The Summit Series revisited on their actual dates. Today, the iconic game 8, Thursday September 28, 1972 and the goal heard around the world.

The Summit Series as it happened fifty years ago on the exact same dates.

Today, the amazing game eight, Thursday September 28, 1972.

Putting game eight into perspective in its entirety is very difficult. There are so many sidebar stories, so many chapters to just this game, it truly was an event unto itself.

At the conclusion of the battle for Vimy Ridge, one of the defining moments in Canadian history, April 9-12, 1917 Brigadier-General A.E. Ross declared, “in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation.”

Those were heady words for a country a scant fifty years old at the time. There is no doubt the hockey equivalent transpired over the month of September, 1972 and it culminated with a final sixty minute contest on this day fifty years ago - just to add some symmetry to it all.

The Summit Series was not a War, obviously. But what became of the game of hockey, subtle changes at first, magnified over time largely due to the Europeans and Czech players who started to dot NHL and WHA rosters, to deny the massive impact the series had is na?ve and ignorant.

As dawn broke in Moscow fifty years ago word would reach the Canadian contingent that their choice for a referee in this deciding game, the Swedish official Ove Dahlberg would not be available. Food poisoning....unreal. Just a total load of BS. Whether referee Rudy Bata was agreed upon or not, I don't know but either way despite their initial protestations Canada relented to the use of the two officials they dreaded the most, Josef Kompalla the East German and Franz Baadar the Czech ref. Harry Sinden nicknamed them, 'Baader and Worse.' He was not far off.

In my opinion they were told or it was strongly suggested to be liberal in their calls against Canada. That is my opinion. They were 100% biased and borderline incompetent.

For those of you who are not aware, under IIHF rules in those days games were called by two officials. No linesmen, they were the linesmen and the referees. It had been that way for the entire series so far. For this game Canada felt they had been screwed and they nearly were.

Lineup changes were limited for Canada. Bill Goldsworthy came out, Dennis Hull went back in and true to form the goaltenders were alternated again and Ken Dryden would get the start in this critical game.

For the millions watching in Canada the broken satellite signal fired up at 12 noon EST. Foster Hewitt, like he had done all series, was on the microphone, Brian Conacher beside him for colour and the game began. The concerns over officiating were brought to the fore. Any glancing blows by Canada were called and within minutes they were down two men, both holding calls and in the blink of an eye it was 1-0 Russia. The Canadian bench led by head coach Harry Sinden was going ballistic. Their outburst prompted the bought officials to call a penalty on Russia but twenty-six seconds later it was another call to Canada that set off more fireworks.

JP Parise picked up an interference penalty. Frankly it was a call that was probably correct. Coming on the heels of a couple of soft holding calls and with Canada already pissed having these two biased officials calling the game, Parise - well - what can you say...he just lost it. I won't explain it, the video below is self explanatory but I'll say two things;

one, that was the only game misconduct JP Parise ever received in his hockey career. He played seventeen seasons of pro including 890 NHL games and was never assessed a game misconduct except on this play. And look, he deserved it but what it really speaks to is how emotional this series had gotten and how invested all of the players were.

Two, that outburst by JP was so random, so scary it clearly unnerved the officials and as much as I'm glad he did not follow through on that swing of his stick that action scared those two useless men in stripes into calling a fair game and for the remaining 56 minutes they did. And it certainly made a difference. So yes, JP was kicked out leaving Canada with ten skaters but given one of them was Esposito there were no concerns. He could play all day.

So, the period progressed and speaking of the man, Phil Esposito ( who else) tied the game 1-1, Russia took their second lead on yet another power play 2-1 and Brad Park made it 2-2 which is how it stood after twenty minutes.

Period two was arguably the best twenty minutes Russia played in the series. It's certainly in the conversation. They outscored Canada 3-1 including another power play goal. They outshot Canada 10-2 and the ice was tilted, they were up 5-3, they had home ice advantage, bought officials, the Politburo in attendance, I mean, this was a Rocky movie several years before that franchise started.

I think at this point I will paraphrase those famous words I alluded to earlier spoken by Brigadier-General A.E. Ross who was born in Cobden, Ontario by the way - '72 wasn't the birth of our nation but what that third period did for Canadians coast to coast, what it started for Canadian hockey, that never say die, never quit attitude is unparalleled in sports history.

Down 5-3 entering the final frame, Canada's spiritual and on-ice leader Phil Esposito scored off a beautiful rush by Peter Mahovlich 2:27 into the third. It was his second of the game and his seventh of the series. Maybe his first one should have been credited to Brad Park. If you watch the replay closely it looks that way but really, who cares. This one was all Phil and it was now 5-4. Just what you wanted, an early goal.

A minute later we had our first official fight of the series. Despite the incredible stick work, kicking and various other cheap shots that had gone on including numerous punches in the head, there had been no official fight. And under IIHF rules you are supposed to get ejected if you do. Rod Gilbert and Yevgeny Mishakov dropped the gloves and threw punches. They should have been ejected but the beleaguered officials made the wrong call, gave them five minutes each for fighting and play resumed. Nice assist by Gary Bergman as you'll see on the accompanying video.

The next moment is what I allude to as thee defining incident that separates the Summit Series from every other sporting event in history.

Yvan Cournoyer tied the game 5-5 sending every Canadian in the arena and millions watching on TV into an absolute frenzy. The goal came off a wild scrambled play in the Soviet zone, a shot ended up on Tretiak, the rebound came out to Yvan and he whipped home a backhand, tie game baby!! Everybody it seems got the memo it was in except the goal judge. He did not put the light on. While the Canadians celebrated their czar-representative to many, Alan Eagleson got up from his seat thinking that perhaps no goal light would mean some sort of removal of this tying tally. He might have got five feet when he was grabbed by the Soviet military-police, who had ringed the arena for this contest. The video accompanying this story will tell the tale. As he's resisting and being led away the Canadian bench empties and rush over with Peter Mahovlich going over the boards and swinging his stick, actually striking one of the police/military police who were carrying guns by the way. It's a surreal, unreal scene, the likes of which I have never, ever heard of or seen in my life at any other time.

As Eagleson is rescued and taken back across the ice by various players and other Team Canada executives and trainers and their forever warrior Bill Goldsworthy a slew of one finger salutes filled the air, a fist shake from Eagleson, I mean....you just can't make this stuff up...Just watch the accompanying video...It's just sheer lunacy... How do you go on from there? Imagine the Russian players wondering what the hell - why don't these guys just roll over so we can win this thing and the vodka is on us....Canadian hockey wasn't having any of that.

So, here we are. In the dying minutes as our nation was poised for the outcome, fearing the worst, hoping for the best the players got ready for one final push. The huddle the Team Canada players had led by Phil Esposito who informed them he was not coming off the ice and they were going to score. The huddle breaks. The play begins...........up and down the ice they go and unbeknown to any of us watching on TV - and probably to most in the arena, inexplicably Paul Henderson yelled at Pete Mahovlich to come off. Even more unusual, Pete did...This with less than a minute to play in the game. A game Canada had to win to secure the series.

And then.....this.....

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!

And the fans in the crowd are going wild!!!!!

The pandemonium on the ice was matched by the 3000 Canadian fans in the stands and the roar that came off that land mass north of the 49th parallel was felt coast to coast. I can tell you, in our grade 8 class room at St. Leonard's in Manotick, Ontario, as the boys and I jumped for joy out of the corner of my eye I watched my teacher, Pat Jennings, today a great friend, run out into the hallway where he was met with other teachers and they were jumping up and down. The image is so burned in my mind because for a split second I was transfixed on their emotional outburst. You just didn't see that sort of thing from teachers and for that one split second I was a bit nervous to see it which was then swallowed up by the insane yelling in the classroom..... We were all screaming at the TV, kill that last 34, come on boys!! In fact if you watch it all you'll see Baader and Worse are so shook up by the completion of the Canadian comeback they miss an obvious icing with about ten seconds to play. The clock wound down, Foster called it out, Canada had won the series and thus ended eight games the likes of which we had never seen before or since in sports history...

Henderson......had scored for Canada......50 years ago today. It was the goal heard around the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you made it all the way down to the end here, sorry for the length but you know... it's kind of a big deal. I wanted you to have the full appreciation of it. If you have a moment today to reflect on this accomplishment please, at 230pm EST, 330pm out east, 1230pm Mountain time, 1130am on the west coast....take a second, reflect back to a half century ago when your country by now long a nation, had a rebirth of a different kind. Be proud today. Be elated you are Canadian, today.

In two days I will do the wrap up of their final game vs what was then Czechoslovakia followed by a post series wrap up of where we are fifty years later. Thanks to everybody for their comments.