Red Army Team..............?

Question

Hey, anyone here remember the red army team when they were in their 'heyday'? What did you think of them. What was your reaction when you first watched them play?

I knew next to nothing about hockey when I first saw them (I'm no expert now), but I was amazed at their team play. Always moving, pin-point passing, seemed like one mind controlling all six players.

Anyway, what did you think?

Bob - that they were together all the time had to be a huge advantage to them in Olymics and other international play, when most of the other teams were thrown together just a couple months before the competition.

2eighty8 - When (what years) did Canada withdraw from international competition, thats interesting.

2eighty8 no problem take your time. Maybe you can dig up your notes from Hockey History Class!

Answer 1

They were very good, but not great. People tend to forget that the Soviet National Team and the Central Red Army (CSKA Moskva) team were in fact two separate teams. Both teams were coached by Tikhonov and had 18 common players. Tretiak's backup (Vladimir Myshkin) played for Kryjla Sovetov (Soviet Wings) and a few others came from Dynamo Moskva.

As for the Central Red Army team, they were 87% of the 1968 Olympic team, 84% of the 1972 Olympic team, 87% of the 1976 Olympic team, 90% of the 1980 Olympic team, etc

The idea was that Tikhonov had access to the best players year round (Sergei Makarov, the greatest Russian scorer of them all, started out with Traktor Chelyabinsk, and in a league game in 1978, Makarov scored 4 goals against tretiak and Chelyabinsk beat CSKA forthe first time in 25 years - 2 weeks later - Makarov was a member of CSKA Moskva).

One of the little known facts is that the Central Red Army had a losing record against Canadian National teams (as did the Soviet National team when playing Canada's top players).

At those points, they were no longer special.

One of the knocks against Soviet/Russian players is that they bloom too early. Every Soviet/Russian star of note has been a star by te time he was 18, and was burnt out by the time he was 30 (unless your name is Larionov).

Over the last 20 years we have seen a reversal with New techniques being developed in North America (and brought over from the Soviet Union) which has allowed Canada to dominate at every level of the game. The Russians haven't won an Olympic Gold medal in hockey since 1994 (the Unified Team), a World Championship Gold Medal since 1993, and a major Professional tournament has eluded them since the 1981 Canada Cup (which Canada would have won had Gilbert Perreault not been injured).

So
1) I thought they were very good, but not great and 1976 proved that
2) The first time I saw them play was at the Montreal Forum on December 31, 1975 (prior to that I had only seen the Soviet National Team play and as mentioned above, they were two separate teams)
3) What did I think? I thought we could beat them :)


2Eighty8
Canada withdrew from ingternational competition on September 1st, 1968 citing the use of professionaql hockey players by the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Switzerland. Canada said they would return once
a) the IIHF recognized that these countries used professionals
b) the IIHF remove these countries professionals from the international competitions

In 1975, Hockey Canada and the IIHF came to an agreement whereby the IIHF permitted all IIHF member countries to use NHL players at all IIHF sanctioned tournaments (except the Olympics) beginning with the 1976 Canada Cup (Sanctioned by the NHL and IIHF in accordance with NHL rules). Canada returned to the World Championships in Vienna in 1977 with a team sporting the likes of Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito.


2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the World Ice Hockey Championships, and also marks the first time the tournament has ever been held in North America

Looking at the NHL standings today, I fully expect Sidney Crosby to be helping Canada win a World Championship in his own backyard!

Answer 2

Remember the first time they played the Team Canada in best of 8 in 1971 or 72. Everyone assumed Canada would win every game by 4 or 5 goals. Turned out to be one of the most exciting sporting events ever, Paul Henderson scored a goal late in game 8, in Moscow, to give Canada a 4-3-1 victory. Loved Canada, but got to admit they probably won cause Bobby Clarke broke Russia's best players (Kharmanoff???) ankle with a visious chop in game 5, he later admitted was intentional..
Got to see them in person in 77, when they were on tour, and played the Rangers. Espo and Dugay scored the first 2 goals, and then Russia scored 6 or 7 in a row. They were just better skaters and in way better shape. Scotty Bowman said they were the best team in the world in the 70's and 80's, problably why he got so many of them for Detroit. I think betwwn 72 and 87 they problably would have beaten the Stanley Cup champions 10 or 12 times out of those 15 years.
If they had officiated back then like they officiate in the NHL today, those guys never would have lost a game.

Answer 3

The Dec 31, 1975 game played at the Montreal Forum between the Habs and the Soviet Red Army team was probably the most exciting hockey game I ever saw. I think in a seven game series with sudden-death OT and no shoot-outs the Habs would have worn Tretiak down and would have won in five or six games. Tretiak was fantastic, but the game was dominated by Montreal. I think Dryden only faced two or three shots in the whole first period.
I think Scotty Bowman really admired their strategy of constant motion with almost no dump-and-chase and copied it when he coached the Red Wings.

Answer 4

Euro style hockey at its finest. Pure chemistry. However, I will be honest and say I've never seen a team with a move dynamic euro style of hockey than 78' Druzbha

For the people that don't know 78' Druzbha was the best of the best for players born in 1978, NOT a team that played in 1978.

Update: yes I meant Druzbha. But, I didn't say they were better than Red Army prime days. The chemistry was second to none, a little too much if you see what there is no longer a Druzbha 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, etc.

Answer 5

1. Yes, I remember them.
2. Pretty good team made better by Tretiak in nets.
3. No surprise when i first saw them as most of the players we knew already from the 1972 and 1974 Summit Series vs. Team Canada (NHL and WHA versions).
4. Great style BUT they could be beat. Got outshot by miles in many games and they sort of were the '80s Oilers before they became the Oilers. Think of how many Cups the Oil would have won w/o Fuhr/Moog. Lastly, Red Army had great uniforms. Now the Hurricanes kind of copied them and I dig those colors. Game against Philly was a joke as the NHL allowed thuggery. That hit by Van Impe was worthy of suspension as was much of the Boobie Clarkey-led nonsense.

Answer 6

Dude, they trained 11 months out of the year and Canadians thought and assumed that they would win every time because it's "our game." Just with the Soviet's over-preparation and Canadians' ********* sealed our fate at the time. The Soviets also like to use a surprise and playing possum strategy, something no one has seen. You also have to remember that that was during the Cold War so the Soviets were dead set on proving that Communism works in every which way possible, including hockey. After a while, Canada withdrew from international competition so the Soviets dominated. I can't remember why, but I'm 90% sure that it's not hockey related.

Oh, I should point out 11 months out of the year...where it's cold 12 months out of the year. They lived, ate, breathe, piss, and crap out hockey all that time. That's more organized hockey than what most Canadian kids experience in that period.

You know what, you're going to have to give me a little while to dig that out. I'm starting to go cross-eyed from looking at the screen all day (stupid storm) so things like wikipedia isn't helping.

LOL I said I'm going cross-eyed, so I don't want to go back to reading my handwriting.

I'm just reciting what I remember from class, Bob. Maybe they trained in Siberia or something...lol

Ten points to LITY again. Can't compete with someone who lived the history.

Answer 7

Seeing the style of play was new to the North American viewer because we are used to the straight ahead play of the NHLers while the the Soviets were more of a pass and puck control style and often times when they would skate out of their zone and there was no play available, they would just circle back into their own end and regroup to try it again. It was different to be sure.
Of course, my favorite Red Army moment was when the played the Flyers in 1976 and left the ice midway through the 1st period because the Flyers bullied them around, after some delay, the Soviets returned after they were warned that they would lose their salary for the entire series. Flyers won 4-1.

Answer 8

im a bit younger so the 1st i saw them was on classic sports, it was an impressive type of hockey i had never seen before. the way they moved the pcuk was impecable, i only wish i could play that well (and ive played at a midget aaa/ jr a level the last couple yrs)

neone wanna tell me where i can take that hockey history class? i could use the gpa boost

Answer 9

When I think of "Red Army" I think of communist China under the regime of Chairman Mao. Not a sports team, sorry.