Hockey is finally back, but we at Last Word on Hockey are still going to look back at each date’s historical significance to the game. We’ll remember the moments that shaped the sport of hockey that happened on this day. Here’s our look at this date in hockey history for September 6th, featuring the 1972 Summit Series.
Today in Hockey History
Soviets Rally to Tie Game 3 of Summit Series
1972: Canada and USSR play to a 4-4 tie in Game 3 of the Summit Series at Winnipeg Arena. Bobby Hull is in attendance with over 10,000 fans because he wasn’t allowed to play for Canada. Hull’s contract with the WHA prevented him from representing his country.
Canada scores first again thanks to J.P. Parise, but Russia overcomes a 4-2 deficit thanks to goals by Yuri Lebedev and Alexander Budonov. Tony Esposito makes a key save on Alexander Maltsev with 15 seconds left to salvage the tie.
Other Notable Events
1967: The expansion Los Angeles Kings practice for the first time in Guelph, Ontario. Los Angeles holds their first two camps in Guelph before moving to Victoria, British Columbia. The Kings would start holding camps in Southern California in 1974.
1988: The Calgary Flames acquire high-scoring forward Doug Gilmour from the St. Louis Blues. Michael Bullard, Craig Coxe and Tim Corkery come over to the the Blues. The Flames also get Mark Hunter, Steve Bozek and Michael Dark. Gilmour and Hunter play a vital role in Calgary winning their only Stanley Cup in 1989. The Flames would deal Gilmour to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1992.
1990: The San Jose Sharks officially reveal their name as a tribute to the many sharks that live in the Pacific Ocean. There are seven types of sharks that live in the waters of the Bay Area. The team would reveal the colours, logo and uniform designs at a later date.
1991: San Jose practices for the first time in team history, but the team makes news for other reasons. The Sharks send Kerry Toporowski and a draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks. San Jose gets defenceman Doug Wilson, who is soon named team captain. He retires with the team in 1993 and becomes general manager in 2003.
1999: Goaltender Ron Hextall retires after a 13-year career in the league. He played with the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques and New York Islanders. Hextall won 296 games and recorded a 2.98 goals-against-average and .895 save percentage.
Happy Birthday to You
1953: Wayne Bianchin
1956: Glen Sharpley
1959: Bill Root
1970: Igor Korolev
1991: Brian Dumoulin
