Canada Cup (ice hockey)

The Canada Cup was a multinational hockey championship held every few years. It was held between 1976 and 1991, and was replaced by the World Cup of Hockey.

History

Following the exciting 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, interest in a world professional ice hockey championship increased substantially. The Canada Cupwould bring together the top hockey-playing countries in the world.It was held in 1976, 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1991. It featured competitionbetween teams representing Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland,the Soviet Union, Sweden, the United States, and (in 1984only, taking the place of Finland) West Germany. All thetournaments were won by Canada except the 1981 tournament, which waswon by the Soviet Union. The 1987 event is often called one of the mostspectacular in hockey history as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux combined forces to capture the Canada Cup at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario as Team Canada defeated the Soviets. Canada won that series2 games to one and all three games ended in 6-to-5 scores.cite press release| title = "Tigertown Triumphs"
publisher =The Hamilton Spectator-Memory Project (Souvenir Edition)page MP56| date =2006-06-10| accessdate = 2007-02-16]

In 1996, the Canada Cup was replaced by the World Cup of Hockey.

Competitions

Trophy

The Canada Cup trophy is shaped like half of a maple leaf and is made of solid nickel. It weighs nearly 140 pounds.

The 1981 win by the Soviet Union caused controversy when Canadian officials found the trophy in the Soviet's luggage and announced that the trophy would not actually go home with the winning team. Canadian fans, feeling this was unsportsmanlike, raised money to produce a duplicate trophy to give to the Soviet team. Three weeks later the trophy was presented to the Soviet Union's ambassador Vladimir Mechulayev in Winnipeg.

ee also

* International Ice Hockey Federation
* National Hockey League
* World Professional Hockey Championships
* Ice Hockey World Championships

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/canadavsrussia Canada Versus the Soviet Union: The Heyday of the Battle for World Hockey Supremacy (1972-1987)] .

References