This day gave us two of the biggest international games of the 1970s, with mixed results for Team Canada. Also, another talented class of NHL greats was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the new franchise hired its first general manager. So, let’s revisit all the best moments that September 2 has given us over the decades.
The Soviet Union began to attack
The famous Summit series between the Soviet Union and Canada began on Sept. 2, 1972. The eight-game series featured the NHL’s top Canadian-born stars against the best players from the Soviet Union. Going into the series, most people wouldn’t have given the Russian team much of a chance, but as they proved in Game 1, their forwards were as good as anyone in the world.
More than 18,000 fans packed into the Montreal Forum to see the first game of the series. Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins scored 30 seconds after the first play. Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Paul Henderson doubled the score about six minutes later past goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, but it was all downhill for the Canadians after that.
After the first surge, the Soviet team calmed down and started calling the game with their elite passing and skating. Evgeny Zimin got his team on the board about five minutes after Henderson’s goal. Vladimir Petrov tied the game with a shorthanded goal late in the first period. Valeri Kharlamov beat Montreal Canadiens goalkeeper Ken Dryden twice in the second half to give the USSR a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes.
Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke pulled Team Canada within a goal with less than 12 minutes to play, but that was as close as they would get. The Soviet Union ran away with Game 1, 7-3, after getting three straight goals from Boris Mikhailov, Zimin, and Alexander Yakushev.
The Canada Cup begins in Ottawa
Four years later, on September 2, 1976, Canada had a better result in another foreign tilt. The Canada Cup was a six-team tournament played in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Quebec City, and Philadelphia. It was approved by the International Hockey Federation (IIHF), Hockey Canada, and the NHL.
The main difference in this tournament from the Summit Series was that players did not have to be in the NHL to participate. This meant that Bobby Hull was included after being left out four years ago because he left to play in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Bobby Orr, who sat out the Summit Series with a knee injury, was on Canada’s roster.
In the opening game of the tournament played in front of 9,500 fans at the Ottawa Civic Centre, Team Canada beat Finland 11-2. Rick Martin of the Buffalo Sabers led the way with a hat trick, while Esposito and Hull added two goals apiece. They also got goals from Reggie Leach, Steve Shutt, Gilbert Perreault, and Darryl Sittler. Goaltender Rogie Vachon made 22 saves in the win.
Broda Tops Hall of Fame Class
On September 2, 1967, the Hockey Hall of Fame opened its doors to four more members. Goaltender Turk Broda, who won five Stanley Cups during his 14-season career with the Maple Leafs, headlines the induction class.
(THW Archives)
New York Rangers defenseman and 1940 Stanley Cup winner Neil Colville and forward Harry Oliver, who played for the Bruins and New York Americans, were other players inducted with Broda. Longtime umpire Red Storey graduated from the class of 1967.
Odds & Ends
Ruben Pastor filed for NHL expansion on September 2, 1965. At the time, Pastor and his two brothers owned the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League (AHL). Eventually, Pastor and Nyathi were awarded a franchise, and the Sabers joined the league in 1970.
The Vancouver Canucks signed free agent Rick Vaive on September 2, 1992. Vaive, the first 50-goal scorer in Maple Leafs franchise history, had spent the previous four seasons with the Sabres. He never played for the Canucks, spending most of the 1992-93 season in the AHL before retiring.
On September 2, 1999, the Minnesota Wild named Doug Risebrough as the first general manager in team history, a year before they made their major league debut. Riseborough held the job until April 2009.
The Wild won one division title and made their first of three Stanley Cup playoff appearances during his tenure. Some of his most notable draft picks include Marian Gaborik, Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns, and Cal Clutterbuck.
Kirk Muller announced his retirement on September 2, 2003. He played in 19 seasons after being drafted by the New Jersey Devils with the second overall pick of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. Muller played 1,349 games with the Devils, Canadiens, New York Islanders, Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars. He scored 357 goals and 959 points and was part of Montreal’s 1993 Stanley Cup championship.
The Maple Leafs traded defenseman Bryan McCabe, on September 2, 2008, to the Panthers for fellow blueliner Mike Van Ryn. McCabe played 199 games for the Panthers over the next three seasons, scoring 28 goals and 104 points. Van Ryn, a former first-round pick, played in just 27 games for the Maple Leafs.
Goaltender Anti Niemi signed with the San Jose Sharks on September 2, 2010. The move came just over two months after he helped the Chicago Blackhawks win their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.
Niemi spent the next five seasons with the Sharks. He appeared in 296 games, going 163-92-35 with a .917 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.40 goals against average (GAA) with 25 shutouts. He was traded to the Stars in June 2015 for a seventh-round pick.
happy Birthday to you
A total of 25 current and former NHL players were born on this day. The first was Red Goupille, born September 2, 1915, who played for the Canadiens between 1936 and 1943. The latest player was Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Brannstrom, who turns 25 today.
Glen Sather celebrates his 81st birthday today. He played 658 NHL games with the Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Canadiens, and Minnesota North Stars. However, he entered the Hockey Hall of Fame for his accomplishments after his playing days ended.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Sather won 592 games as a head coach with the Edmonton Oilers in both the WHA and NHL along with the Rangers. He was behind the bench for all of the Oilers’ Stanley Cup wins in the 1980s. He also spent years in the front offices of the Oilers and Rangers, serving in roles such as general manager and president.
Other notable birthdays celebrated today include Mario Tremblay (68), Doug Small (67), Bobby Gould (67), Gerard Gallant (61), Kevin Miller (59), Stephane Matteau (56), Jason Blake ( 51), Sami. Salo (50), Aleksander Barkov (29), and Eetu Lusotarinen (26).
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
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