Canadian history · Drawing 31 of 37
The Summit Series
1972
In 1972, a team of Canadian hockey stars played eight games against the Soviet Union’s team. During the last game, children watched on TV at school and cheered Paul Henderson’s winning goal.
Look together
How many children are jumping for joy in front of the TV?
An idea to try
Play a friendly game together and, at the end, practise saying “good game” to the other side.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The Summit Series pitted a team of NHL players against the Soviet national team from September 2 to 28, 1972: four games in Canada, then four in Moscow. Canada lost the first game 7–3, then won the series with four wins, three losses and a tie. On September 28, Paul Henderson scored the winning goal with 34 seconds left. TVs were brought into schools and offices, and millions of people watched. The series was also seen as a Cold War contest, and the play was sometimes rough: a deliberate slash injured Soviet star Valeri Kharlamov.
Talk with your child about how it feels to win or to lose, and about respecting the other team.
Sources and context (2)
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — 1972 Canada-Soviet Hockey Series (Summit Series)Final game in Moscow on 28 September 1972; Henderson’s goal with 34 seconds left, 6–5 win; TVs brought into schools and offices; Cold War context; Game 1 on 2 September; deliberate slash by Bobby Clarke to Valeri Kharlamov’s ankle.
- Canadian Museum of History — The Team of the CenturyFirst four games in Canada, last four in Moscow; Soviet 7–3 win in the first game; series won 4–3 with one tie; children allowed to watch at school; about 13 million of 21 million Canadians watched the final game.
Source review: 2026-09-24. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.