1979 Challenge Cup (ice hockey)

1979 Challenge Cup
1979 Challenge Cup
Location(s)	New York City: Madison Square Garden
Dates	February 8–11, 1979
Hall of Famers	NHL All-Stars:; Bill Barber (1990); Mike Bossy (1991); Gerry Cheevers (1985); Bobby Clarke (1987); Marcel Dionne (1992); Ken Dryden (1983); Tony Esposito (1988); Bob Gainey (1992); Clark Gillies (2002); Guy Lafleur (1988); Guy Lapointe (1993); Lanny McDonald (1992); Gilbert Perreault (1989); Denis Potvin (1991); Larry Robinson (1995); Borje Salming (1996); Serge Savard (1986); Steve Shutt (1993); Darryl Sittler (1989); Bryan Trottier (1997); Soviet Union:; Valeri Kharlamov (2005); Sergei Makarov (2016); Vladislav Tretiak (1989); Coaches:; Scotty Bowman (1991)
Networks	Canada:; (English): CBC (Games 1 and 2); CTV (Game 3); (French): SRC; United States: NHL Network (Games 1 and 3); CBS (Game 2; 3rd Period Only)
Announcers	(CBC and CTV) Dan Kelly (1st half, games 1 and 3), Danny Gallivan (2nd half, games 1 and 3 and game 2), Bobby Orr and Dick Irvin Jr.; (NHL) Simulcast of the CBC/CTV Broadcast (Games 1 and 3); (CBS) Dan Kelly and Lou Nanne

The 1979 Challenge Cup was a series of international ice hockey games between the Soviet Union national ice hockey team and a team of All-Stars from the National Hockey League.^[1] The games were played on February 8, 10, and 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It replaced the NHL's all-star festivities for the 1978–79 NHL season. The Russians defeated the NHL All-Stars two games to one.

The team of All-Stars from the National Hockey League included 23 Canadians and three Swedish players. Bobby Orr, Canadian ice hockey player, commenting in the post-game interviews after game two, accidentally called the NHL All-Stars "Team Canada" (because of the number of Canadians on the roster). The Challenge Cup, unlike its predecessor, the Summit Series, included non-Canadian born players in the NHL rosters.

The NHL All-Stars team was coached by Scotty Bowman, and the Soviet Union national team was coached by Viktor Tikhonov.

NHL All-Stars roster

No.	Player	Pos.	Team
10	Guy Lafleur	RW	Montreal Canadiens
19	Larry Robinson	D	Montreal Canadiens
23	Bob Gainey	LW	Montreal Canadiens
22	Steve Shutt	LW	Montreal Canadiens
11	Gilbert Perreault	C	Buffalo Sabres
17	Marcel Dionne	C	Los Angeles Kings
27	Darryl Sittler	C	Toronto Maple Leafs
8	Lanny McDonald	RW	Toronto Maple Leafs
16	Bobby Clarke – C	C	Philadelphia Flyers
20	Bryan Trottier	C	New York Islanders
25	Mike Bossy	RW	New York Islanders
9	Clark Gillies	LW	New York Islanders
4	Barry Beck	D	Colorado Rockies
18	Serge Savard	D	Montreal Canadiens
3	Guy Lapointe	D	Montreal Canadiens
	Robert Picard	D	Washington Capitals
5	Denis Potvin	D	New York Islanders
7	Bill Barber	LW	Philadelphia Flyers
21	Don Marcotte	LW	Boston Bruins
35	Tony Esposito	G	Chicago Blackhawks
29	Ken Dryden	G	Montreal Canadiens
30	Gerry Cheevers	G	Boston Bruins
	Ron Greschner	D	New York Rangers
26	Börje Salming	D	Toronto Maple Leafs
12	Ulf Nilsson	C	New York Rangers
15	Anders Hedberg	RW	New York Rangers

Soviet Union roster

No.	Player	Pos.	Team
12	Sergei Starikov	D	Traktor Chelyabinsk
22	Viktor Zhluktov	F	CSKA Moscow
5	Vasili Pervukhin	D	Dynamo Moscow
9	Vladimir Kovin	C	Torpedo Gorky
24	Sergei Makarov	RW	CSKA Moscow
10	Mikhail Varnakov	LW	Torpedo Gorky
11	Aleksandr Skvortsov	RW	Torpedo Gorky
25	Vladimir Golikov	F	Dynamo Moscow
23	Aleksandr Golikov	F	Dynamo Moscow
13	Boris Mikhailov – C	F	CSKA Moscow
16	Vladimir Petrov	F	CSKA Moscow
17	Valeri Kharlamov	F	CSKA Moscow
7	Gennadiy Tsygankov	D	CSKA Moscow
6	Valeri Vasiliev	D	Dynamo Moscow
8	Sergei Kapustin	F	CSKA Moscow
2	Yuri Fedorov^[2]	D	Torpedo Gorky
14	Zinetula Bilyaletdinov	D	Dynamo Moscow
19	Helmuts Balderis	RW	CSKA Moscow
18	Irek Gimayev	F	Salavat Yulaev Ufa
21	Viktor Tyumenev	F	Krylya Sovetov Moscow
4	Sergei Babinov	D	CSKA Moscow
20	Vladislav Tretiak	G	CSKA Moscow
1	Vladimir Myshkin	G	Krylya Sovetov Moscow

Uniforms

The NHL vastly simplified their white All-Star uniforms, removing most of the striping and stars. The NHL shield on the front was enlarged, while the logos on the shoulders remained the same. The striping was reduced to two thin stripes, orange over black, separated by a thin white stripe. The names on the back remained in black with orange trim, and the numerals remained orange with black trim.

The Soviet team used their standard red national uniforms, which they also used when touring against the teams of the World Hockey Association (while billed as the "Soviet All-Stars"). The jerseys featured two white stripes at the waistline - one thin stripe over a wider stripe studded with red diamonds. The sleeve stripes followed a similar pattern, but without the diamonds on the wide stripes, and an additional white stripe below the wide band. While the Soviet team normally used the Russian language on its uniforms, the names on the back of the jerseys for the Challenge Cup were romanized for the event. The front of the jerseys retained the Russian СССР initials.

Game log

Game 1

Date: Thursday February 8, 1979
Time: 8:00pm
Location: New York City: Madison Square Garden
Attendance: 17,438

Score

NHL All-Stars 4 – Soviet Union 2

**Goals**
Period	Score	Team	Player	Assist	Power Play	Goal
1st	0:16	NHL	#10 Guy Lafleur	#16 Bobby Clarke, #22 Steve Shutt		1-0
1st	6:22	NHL	#25 Mike Bossy	#11 Gilbert Perreault, #10 Guy Lafleur	PP	2-0
1st	11:25	URS	#13 Boris Mikhailov	#6 Valeri Vasiliev, #17 Valeri Kharlamov	PP	2-1
1st	15:48	NHL	#23 Bob Gainey	#7 Bill Barber, #4 Barry Beck		3-1
2nd	8:14	NHL	#9 Clark Gillies	#25 Mike Bossy		4-1
3rd	3:02	URS	#25 Vladimir Golikov	#23 Aleksandr Golikov, #24 Sergei Makarov		4-2

**Penalties**
Period	Pen. Score	Team	Player	Pen. Min.	Penalty
1st	0:59	URS	#22 Viktor Zhluktov	2:00	Hooking
1st	5:13	URS	#16 Vladimir Petrov	2:00	Hooking
1st	8:31	NHL	#8 Lanny McDonald	2:00	High-sticking
1st	10:59	NHL	#9 Clark Gillies	2:00	Charging
1st	12:21	URS	#22 Viktor Zhluktov	2:00	Interference
2nd	10:48	URS	#7 Gennadiy Tsygankov	2:00	Holding

**Shots on Goal**
Team	1st Period	2nd Period	3rd Period	Total
NHL All-Stars	10	9	5	24
Soviet Union	6	5	9	20

**Goaltenders**
Min.	Goalies	Team	Saves	Goals Against
60:00	#29 Ken Dryden	NHL All-Stars	18	2 Goals
60:00	#20 Vladislav Trekiak	Soviet Union	20	4 Goals

Officials

Referee – Bob Myers
Linesman – Ray Scapinello
Linesman – John D'Amico

Game 2

Date: Saturday February 10, 1979
Time: 2:00pm
Location: New York City: Madison Square Garden
Attendance: 17,438

Score

NHL All-Stars 4 – Soviet Union 5

**Goals**
Period	Score	Team	Player	Assist	Power Play	Goal
1st	8:10	URS	#8 Sergei Kapustin	#12 Sergei Starikov		0-1
1st	13:35	NHL	#25 Mike Bossy	#20 Bryan Trottier, #9 Clark Gillies	PP	1-1
1st	18:21	NHL	#20 Bryan Trottier	#9 Clark Gillies, #25 Mike Bossy		2-1
2nd	0:27	NHL	#11 Gilbert Perreault	#27 Darryl Sittler		3-1
2nd	2:05	URS	#10 Mikhail Varnakov	#11 Aleksandr Skvortsov		3-2
2nd	5:06	NHL	#19 Larry Robinson	#10 Guy Lafleur, #17 Marcel Dionne		4-2
2nd	17:02	URS	#13 Boris Mikhailov	#16 Vladimir Petrov, #6 Valeri Vasiliev	PP	4-3
2nd	7:47	URS	#8 Sergei Kapustin	#22 Viktor Zhluktov		4-4
3rd	1:31	URS	#25 Vladimir Golikov	#24 Sergei Makarov		4-5

**Penalties**
Period	Pen. Score	Team	Player	Pen. Min.	Penalty
1st	12:32	URS	#9 Vladimir Kovin	2:00	Cross-checking
1st	15:13	NHL	#11 Gilbert Perreault	2:00	Holding
2nd	8:04	NHL	#26 Börje Salming	2:00	Interference
2nd	15:07	NHL	#4 Barry Beck	2:00	Boarding

**Shots on Goal**
Team	1st Period	2nd Period	3rd Period	Total
NHL All-Stars	5	5	6	16
Soviet Union	7	14	10	31

**Goaltenders**
Min.	Goalies	Team	Saves	Goals Against
60:00	#29 Ken Dryden	NHL All-Stars	26	5 Goals
60:00	#20 Vladislav Tretiak	Soviet Union	12	4 Goals

Officials

Referee – Viktor Dombrovski
Linesman – Matt Pavelich
Linesman – Ron Finn

Game 3

Date: Sunday February 11, 1979
Time: 8:00pm
Location: New York City: Madison Square Garden
Attendance: 17,545

Score

NHL All-Stars 0 – Soviet Union 6^[3]

**Goals**
Period	Score	Team	Player	Assist	Power Play	Goal
2nd	5:47	URS	#13 Boris Mikhailov	#23 Aleksandr Golikov		0-1
2nd	7:44	URS	#22 Viktor Zhluktov	#19 Helmuts Balderis, #6 Valeri Vasiliev	PP	0-2
3rd	8:44	URS	#19 Helmuts Balderis	#18 Irek Gimayev		0-3
3rd	10:21	URS	#9 Vladimir Kovin	#11 Aleksandr Skvortsov, #10 Mikhail Varnakov		0-4
3rd	12:44	URS	#24 Sergei Makarov	#8 Sergei Kapustin		0-5
3rd	14:46	URS	#23 Aleksandr Golikov			0-6

**Penalties**
Period	Pen. Score	Team	Player	Pen. Min.	Penalty
2nd	6:27	NHL	#21 Don Marcotte	2:00	Elbowing
2nd	10:48	URS	#6 Valeri Vasiliev	2:00	Holding
2nd	12:27	URS	#1 Vladimir Myshkin	2:00	Roughing	Served by #18 Irek Gimayev
2nd	12:27	NHL	#20 Bryan Trottier	2:00	Roughing
3rd	14:22	URS	#13 Boris Mikhailov	2:00	Holding

**Shots on Goal**
Team	1st Period	2nd Period	3rd Period	Total
NHL All-Stars	7	7	10	24
Soviet Union	6	6	7	19

**Goaltenders**
Min.	Goalies	Team	Saves	Goals Against
60:00	#30 Gerry Cheevers	NHL All-Stars	13	6 Goals
60:00	#1 Vladimir Myshkin	Soviet Union	24	0 Goals

Officials

Referee – Andy Van Hellemond
Linesman – Leon Stickle
Linesman – Claude Bechard

Broadcasters

In the United States, Game 2,^[4] which was held on a Saturday afternoon, was shown on CBS^[5] as part of CBS Sports Spectacular.^[6]^[7]^[8] The network refused to expand CBS Sports Spectacular to carry the game in full^[9] so instead, the show came on during the second intermission,^[10] showed taped highlights of the first two periods, and then showed the final period live. The lead-in to Sports Spectacular was The World's Strongest Man. The then-CBS affiliate in Boston, the old WNAC-TV, broadcast a local college hockey game that led into Sports Spectacular.

The network, the show and their sponsors had a problem with the rink board advertising^[11] that the NHL sold at Madison Square Garden, and refused to allow them to be shown on television. As a result, CBS viewers were unable to see the far boards above the yellow kickplate, and could only see players' skates when the play moved to that side of the ice. Games 1 and 3 were shown on the NHL Network,^[4]^[12] where the advertising was no problem.

Dan Kelly and Lou Nanne called the game for CBS while Dick Stockton served as the host.

References

^ 1979 Challenge Cup on greatesthockeylegends.com
^ Yuri Fedorov's surname on the back of his shirt was listed as "Federov" // 1979 Challenge Cup Game 2 Goals - NHL vs USSR
^ "SOVIETS EMBARRASS NHL ALL STARS 6-0 TO WIN CHALLENGE CUP". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Eskenazi, Gerald (February 8, 1979). "Soviet Six Now Taking N.H.L. Series Seriously (Published 1979)". Retrieved August 7, 2023.
^ "Sports BRIEFING". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. February 10, 1979. p. W_C3.
^ Fachet, Robert (February 8, 1979). "NHL Stars Challenged By Soviets". The Washington Post.
^ Anderson, Dave (February 11, 1979). "The Empty Cup". New York Times.
^ E.M. Swift (February 19, 1979). "Run Over By The Big Red Machine". Sports Illustrated.
^ "Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Page 26". Newspapers.com. January 14, 1979.
^ Quinn, Hal (February 26, 1979). "Exploding the myth of hockey supremacy". MACLEAN’S.
^ "Sports BRIEFING". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. February 15, 1979. p. E3.
^ Bob Verdi (February 8, 1979). "Soviet 'pupils,' suspicious NHL stars open 3-game war". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. p. C3.

External links

Challenge Cup 1979 on legendsofhockey.net Archived 2021-06-12 at the Wayback Machine
Challenge Cup 1979 rosters and stats

[1] 1979 Challenge Cup on greatesthockeylegends.com

[2] Yuri Fedorov's surname on the back of his shirt was listed as "Federov" // 1979 Challenge Cup Game 2 Goals - NHL vs USSR

[3] "SOVIETS EMBARRASS NHL ALL STARS 6-0 TO WIN CHALLENGE CUP". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 22, 2017.

[:0-4] Eskenazi, Gerald (February 8, 1979). "Soviet Six Now Taking N.H.L. Series Seriously (Published 1979)". Retrieved August 7, 2023.

[5] "Sports BRIEFING". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. February 10, 1979. p. W_C3.

[6] Fachet, Robert (February 8, 1979). "NHL Stars Challenged By Soviets". The Washington Post.

[7] Anderson, Dave (February 11, 1979). "The Empty Cup". New York Times.

[8] E.M. Swift (February 19, 1979). "Run Over By The Big Red Machine". Sports Illustrated.

[9] "Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Page 26". Newspapers.com. January 14, 1979.

[10] Quinn, Hal (February 26, 1979). "Exploding the myth of hockey supremacy". MACLEAN’S.

[11] "Sports BRIEFING". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. February 15, 1979. p. E3.

[12] Bob Verdi (February 8, 1979). "Soviet 'pupils,' suspicious NHL stars open 3-game war". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. p. C3.

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v t e 1978–79 NHL season
Patrick	Atlanta NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia
Adams	Boston Buffalo Minnesota Toronto
Norris	Detroit Los Angeles Montreal Pittsburgh Washington
Smythe	Chicago Colorado St. Louis Vancouver
See also	Amateur draft Dispersal draft Waiver draft The Game Challenge Cup Playoffs Stanley Cup Finals

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