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CTV News
3 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
‘Best team ever formed': Legends from 1976 Canada Cup team reunite
Team Canada's Darryl Sittler puts the puck past Czechoslovakian goalie Vladimir Dzurilla to score and win the Canada Cup in overtime in Montreal, on Sept. 15, 1976. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chuck Stoody TERREBONNE — Serge Savard says the best Canadian hockey team he ever played on wasn't the one that beat the Soviet Union in the legendary 1972 Summit Series. That honour belongs to the less-celebrated - but supremely talented - squad that won the inaugural Canada Cup in 1976. 'The best team ever formed,' the Montreal Canadiens legend said. The 1976 Canadian men's hockey team reunited on Tuesday at Le Mirage Golf Club for Savard's annual tournament, almost 50 years after Darryl Sittler scored the championship-clinching goal in a 5-4 overtime win against Czechoslovakia on Sept. 15, 1976, at the Montreal Forum. Almost anyone alive in Canada in 1972 can recall where they were when Paul Henderson scored the winning goal with 34 seconds left to lift Canada past the Soviets. The game played out against the backdrop of the Cold War -- and the goal became one of the most iconic moments in Canadian history. The winning team that represented Canada on the world stage four years later doesn't get the same glory, but the talent on the ice was at a higher level, according to Savard. 'That team was much better than '72, because '72 is special, it's in the history books, but in '72 we didn't have Bobby Hull, we didn't have Bobby Orr,' Savard said. 'And in '72 that was the first year of Guy Lafleur in the National Hockey League. We didn't have those three dominant players.' Orr - one of the best players of all-time -- missed the 1972 series due to knee injuries that would plague him throughout his career. The dynamic, game-changing defenceman made up for his absence in 1976, winning the tournament MVP in his first and only international tournament for Canada. 'He just was at the end of his line,' head coach Scotty Bowman, days away from turning 92, said of Orr, who played only 26 NHL games after the Canada Cup before cutting his career short. 'He came to the arena around 1:30, 2 o'clock. The games were around 8 o'clock, maybe 8:30, and he iced his knee continuously.' Sittler, meanwhile, said Orr hardly practised with the team. 'No morning skates, didn't need it. He was there when it counted,' he said. 'Best player of that tournament even though he was hobbling on a couple of knees.' Hull, who led the NHL in goalscoring seven times, joined the lineup in `76 after a WHA contract with the Winnipeg Jets made him ineligible for the `72 roster. Lafleur, meanwhile, was nearing his peak as a dominant force in the mid-to-late '70s. Altogether, 18 eventual Hall of Famers hit the ice against Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, Sweden, the United States and Finland in the first 'best-on-best' international hockey tournament. 'Myself being there was probably a little bit of a weak link,' said Larry Robinson, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman the following season. 'It's pretty darn hard to not agree that it might be the best team that Canada's ever had.' Orr, who declined to speak with reporters, walked arm in arm with Savard, steps ahead of Sittler and captain Bobby Clarke, while 12 other team members followed in Canadian jerseys a chip shot away from the fairway. Along the road leading into the golf club, banners of each legend hung on the flagposts, with the late Lafleur and Hull pictured in black and white. Lanny McDonald was already well on his way to becoming an NHL star in 1976, but even he was awestruck to be sharing the bench with his hockey heroes. 'You look around the room and you've got Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Larry Robinson, Guy Lafleur -- the list just went on and on,' said McDonald, then 23. 'Danny Gare and I are the two young guys, and we're both thinking, `What the heck are we doing here?' 'I was like a kid in a candy store.' Sittler still recalls his winning goal like it was yesterday. The Toronto Maple Leafs star broke down the wing and faked a shot to beat Czechoslovakia goalie Vladimir Dzurilla wide, a move that assistant coach Don Cherry reminded players to try against the aggressive netminder. '(Cherry) had walked through the dressing room and he reminded the guys that 'Hey, if Dzurilla comes out, if you have a breakaway on the side, make sure you look up,'' Sittler said. 'I looked up and he was out, and threw it in the empty net and that was it.' Beyond featuring what some believe to be the best roster of all time, the 1976 Canada Cup -- the first of five such events -- set the stage for NHL players to compete at the world championships and Olympics. Along with the '72 Summit Series, it also helped open Canadian hockey fans' eyes to the skill and talent of European players. 'It set the bar for those tournaments like we had this year with the 4 Nations,' Bowman said. By Daniel Rainbird.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Legends from 1976 Canada Cup team to reunite at Serge Savard invitational
Team Canada's Darryl Sittler puts the puck past Czechoslovakian goalie Vladimir Dzurilla to score and win the Canada Cup in overtime in Montreal, on Sept. 15, 1976. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chuck Stoody TERREBONNE — The 1976 Canadian men's hockey team is reuniting almost 50 years after winning the inaugural Canada Cup. Bobby Orr, Darryl Sittler, Bobby Clarke and head coach Scotty Bowman are among the 16 team members expected to gather this morning at Le Mirage Golf Club for the Invitation Serge Savard. Sittler scored the overtime winner that sealed Canada's 5-4 victory over Czechoslovakia in the second game of the best-of-three final on Sept. 15, 1976, at the Montreal Forum. Orr was named the tournament's MVP after tallying two goals and seven assists in seven games. The legendary defenceman, and two-time Stanley Cup champion, later called the Canada Cup title the highlight of his career because it was the only time he wore the red and white Maple Leaf in an international tournament. The 1976 Canada Cup was the first of five such events, and a precursor for best-on-best play at the world championships and Olympics. The Soviet Union, Sweden, the United States and Finland also competed in the inaugural tournament, with games held in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Philadelphia. Several former members of the Montreal Canadiens will also take part in today's invitational, organized to raise funds for student-athletes at the University of Sherbrooke. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Legends from 1976 Canada Cup team to reunite at Serge Savard invitational
TERREBONNE - The 1976 Canadian men's hockey team is reuniting almost 50 years after winning the inaugural Canada Cup. Bobby Orr, Darryl Sittler, Bobby Clarke and head coach Scotty Bowman are among the 16 team members expected to gather this morning at Le Mirage Golf Club for the Invitation Serge Savard.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Legends from 1976 Canada Cup team to reunite at Serge Savard invitational
TERREBONNE – The 1976 Canadian men's hockey team is reuniting almost 50 years after winning the inaugural Canada Cup. Bobby Orr, Darryl Sittler, Bobby Clarke and head coach Scotty Bowman are among the 16 team members expected to gather this morning at Le Mirage Golf Club for the Invitation Serge Savard. Sittler scored the overtime winner that sealed Canada's 5-4 victory over Czechoslovakia in the second game of the best-of-three final on Sept. 15, 1976, at the Montreal Forum. Orr was named the tournament's MVP after tallying two goals and seven assists in seven games. The legendary defenceman, and two-time Stanley Cup champion, later called the Canada Cup title the highlight of his career because it was the only time he wore the red and white Maple Leaf in an international tournament. The 1976 Canada Cup was the first of five such events, and a precursor for best-on-best play at the world championships and Olympics. The Soviet Union, Sweden, the United States and Finland also competed in the inaugural tournament, with games held in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Philadelphia. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Several former members of the Montreal Canadiens will also take part in today's invitational, organized to raise funds for student-athletes at the University of Sherbrooke. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
National Post
16-07-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie and NHL exec Wayne Thomas dead at 77
Article content Wayne Thomas, the Maple Leaf in net when Darryl Sittler had a record 10 points at the other end and who went on to a long coaching and executive career in the NHL, has died from cancer. Article content The San Jose Sharks, for whom the 77-year-old Thomas worked for nearly the past two decades, confirmed his passing in his hometown of Falmouth, Mass. Article content Article content Thomas joined the Leafs in 1975-76, idled from game action the entire previous season with Montreal by their outstanding goaltending duo of Ken Dryden and Bunny Larocque. Article content Article content Obtained for a first-round pick that became forward Peter Lee, Ottawa native Thomas played two seasons in Toronto with a record of 38-37-18, a 3.41 goals-against average and three shutouts. Article content Thomas played Feb. 7, 1976, watching Sittler pump in six goals and four assists at the Gardens versus Boston and its unfortunate keeper Dave Reece. Article content 'That was incredible, the (points) just kept coming,' Thomas told the Sun in 2023. 'My wife was in the crowd and said to a guy sitting next to her, 'quite a night, eh?' Article content ''Yeah,' he said. 'Except that's my son in the other net.'' Article content Thomas was also in when Sittler had a five-goal playoff game against the Philadelphia Flyers that spring. Article content 'I came into a great situation in Toronto,' Thomas said. 'Doug Favell and Gordie McRae were there, but I played a lot and began to feel part of a team again. That Toronto would use a high pick to get me was a confidence-builder. General manager Jim Gregory was really good to me. Article content Article content 'It was a team of many characters. I got close to the family of Ian Turnbull and George Ferguson, Darryl was a great leader and Borje Salming was tough as nails. He came out of that Flyers series looking like a pin cushion.' Article content Article content The arrival of Mike Palmateer eclipsed Thomas, who was claimed on waivers by the New York Rangers in 1977. Article content Thomas gradually moved to coaching, winning the IHL Turner Cup with New York's farm club in Salt Lake City. Article content
