7355]

Actually it was the lead story on ESPN Sports Center the night they beat Canada in '96.

[@ericw3229]

At that time the US team didn't even have a full roster of major league ( NHL & WHA ) this was 4 years before the 1980 Miracle on Ice Olympics

[@MegaSmarterthanyou]

Bobby Hull had so much offense , never see his likes again !

[@DPaine-rg6iz]

ya know ....... Messier gets all kinds of accolades for his career . i'd take Gilbert Perreault over him ANYDAY , and he gets no recognition !

[@111oooo]

He always seemed to be at his best playing other countries, exciting player

[@keithsymington6068]

well he is in the Hall

[@MegaSmarterthanyou]

Me too , gilbert perreault , i dont even think about messier when i talk a about perreault , he could create way more offense than messier on any night !!

[@MegaSmarterthanyou]

messier only great move was when came down the right wing and lifted one leg to let a strong snapper go , gilbert used to go to other teams rinks , start behind his own net and deke out all 5 guys !

[@bobbyhulll8737]

he was over shadowed by Guy and Marcel

[@davidrobins4025]

Great hockey. Thanks for bringing this to us.

[@ericw3229]

Watched that game from up north in Michigan on a fishing trip. We could get a CTV station from the Soo at my friend's cabin. Later it was reported after the second period several Canadian players were livid they had not been able put the Americans away. There was a lot of yelling in the locker room.

[@ralphwinfield2872]

Even though Team U.S.A. did not have their best. players, they played very well. Team Canada were a bit surprised, eh?

[@quincee3376]

Thx!!!!!

[@KMK7355]

Hull with a brutal turnover being pressured by Ftorek and Jensen with a nice shot on Vachon for the goal. Ftorek, Jensen and Talafous were the three best forwards on the US.

[@ronmailloux8655]

yes he made an error but the top scorer for team Canada on this first Canada cup.

[@perfectsight447]

Also Mark Howe, Reed Larson and Bob Miller would have been a serious upgrade in talent and swiftness over a lot of the players that were chosen.

[@KMK7355]

Thanks 4 responding. The US should have gone with a really young group like they did in the '84 Canada Cup. Adding Larson on D would have helped their PP and Howe upfront would also have helped their offense. They eere severley challenged on O. All of Larson, Howe, Fidler, Sheehan and Rowe would have added speed and scoring. Not that they would have been a threat, but certainly better.

[@canadiantraveller281]

Larson wasn't in the NHL until that fall and Miller was a year away still.

[@perfectsight447]

@@canadiantraveller281 Being in the NHL wasn't a prerequisite for playing in the Canada Cup. Lots of the Euro players were technically (though not actually amateurs) such as the whole Soviet team. In fact talented impact players such as Dave Debol (along with Sheehan possibly the most talented USA forward of the 70's) Mike Fidler, Larson, Bill Gilligan, and Bob Miller were tearing up the American college ranks at this time and would have infused the team with much needed speed, scoring and puck-handling skill. And for sure they should have taken Mark Howe, unless he was injured at the time, I haven't checked into that. With Howe, Larson and Gary Sargent (who was on the team but only played two games) they would have had speed, mobility and offensive upside from the blueline that could have powered their forward breakout attack better. It seems to me that Team USA chose it's team to mimic the "NHL style" game at the time. Big, plodding, tough players who parked in the slot and mucked it up in the corners who had pro experience. All well and good but they weren't playing the Philly Flyers or Boston Bruins in this series, they were playing fast, speedy cunning slick Euros and Russians. Even Team Canada wasn't chosen this way as they picked mostly fast, skilled and high-scoring players for the team. Even their tough players like Potvin, Gare, Lapointe, Sittler and Robinson were chosen for their talent, not their brawn. Even on NHL sized rinks and with the NHL rules in place I feel they would have been better to maybe not build the team around facing just the Canadians but focus instead on trying to win a couple more games against the other teams. They were never gonna beat Canada anyway, simply way too much talent on that squad! Just some thoughts.

[@perfectsight447]

Add in Tommy Rowe who had both scoring ability and toughness to the mix and Mike Antonovich for speed and scoring.

[@KMK7355]

As Knight pointed out you didn't need to be in the NHL. Steve Jensen was one year older than Miller, Rowe, Fidler and Larson. Jensen wasn't much better at all than Rowe, Fidler and Miller. Would have been upgrades on Ahern and O'Flaherty. Bob Johnson in 1984 selected Dave Jensen and Ed Olczyk to the 1984 Canada Cup when the US had absolutely more depth. Both were teenagers. The following season Larson would put up big numbers for Deroit as an NHL rookie with NCAA eligibility left.

[@quentinraffensperger1699]

Glenn "Chico" Resch was on Team Canada in 76 but played for U.S.A. in 81 Canada Cup. Don Cherry says this 76 Team Canada was the greatest hockey team ever, personally I think the 84 Team Canada was the greatest.

[@brandonrowsell8943]

87 was canadas best imo but everyone has their opinion. Canada had so many good teams.

[@quentinraffensperger1699]

I always thought that too consiering Gretzky & Lemieux on the same line is off the charts....good call but top to bottom and goaltending, sorry I was never a big Grant Fuhr fan, thought he was good but overrated... your opinion of Fuhr????

[@brandonrowsell8943]

Quentin Raffensperger Im not the biggest fan of fuhr but he was a solid goalie. I personally would have gone with Roy that year.

[@quentinraffensperger1699]

good memory, totally forgot Roy started in 86? 87? so quick question - was mike liut a total suive in 81? and why was 81 Canada Cup only 1 game not best 2 of 3? I'll hang up and listen, lol.

[@fentonhardy8176]

I agree with Cherry, this is the greatest Team Canada. They had the Greatest Player of All time (Bobby Orr).

[@joadhenry]

awesome...you should post any and all old canadian commercials that might be on these tapes..there's a following for that

[@brandonrowsell8943]

this video is from the 1976 Canada cup dvd set so all the commersials are edited out. I do have some commersials from the 1984 Tourney if u want me to upload em?

[@joadhenry]

yeah if you wouldn't mind...there's a few on here that collect them

[@joadhenry]

thanks!

[@brandonrowsell8943]

im in the process of uploading a few rare commersials from the CC 84. watch for those sometime tonite.

[@joadhenry]

wicked thanks!

[@KMK7355]

G- Lopresti, Reece D- Sargent, Milbury, Nyrop, Larson, Chartraw, Hangsleben

[@KMK7355]

C - Ftorek, Sheehan, Polich, Mark Johnson LW - Howe, Bennett, Fidler, Bob Miller RW - Talafous, Ahern, Rowe, Polich

[@markstephens8301]

Good ideas, but you're getting eras mixed up a bit. Johnson wasn't even in college yet. Fidler, Miller, Rowe weren't in the pros yet. Sheehan was cut in camp...strange. Howe was injured. But good ideas.

[@KMK7355]

Mark Johnson was on campus as a Freshmen at UWisconsin and would get several games with the 1976 US Olympic Team during their pre Olympic Schedule. Fidler and Rowe would play in the NHL in the 1976-77 season. Miller would make the 1977-78 Stanley Cup Finalist Boston Bruins one year later.

[@KMK7355]

Former scored 17 G in just 46 games for Cleveland in 76-77. He could have made that 1976 US Team for sure.

[@KMK7355]

Fidler not Former.

[@justmekph145]

Back then the American players only came from Massachusetts, Minnesota , and Michigan 😏

[@MrMylesKM]

Good thing they put that “Canada” graphic up during the National Anthem ...

[@quentinraffensperger1699]

in 84 Team U.S.A. beat Team Sweden 7-1 in the round robin but lost 9-2 in the semi finals to Sweden. Does anyone know if Peter Lindmark was Sweden's goalie for both teams?

[@markstephens7672]

Yes, he was in net for both.

[@September2004]

3:50 LOL... everyone in the starting lineup plays for the Canadiens! Even the goalie is a former Canadien. Well... they were an amazing team *and* they were playing in Montreal, so it's expected.

[@patrickols]

The starting line up was Montreal Canadiens vs Team USA 😂

[@tdshaker]

Unfair advantage in 1976 for Team Canada, most US hockey kids were in College, not Quebec Majors, OHA Junior Pro, back then. Pro hockey was the main goal for kids growing up in Canada. Now, kids are drafted right out of USA Colleges. Todays game is totally different, and better.

[@KMK7355]

Correct, players in college still were the following D - Larson, Langway, Morrow Norwich, Brownschidle F - Johnson, Mullen, Gorence, B. Miller, Holmgren, Debol

[@leemeakins2713]

Sittler scored 2 open net goals in this tournament.

[@markstephens7672]

Well, technically Dzurilla was in net in the final game! Sittler just deked him!

[@steelcom5976]

When Chartraw is on your all-star team your depth in pretty thin.

[@wmarkdyer]

There were a few decent players on the US side. I love how Lee Fogolin's Wikipedia page says that despite being a Canadian and US citizen he chose to play for the Americans. LOL.

[@clubhouseme]

are you saying lee fogolin chose the us over canada? the great fogolin would have beat out whom on Canada?

[@markstephens7672]

I guess he considered it good experience, since Canada was never going to invite him. Fogolin declined the USA's invite for the 84 Cup though. He always considered Thunder Bay, Ontario, home from what I've heard.

[@analogkid4957]

I think Bryan Trottier and Brett Hull are 2 other prominent NHL players who chose to play for Team USA

[@willyboyw.5771]

You could say the same for "Sweet Lou from the Sioux" Nanne--he never would have been invited to play for Canada. Watch @59:00-03 and see Nanne not practising what he preaches by "admiring his pass" and then getting pasted by Mahovolich.

[@keithsymington6068]

LOL. Glad they cleared that up.

[@KMK7355]

Why wasn't Bobby Sheehan on this US team? In hindsight here should have been Team USA

[@markstephens7672]

He was in training camp. Not sure if he just had a bad camp or if he got injured. Several decent players were injured in camp.... Larry Pleau, Tim Sheehy, Jim Niekamp among them.

[@perfectsight447]

One of the worst moves in USA coaching history I.M.O.! He would have been the fastest Yank easily and could keep pace with the Perreaults, Lafleurs, Dionnes, Maltsevs, and Hedbergs. He was quicker off the blocks than them all. He had a cannon shot, was an excellent puckhandler and passer and a massive fan fave and team sparkplug. He was also known to not always show up in some games and was a party animal so who knows what transpired but he had serious talent and should have made the cut for sure.

[@quentinraffensperger1699]

does anyone know why Rick Middleton wasn't on the 76 Team Canada?

[@KMK7355]

Middleton didn't breakout until the 1977-78 season. No way he was making this team.

[@quentinraffensperger1699]

ok thx.

[@fentonhardy8176]

I still don't know how Jean Ratelle and Brad Park were not in 1976 Team Canada they were miles better at least in my opinion, than Potvin and Perreault, who were included in the roster, not saying I do not respect those two, or at least hey could have cut Vadnais who wasn't exactly the Caliber of Brad Park, and Perreault a great player no doubt but I feel that Jean Ratelle was a superior center.

[@KMK7355]

Hardy, I am a lifelong B's fan from Greater Boston. No way Park/Ratelle were "lightyears better". Park had a slightly better 75-76 season IMO then Potvin and Ratelle though terrific wasn't as good as GP.

[@fentonhardy8176]

KMK7355 Let me put it this way, I think Ratelle was a better Two-way center, than Perreault, Perreault was a great stick handler but he was not exactly that great a Two-way player, I'm not saying that Ratelle was lightyears better, I just feel he was slightly better, I'm not hating on Gilbert Perreault, I being a hockey fan since I could walk in late 1940's, I have been a Bruins fan since the 1970's, and I think that Ratelle is quite underrated compared to some of the other stars of the 70's the only reason he doesn't have as many points as Perreault is because Rangers Management kept him in the minors for most of his professional career, while Perrault made the jump from Junior to the top immediately, so he had more points. But still Vadnais and Potvin over Park? I mean yes Vadnais was a good Defencemen but he wasn't exactly ahead of Park, still I love watching these games and any Lunchpail A.C games. I know Park and Ratelle were not in their prime in Boston but they sure played better than Esposito when he moved to New York, Now I will not criticize no one but, I am just stating my opinion on who I think should have been in this line up but was missed. Take care man hopefully our Bruins can win us another cup someday.

[@fredericopinto2943]

Bobby Orr on one leg better than everyone on two.

[@perfectsight447]

I would have loved to have seen Bobby Sheehan make this USA team out of training camp. He was one of the few players at that time who could match guys like Lafleur and Kharlamov for speed and excitement. USA was just too plodding and slow-footed to compete well.

[@markstephens7672]

Yeah, I don't know why he didn't make the team. He was speedy and exciting. Was small, but then so were lots of the US forwards like Polich and Palazzari.

[@perfectsight447]

And Mike Antonovich of Minnesota@@markstephens7672

[@perfectsight447]

@@markstephens7672 Another player who would have helped USA was Gary Gambucci who represented the country earlier in 76 at the Worlds. He had blazing speed, and was an amazing puckhandler with creativity who could score. Go figure.

[@chevydryden4508]

Guyyyy

[@DailyWordsofWisdom888]

US Eh US Eh

[@user-ez6bw4xf1g]

Yuri Karandin Soviet Union

[@christopherfancy8155]

Guy Lafleur vs Fred Ahern. Hmm.

[@KMK7355]

Yeah, talk about differences in ability but Ahern scored on a nice shot in this game...lol.

[@KMK7355]

The US had some real young players they would have been better off using then stiffs like OFlaherty. Reed Larson, Mark Howe, Tom Rowe and Mike Fidler should have been on this team.

[@markstephens7672]

Interesting thought... forget the mediocre pros and load it with young players. Might have been a good idea, or at least it would have given the young players valuable experience. Mark Howe was already a WHA star... he declined invitation due to injury. His brother Marty just outright declined.

[@canadiantraveller281]

Larson, Rowe and Fidler hadn't even played an NHL game yet. This was in the summer of 76.

[@KMK7355]

Larson, Fidler and Rowe were only one year younger then Steve Jensen and were about as good. Bob Johnson selected Olczyk and Jensen to the 1984 CC team and both were teenagers and US depth was way better in 1984 then 1976. Guarantee you Reed Larson was better in Sept 1976 than Lee Fogolin.

[@canadiantraveller281]

Fair enough. You can point to Lindros in 91 , playing in a Canada Cup with no NHL experience, though, he was a projected huge talent. Maybe jr players would have been better upon reflection in 76, but really, 44 years ago, the US team sucked anyway.

[@KMK7355]

There were some solid NHL players on Team USA in Sargent, Nyrop and Milbury on D. Up front Ftorek, Talafous and Jensen had decent NHL careers. They were good enough to tie Czechoslovakia 4-4, so in the 2 games against the 1976 CC Finalists they were competitive being outscored by 2 goals so your description is too harsh. Ftorek and Talafous were both on Team USA in 1981 and that was a good team. Like I said put Howe, Fidler and Rowe upfront and Larson on D and they would have more depth. Incidentally Ftorek and Howe beat the Czech's in Sapporo in the '72 Olympics.

[@perfectsight447]

USA was the only team in this tournament that Canada didn't try to "rough up" and goon it up with. Take a look at the rosters and you'll see why. USA was much tougher, much less talented of course but still more bad-assed than Canada.

[@MultiRivet]

Future Knight lol

[@analogkid4957]

MultiRivet USA seemed much less talented than the superstar laden Canadians but they were scrappy and gritty and had a blue collar feel to them. Dean Talafous kept up physically with the great Denis Potvin on the boards in the second period. But Canada was the far superior team in pure talent

[@keithsymington6068]

I didnt really see much goonery from Canada in the other games. Some good hard checks in this game from both sides.

[@wmarkdyer]

Larry Robinson pushing everybody around.

[@AlbanianMan]

Team USA sucks but holy fuck were those ever some beautiful jerseys!

[@KMK7355]

They clearly weren't a threat to win the CC but in the two games against the CC Finalists they were outscored by a 2 goal differential. They tied the Czechs and lost by 2 here to what Canadians call the greatest team of all time. Honestly they should have added 3-4 younger guys like Reed Larson, Mark Howe, Bobby Sheehan, Mike Fidler Bob Miller, Paul Holmgren nd Tom Rowe for more speed, skill and corner work to replace Fogolin, O'Flaherty, Patrick, Ahern, and Polich G Lopresti D - Larson Milbury Sargent Nyrop Chartraw Brownchidle C Ftorek - Howe - Bennett - Sheehan LW Jensen - Fidler - Bolduc - B. Miller RW Talafous - Rowe - Holmgren - W. Miller Spares Niekamp, Ahern, Gorence Lot more speed and skill.

[@kevinconlin5909]

Funny that in just 20 years the USA would win the canada cup

[@silvrbck1]

World Cup, but yeah same thing. Nobody in the States were interested when it was called the Canada Cup, but lots of fans came out in '96.

[@marcdemell2987]

Cops in the penalty box.