1987 Canada Cup

1987 Canada Cup
Tournament details
Host country  Canada
Dates August 28 – September 15, 1987
Teams 6
Venue(s) 7 (in 7 host cities)
Final positions
Champions   Canada (3rd title)
Tournament statistics
Matches played 20
Goals scored 138 (6.9 per match)
Scoring leader(s) Canada Wayne Gretzky (21 pts)
MVP Canada Wayne Gretzky

The 1987 Labatt Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament held from August 28 to September 15, 1987. The finals took place in Montreal on September 11 and Hamilton, on September 13 and September 15, and were won by Team Canada.

The final three-game series of this tournament between Canada and the Soviet Union is considered by many to be the best exhibition of hockey in history. At the time, Soviet players were not allowed to pursue playing careers in North America, and so it was only through tournaments like this one where hockey fans could see them exhibit their skills head-to-head against the best of the National Hockey League (NHL). The United States and Soviet Union teams complained about the neutrality of the officiating in the tournament.[1] Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov said he felt the main reason his team lost was because of "bias and errors in refereeing.".[2]

The tournament also was the only time that the two most dominant NHL players of the last quarter century, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, played on the same forward unit, combining with each other on 29% of Team Canada's goals.

Rosters

Canada

Forwards and defense: Dale Hawerchuk, Mark Messier, Mike Gartner, Glenn Anderson, Kevin Dineen, Michel Goulet, Brent Sutter, Rick Tocchet, Brian Propp, Doug Gilmour, Claude Lemieux, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Doug Crossman, Craig Hartsburg, Normand Rochefort, James Patrick, Raymond Bourque, Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey
Goaltenders: Ron Hextall, Kelly Hrudey, Grant Fuhr
Coaches: Mike Keenan, John Muckler, Jean Perron, Tom Watt

Czechoslovakia

Forwards and defense: Petr Rosol, Igor Liba, Jan Jasko, Jiri Kucera, Jiri Dolezal, Vladimir Ruzicka, Ladislav Lubina, David Volek, Petr Vlk, Dusan Pasek, Jiri Sejba, Jiri Hrdina, Rostislav Vlach, Miloslav Horava, Drahomír Kadlec, Ludek Čajka, Bedřich Ščerban, Jaroslav Benák, Antonin Stavjana, Mojmir Bozik
Goaltenders: Petr Briza, Dominik Hašek, Jaromir Sindel
Coaches: Dr. Ján Starsi, Frantisek Pospisil

Finland

Forwards and defense: Timo Blomqvist, Jari Grönstrand, Matti Hagman, Raimo Helminen, Iiro Järvi, Timo Jutila, Jari Kurri, Markku Kyllonen, Mikko Mäkelä, Jouko Narvanmaa, Teppo Numminen, Janne Ojanen, Reijo Ruotsalainen, Christian Ruuttu, Jukka Seppo, Ville Siren, Petri Skriko, Raimo Summanen, Esa Tikkanen, Hannu Virta
Goaltenders: Jarmo Myllys, Kari Takko, Jukka Tammi
Coaches: Rauno Korpi, Juhani Tamminen

Sweden

Forwards and defense: Tommy Albelin, Mikael Andersson, Peter Andersson, Jonas Bergqvist, Anders Carlsson, Thom Eklund, Anders Eldebrink, Peter Eriksson, Bengt-Åke Gustafsson, Tomas Jonsson, Lars Karlsson, Mats Näslund, Kent Nilsson, Lars-Gunnar Pettersson, Magnus Roupé, Thomas Rundqvist, Tommy Samuelsson, Håkan Södergren, Peter Sundström, Mikael Thelvén
Goaltenders: Anders Bergman, Åke Lilljebjörn, Peter Lindmark
Coaches: Tommy Sandlin, Curt Lindström, Ingvar Carlsten

USA

Forwards and defense: Joe Mullen, Curt Fraser, Corey Millen, Aaron Broten, Kelly Miller, Mark Johnson, Bob Brooke, Wayne Presley, Pat LaFontaine, Bobby Carpenter, Ed Olczyk, Joel Otto, Chris Nilan, Dave Ellett, Mike Ramsey, Kevin Hatcher, Rod Langway, Phil Housley, Gary Suter, Chris Chelios
Goaltenders: Tom Barrasso, Bob Mason, John Vanbiesbrouck
Coaches: Bob Johnson, Ted Sator, Doug Woog

USSR

Forwards and defense: Vyacheslav Fetisov, Alexei Gusarov, Igor Stelnov, Vasily Pervukhin, Alexei Kasatonov, Anatoli Fedotov, Igor Kravchuk, Yuri Khmylev, Vladimir Krutov, Andrei Lomakin, Igor Larionov, Valeri Kamensky, Andrei Khomutov, Sergei Svetlov, Alexander Semak, Sergei Nemchinov, Sergei Makarov, Vyacheslav Bykov, Anatoly Semenov
Goaltenders: Vitali Samoilov, Sergei Mylnikov, Evgeny Belosheikin
Coaches: Viktor Tikhonov, Igor Dmitriev

Round robin standings

Team GP W T L GF GA DIF PTS
 Canada 53201913+68
 Soviet Union 53112213+97
 Sweden 53021714+36
 Czechoslovakia 52121215–35
 United States 52031314–14
 Finland 5005923–140

Game scores

Round-robin

Friday, 28 August 1987
18:00 MDT		 Canada  4–4
( 2–2, 1–1, 1–1 )		  Czechoslovakia Olympic Saddledome, Calgary
Attendance: 8,458
Friday, 28 August 1987
19:30 EDT		 Finland  1–4
( 0–0, 0–1, 1–3 )		  United States Civic Centre Coliseum, Hartford
Saturday, 29 August 1987
12:00 MDT		 Sweden  5–3
( 3–1, 1–2, 1–0 )		  Soviet Union Olympic Saddledome, Calgary
Attendance: 3,055
Sunday, 30 August 1987
20:00 EDT		 Finland  1–4
( 0–2, 1–2, 0–0 )		  Canada Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
Attendance: 9,624
Monday, 31 August 1987
12:00 CST		 Soviet Union  4–0
(2–0, 1–0, 1–0 )		  Czechoslovakia Agridome, Regina
Attendance: 5,477
Monday, 31 August 1987
19:30 EDT		 United States  5–2
( 1–0, 3–1, 1–1 )		  Sweden Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
Attendance: 4,474
Wednesday, 2 September 1987
12:00 ADT		 Soviet Union  7–4
( 3–3, 3–0, 1–1 )		  Finland Halifax, Halifax
Wednesday, 2 September 1987
12:00 CST		 Czechoslovakia  0–4
( 0–0, 2–4, 2–0 )		  Sweden Agridome, Regina
Wednesday, 2 September 1987
20:00 EDT		 United States  2–3
( 1–0, 0–2, 1–1 )		  Canada Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
Attendance: 17,026
Friday, 4 September 1987
14:00 ADT		 Czechoslovakia  5–2
( 2–0, 2–0, 1–2 )		  Finland Centre 200, Sydney
Attendance: 4,500
Friday, 4 September 1987
19:30 EDT		 Soviet Union  5–1
( 2–0, 1–1, 2–0 )		  United States Civic Centre Coliseum, Hartford
Attendance: 14,838
Friday, 4 September 1987
20:00 EDT		 Canada  5–3
( 2–2, 1–0, 2–1 )		  Sweden Forum, Montréal
Attendance: 12,360
Sunday, 6 September 1987
12:00 ADT		 Sweden  3–1
( 1–0, 1–0, 1–1 )		  Finland Centre 200, Sydney
Sunday, 6 September 1987
16:00 ADT		 United States  1–3
( 0–1, 1–1, 0–1 )		  Czechoslovakia Centre 200, Sydney
Sunday, 6 September 1987
20:00 EDT		 Canada  3–3
( 1–0, 1–3, 1–0 )		  Soviet Union Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
Attendance: 17,026

Semi-Finals

8 September 1987
20:00 EDT		  Soviet Union 4-2
 Sweden  Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
9 September 1987
20:00 EDT		  Canada 5-3
 Czechoslovakia  The Forum, Montreal
Attendance: 10,262

Finals Game 1

11 September 1987
20:00 EDT		  Soviet Union 6-5
 Canada  The Forum, Montreal
Attendance: 14,588

Finals Game 2

13 September 1987
20:00 EDT		  Canada 6-5
 Soviet Union  Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
Attendance: 17,026

Finals Game 3

15 September 1987
20:00 EDT		  Canada 6-5
 Soviet Union  Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
Attendance: 17,026

Three thrilling 6-5 games decided the '87 Canada Cup. In Game 1, Canada erased a 4-1 second period deficit to send the game to overtime, only to lose on Alexander Semak's goal at 5:33 of the extra frame.

In Game 2, which is considered by some to be the greatest hockey game ever played,[3] Canada led 3-1 after one period, but this time it was the Soviets who came from behind to tie it 3-3 in the second. Canada scored twice more, each time Mario Lemieux assisted by Wayne Gretzky, but the Soviets replied each time. The tying goal was a brilliant end-to-end rush by Valeri Kamensky with 1:04 remaining in regulation time. After a scoreless period of overtime, which featured some brilliant goaltending from Grant Fuhr, Gretzky and Lemieux hooked up for the third time of the evening at 10:07 of the second overtime. It was the fifth assist for Gretzky on the night and completed a hat trick for Lemieux.

Despite the thrilling victory, Team Canada got off to a slow start in the decisive third game. The Soviets stunned all of Canada by scoring three times in the first eight minutes to take a 3-0 lead. Canada's grinders took over after that (particularly Rick Tocchet, Brent Sutter and Dale Hawerchuk), and pulled Canada into a 5-4 lead after two periods. The Soviets tied it back up in the third and the game looked like it would head to overtime again. But late in the third period, Canada coach Mike Keenan, who had been juggling lines all series, sent the trio of Gretzky, Lemieux and Hawerchuk out to play with a faceoff in Canada's end. After the faceoff, Gretzky, Lemieux and Larry Murphy rushed up the ice. Young Soviet defenseman Igor Kravchuk was the only man back and he fell down to block a pass across but Gretzky fed the puck back to Lemieux, who fired a shot over the glove of goaltender Sergei Mylnikov with 1:26 remaining. The Gretzky to Lemieux play is one of the most memorable plays in Canadian hockey history.

Stat leaders

Points

Rk Player GP G A Pts PIM
1 Canada Wayne Gretzky 9318212
2 Canada Mario Lemieux 9117188
3 Soviet Union Sergei Makarov 978158
4 Soviet Union Vladimir Krutov 977144
5 Soviet Union Vyacheslav Bykov 92794
6 Canada Ray Bourque 926810
7 Soviet Union Valeri Kamensky 96176
8 Soviet Union Andrei Khomutov 94370
9 Soviet Union Viacheslav Fetisov 92579
10 Soviet Union Anatoli Semenov 92572

Goals

Rk Player GP G
1 Canada Mario Lemieux 911
2 Soviet Union Sergei Makarov 97
2 Soviet Union Vladimir Krutov 97
4 Soviet Union Valeri Kamensky 96
5 Czechoslovakia Dusan Pasek 64
6 Soviet Union Andrei Khomutov 94
7 Canada Dale Hawerchuk 94
8 Soviet Union Sergei Svetlov 63
9 Canada Rick Tocchet 73
10 Canada Wayne Gretzky 93

Assists

Rk Player GP A
1 Canada Wayne Gretzky 918
2 Soviet Union Sergei Makarov 98
3 Soviet Union Vladimir Krutov 97
3 Soviet Union Vyacheslav Bykov 97
3 Canada Mario Lemieux 97
6 Canada Larry Murphy 86
7 Canada Ray Bourque 96
7 Canada Mark Messier 96
9 Soviet Union Viacheslav Fetisov 95
10 Soviet Union Anatoli Semenov 95

PIM

Rk Player GP PIM
1 United States Chris Nilan 514
2 Czechoslovakia Drahomir Kadlec 312
3 United States Wayne Presley 512
3 Finland Mikko Mäkelä 512
5 Czechoslovakia Dusan Pasek 612

Goaltender wins

Rk Player GP Min GA GAA W L T SO
1 Canada Grant Fuhr 9575323.346120
2 Soviet Union Sergei Mylnikov 6365182.965101
3 Sweden Peter Lindmark 6360183.003301
4 United States John Vanbiesbrouck 424092.252200
5 Czechoslovakia Dominik Hašek 6360203.332310

Goaltender Save Percentage

Rk Player GP Shots GA Sv.%
1 United States John Vanbiesbrouck 41169.922
2 Czechoslovakia Dominik Hašek 618920.894
3 Soviet Union Sergei Mylnikov 617018.894
4 Canada Grant Fuhr 929832.893
5 Sweden Peter Lindmark 615218.882

Goaltender Goals Against Average

Rk Player GP Mins GA GAA
1 United States John Vanbiesbrouck 424092.25
2 Soviet Union Sergei Mylnikov 6365182.96
3 Sweden Peter Lindmark 6360183.00
4 Czechoslovakia Dominik Hašek 6360203.33
5 Canada Grant Fuhr 9575323.34

All numbers in bold represent that was tournament high

Trophies and awards

Tournament champion

Tournament MVP

All-star team

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Canada Cup of Hockey Fact and Stat Book" (2005), (p. 114), By H. G. Anderson.
  2. ↑ http://articles.philly.com/1987-09-24/sports/26211674_1_smu-president-kenneth-pye-viktor-tikhonov
  3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121005111350/http://www3.telus.net/worldcuphockey/1987page.html

External links