Any time you get an event or series where the best athletes are competing and the stakes are high, you are inevitably due for something special. That was the case for the 1972 Summit Series between Team Canada and the Soviet Union in hockey. Canada has long been the hockey power in the NHL with the vast majority of players coming from that country. The Soviet Union was the premier country in the Olympics, often sending their best and most seasoned players with the communist country able to classify their players as “amateurs” due to their assignments as officers in the military.

By 1970, tensions were high between the Soviets and the West, especially in the sports world. Canada, the birthplace of hockey, was never able to send NHL-caliber players to international competitions and thus, their teams were often fielded by university players. After Canada withdrew hosting and participating in the IIHF World Championships due to a recent ruling that prohibited the use of professional players that had previously been agreed upon by the IIHF, word started to surface in diplomatic channels that the Soviets were looking for a new challenge in ice hockey. By 1972 negotiations for a mega-series between the two best hockey producing countries were complete with Canada hosting four games and the Soviet Union hosting four games with the “Summit Series” taking place in September before the start of the NHL season.

The Soviet Union fielded their usual strong team with stalwarts like Vladislav Tretiak, Alexander Raguli, Alexander Yakushev, Valeri Kharlamov and Boris Mikhailov, while Team Canada had Hall of Famers Phil Esposito, Bobby Clarke, Ken Dryden, Tony Esposito, Rod Gilbert, along with stars like Paul Henderson, Wayne Cashman. The first four games were held in Canada with Game 1 in Montreal, Game 2 in Toronto, Game 3 in Winnipeg and Game 4 in Vancouver. The Soviets won two games (Games 1 & 4), while Team Canada won Game 2, with the teams battling to a 4-4 tie in Game 3.

The series then shifted to the Soviet Union, where the remaining four games were played at the Luzhniki Ice Palace in Moscow, where the rink was wider and instead of the customary glass above the boards, it was lined by fish net that provide unusual bounces. The Soviets took a commanding 3-1-1 series lead after Game 5, but the Canadians bounced back to win the next two games by scores of 3-2 and 4-3, setting up the deciding Game 8. In what was one of the most memorable deciding goals in hockey history, Canada’s Yvan Cournoyer picked up the puck on the boards after a failed clearing attempt, and attempted to pass it to Henderson, but it ended up past to Soviet defenders to Esposito in the corner, who then shot it at Tretiak. Henderson had fallen behind the net, got up got the loose puck and forced a shot onto Tretiak, who spilled the rebound and with the fallen goalie on the ice, Henderson slammed home the winning shot with 34 seconds left. With that Canada won the series 4-3-1!

Goldin Auctions is proud to offer the very white Canada jersey worn by Hall of Famer and Philadelphia Flyers’ legend Bobby Clarke. Clarke had an outstanding Summit Series, scoring two goals and adding four assists. This jersey displays outstanding game use with numerous abrasions and paint transfer marks, consistent with a grueling series between the two hockey heavyweights of the early 1970s. This white jersey was manufactured by Tricot Sport Maska and has a large red leaf on the front and red leaf edges on the sleeve ends. The collar is a white V-neck and the back has “CANADA” and Clarke’s number “28” sewn on in red tackle twill. Clarke has signed his name in faded black marker on the back-right shoulder. The Tricot Sport Maska tag is sewn on the inside back collar and remnants of a tag that has been removed.

Incredibly, this jersey has been video-matched by the hockey game used experts at MeiGray to that historic Game 8 played on September 28, 1972 at the Luzhniki Palace of Sports in Moscow. Video clearly shows the identical two black marks on the back, right shoulder during the pre-game introductions. MeiGray has also photo matched this jersey to Getty Images number 136382487. The un-dated (September-1972) photo clearly shows the exact red paint transfer on the right shoulder. This jersey acquired at a fundraiser raffle at the 1977 Flyers Wives Carnival which has been in our consignor’s possession ever since. It also comes with a letter from Joe Kadlec (then Flyers’ Press Relations Director). This jersey comes with a LOA from the MeiGray Group (153097) for the game use and a LOA from Beckett Authentication (A23649) for Clarke’s signature.

A great piece of hockey history from one of the signature events in the sports history and was captured best by the great Russian goalie Tretiak would reflect on the series by saying "Both teams won in 1972. It was a great series for all of hockey. The best that Russia had and the best of the NHL. The winner was the game of hockey."

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