By GRANT KERR
Wednesday, September 18, 2002 – Print Edition, Page S1
The defining moment in the Summit
Series 30 years ago, other than Paul Henderson's goal of the century in the final game, came after the pitiful fourth game of the Canada-Soviet Union series.
The Canadian team was literally booed off the ice in Vancouver by many in the crowd of 15,570, soundly beaten 5-3, with the Soviets commanding a 2-1-1 lead and the series shifting to faraway Moscow.
Fickle fans at the Pacific Coliseum showed their displeasure even before the game began by shouting taunts during warm-up, the result of Canada blowing a two-goal lead in Game 3 at Winnipeg.
The fervent expectations of a nation of anxious hockey fans had somehow turned into jeers that the Soviets realized weren't aimed at them.
"The Vancouver fans were as disappointed as we were," Canadian defenceman Pat Stapleton recalled. "Maybe they've got a bad rap over it because, hey, we didn't like losing, either."
The Canadian coaching staff made eight changes, designed to get fresh legs into the lineup for the all-important last stop in Canada. It didn't matter because on this night the damage was inflicted internally.
Denny Boyd, a seasoned sports journalist, remembers the eerie feeling as the Canadian players from the National Hockey League self-destructed through undisciplined penalties in the first period.
"The game started out full of expectation and it just slowly fell apart, brick by brick," Boyd said. "You could feel the change. It was damn near ugly by the time the game was over, the way people were reacting."
Phil Esposito, one of the Canadian players able to control his emotions during Game 4, was summoned to appear on national television on CTV after the game. Esposito had assisted on two goals, but knew the team was out of sync and in need of a rallying point.
Fans near the south end of the rink, where the Zamboni entered to resurface the ice, shouted insults at Esposito as he skated toward TV interviewer Johnny Esaw. They asked him something like, how he liked communism now.
Esposito tried to gather his thoughts before answering Esaw. Later, he would describe the series as a war and, "I would have killed to win." He took this particular moment to rally teammates in their moment of distress.
"To the people across Canada, we tried," Esposito started. "We gave it our best.
"To the people that booed us, geez, all of us guys are really disheartened. We're disillusioned and disappointed. We cannot believe the bad press we've got, the booing we've got in our own building.
"I'm completely disappointed. I cannot believe it. Every one of us guys -- 35 guys -- we came out because we love our country. Not for any other reason. We came because we love Canada."
The ridicule continued when Esposito slowly skated off the Coliseum ice that had been littered with programs and other objects thrown in disdain. Soviet player Boris Mikhailov smiled smugly when Esposito went by.
The Canadian leader, an assistant captain, was mad, mad enough to ram his stick down the throats of dissenting fans, he said.
Esposito managed to not swear during the television interview, but he couldn't hold back any longer when facing reporters outside the Canadian dressing room. He knew then the fate of the Canadian team would be determined by how it handled this adversity before reaching Moscow.
"What I remember about Esposito after the game was the sweat pouring off this guy," Boyd said. "I thought the guy was close to tears when we talked to him.
"You would think the automatic response of a competitor like him would be to get really angry at everybody in sight and lash out. But I think he was stunned with the inability to understand the reaction. He was close to cracking."
Inside the dressing room, many players were not immediately aware of Esposito's impassioned comments. Bill Goldsworthy, who scored but was in the penalty box for two early Soviet goals, would later say he was ashamed to be a Canadian after all the booing.
Some players thought about going home to be with their families, rather than be subjected to further venomous outbursts.
Stapleton thought it best to focus on the four games in the Soviet Union. He didn't dress for the opener in Montreal, a stinging 7-3 loss, but played the rest of the series alongside steady Bill White, his long-time Chicago Blackhawks teammate.
"It was years later that I actually heard Espo's speech," Stapleton said. "I wish I had heard it earlier. It was really inspiring.
"There was a little bit of dejection in the dressing room that night, a little frustration. When you feel you're doing your best and things don't turn out for you, that's part of being an athlete."
Stapleton still enjoys reunions with teammates from the Summit Series, especially his defensive partner White. They talk of accomplishments and the lasting memories from a series that eventually led to change, with North American hockey coaches learning to accept the more offensive concepts of European hockey.
"The way the series turned out, you couldn't write a book like that," Stapleton said. "When you read about it, you realize you were there and almost didn't realize what was going on at the time.
"When you play for your country, that's a prize opportunity. The way it turned out, you're fortunate to be in that position because there's lots of guys that could have been chosen to play."
Stapleton has remained involved in the game and today helps operate a Junior B team in Strathroy, Ont.
"I have what they call a roofer's card there," Stapleton said. "It covers everything."
So did Esposito's impromptu discourse in Vancouver. He reached out to Canadian hockey fans while touching the hearts of teammates.
"There's always anxiety and fear that you're not going to measure up," Stapleton added. "We played a team with tremendous athletes that played a tremendous team game.
"But the essence of any team is that it can come together under the most adverse conditions. We had to learn to play under an element we weren't used to being in. We had to grasp something different."
Esposito, for one, did. He led all players with 13 points in eight games, including three in the final game. He also led in inspiration, seizing the moment after Game 4 to mark his moment in Canadian hockey history.
The speech
Phil Esposito's nationally televised speech after Canada's 5-3 loss to the Soviet Union on Sept. 8, 1972.
"To the people of Canada, we tried.
"We gave it our best. To the people who booed us, geez, all of us guys are really disheartened. We're disillusioned and disappointed. We cannot believe the bad press we've got, the booing we've got in our own building. I'm completely disappointed. I cannot believe it. Every one of us guys -- 35 guys -- we came out because we love our country. Not for any other reason.
"We came because we love Canada."
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