Anyone ever met Paul Henderson?

[lmanchur.]

First of all, if you don't know who Paul Henderson you are either...
1) Not a true Canadian
2) Not a true hockey fan

Okay... so now my question -- has anyone ever met Paul Henderson?... I get to meet him Thursday -- he's coming for a community breakfast in a nearby town. I'm so excited to meet him!!!!

It's such a shame he isn't in the Hall of Fame.

I'm assuming a few people on these boards aren't either a true Canadian or true hockey fan, so I'll explain who Paul Henderson is... just not right now because I have to go!

[PeterDewar]

I AM A TRUE CANADIAN :) and damn proud.

Anyway, I never have met him but I did get his autograph on a plaque comemorating this "achievement" which we will keep quiet for now.

Here's a clue: He scored a goal, ya thats about it, just a goal.

[lmanchur.]

Okay... now I have some time, so here it goes...


In 1972, the USSR and Canada agreed to have an eight-game series to determine ultamite hockey supremecy.... four games in Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver), and four games in the USSR (all of them in Moscow).

Canada lost the first game in Montreal... won the second in Toronto... tied in Winnipeg... and lost in Vancouver. Everyone had them down and out, and it seemed that all hope for Canada was lost -- easily the best team on paper was not playing as well as everyone had thought on the ice.

Phil Esposito (FWD, CAN) was selected Player of the Game in Canada's 5-3 loss to the USSR in Vancouver. There, he gave "the speech," where he made the entire country come together after the fans, both in Vancouver, watching at home on TV, and listening to the radio. He said, "To people across Canada, we're trying our best . . . We're all disappointed, disenchanted. I can't believe people are booing us. If the Russians boo their players like some of our Canadian fans-not all, just some-then I'll come back and apologize."

In Game Five, the first in Moscow, Canada led 4-1, but lost in an incredible comeback, 5-4.

Canada was losing the series with 3 losses, 1 win, 1 tie.

At the start of the series, Canada was very over-confident. Now, with a 3-1-1 series lead, it was the USSR with the evil grin on their face... THEY were over-confident.

"The best thing for us could have been to lose that game (Game Five)," said Henderson in a TV interview of the 20th anniversary of the series.

Henderson would become the story of the remainder of the series. He went down in the boards in Game Six.. in between the 2nd and 3rd periods, the doctors said that he had a slight concussion, but it was up to him to play.

Henderson decided to risk it and play, and he scored the game winner in Game Six.

Game Seven: Canada won 4-3 with Henderson again scoring the game winning goal.

So it was down to this in the eighth and final game... Both teams had three wins, three losses, and one tie. One final game.

Throughout the entire series, the officiating had been extremely biased towards the USSR, with Canada getting too many penalties, as the Moscow referees were not used to NHL-type hockey (body checks, hits... NORMAL hockey). Canada went in the box player after player after player after player.

Nevertheless, the USSR was leading 5-3 in the 2nd period, but Canada came back to tie it 5-5 with less than three minutes left in the period.

There was no overtime... if Game Eight ended as a tie, the USSR would claim victory, despite both teams having a 3-3-2 record, because they had a better goal differential (Goals For versus Goals Against) than Canada.

...it was still tied going into the final minutes, and then, the infamous words of play-by-play Foster Hewitt... "Cournoyer has it on left wing... here's a shot!... Henderson made a wild stab for it and fell... Here's another shot, right in front... THEY SCORE!!! Henderson, has scored for Canada!"


...with 37 seconds left, Paul Henderson scored the game winning goal (again), and Canada went on to win the series.

There was no trophy. There was no pay check. Only victory.

"It wasn't a game... it WASN'T a game... it was us versus them... it was our society versus their society." -- Phil Esposito, 1992

Just to give you an idea of how big and important this was.... kids went to school on September 28, 1972, but there were no classes... TVs were brought into the classroom and it was, literally, EVERYONE across the country that was either listening or watching this game. Everyone knows where they were at that moment in time... my dad always tells me that he was walking into the Gym where the TV was set up... he watched the last period and that's where he heard Hewitt call the goal...


Peter's right... he still scored something like over 300 or 400 NHL goals, but Henderson is still not in the Hall of Fame, despite making hockey history. Just because of that one goal -- he should be in the Hall of Fame. It's a shame... one day, when Henderson is no longer among us, they'll probably induct him. What a shame.

"Not a day goes by in my life when someone stops me in the street and says, 'Thank you for giving me one of the greatest experiences of my life.'" -- Paul Henderson

(excellent site on the Summit Series, 1972... click here (http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/5639/).

[budman2]

Thanks lee , it was almost like being in the class again. i was 14 years old then and front and center that day. i have the box set in my collection and have put it on for my son a couple of times, but he just doesn't get the importance of that series win, the most important ever i say. i guess it's like taping the stanly cup final and playing it after you know who won, or something like that. paul henderson should be in the hall of fame, it's amazing how everyone feels the same way , i mean i have seen the discussion come up many times and it's always unanimous, put henderson in the hall of fame!!!once again lee thanks , your going to be a great writer, (if thats where your heading i mean);)

[lmanchur.]

Originally posted by budman2
Thanks lee , it was almost like being in the class again. i was 14 years old then and front and center that day. i have the box set in my collection and have put it on for my son a couple of times, but he just doesn't get the importance of that series win, the most important ever i say. i guess it's like taping the stanly cup final and playing it after you know who won, or something like that. paul henderson should be in the hall of fame, it's amazing how everyone feels the same way , i mean i have seen the discussion come up many times and it's always unanimous, put henderson in the hall of fame!!!once again lee thanks , your going to be a great writer, (if thats where your heading i mean);) ha ha!... You're the second person on these boards to say I should be going into journalism.... I was thinking that, but Computer Science is the one for me!!!

...I am 16 now, and understand the importance of that series, but I bet I'm the only one in my class that actually does understand it (...theres' only 14 people in my class, but that's beside the point! :) )

...I watched the entire Game 8.. not the other ones... just that one from the box set... it was awesome... still the same drama now as there was in it 25 years ago.... amazing.

[lmanchur.]

Well, guys... I met Paul Henderson today... there were probably around 500 people at the 7:00 AM breakfast.. he seemed like a cool guy... he, of course, was the first in line for breakfast, and when he finished going through, he came to our table (which was last in line) and said "thanks for coming," etc.... I later got him to autograph the case of my proof Silver Dollar coin commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series!

..His speech was OK... I didn't realize it was going to be mainly about his religious beliefs, but he got a few hockey stories in there which was great!

My parents "deprived" me of not seeing Wayne Gretzky and Mark McGwire (not in person... seeing them play) when we had the chance, so there was NO way I was going to miss seeing Paul Henderson in person!!

[PeterDewar]

Sounds awesome man. Glad you got to meet him.