🇨🇦 Canada 4-3 Soviet Union 🇷🇺
Summit Series, Game 7
Luzhniki Palace Of Sports, Moscow 🇷🇺
Tuesday, 26 September 1972

Game Seven was another must-win game for Canada, and it ended in dramatic fashion as Henderson scored the go-ahead goal with just 2:06 left in the game on one of the greatest efforts in hockey history.

It began with the ever-calm Serge Savard flipping the puck out to centre ice while teams were playing four-on-four.

Henderson collected the puck, and he was alone against two Soviet defencemen in front of him and two Soviet forwards backchecking to catch him. Henderson quickly flipped the puck between the defence tandem of Valery Vasiliev and Gennadi Tsygankov, and then skated to the outside around Vasiliev. Henderson caught up with the puck, but he was falling as he let go a shot over the blocker of Tretyak that stunned the goalie and the entire Soviet team. Canada had now tied the series and made game eight the most anticipated hockey game in history.

“It was the greatest goal of my life,” Henderson said of his dramatic game winner. “I can remember thinking I’d have to get the puck upstairs – up high, you know – because the goalie was sliding out in a crouch.”

The series was now even at 3-1-3. One game to go. Everything, literally everything, on the line.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
02:00 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Mikhailov, tripping
04:09 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – P. Esposito (Ellis, Park)
05:16 – 🇨🇦 PEN – P. Mahovlich, roughing
05:16 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Mishakov, holding
10:17 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Yakushev (Shadrin, Lyapkin)
11:09 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Mishakov, holding
12:39 – 🇨🇦 PEN – P. Esposito, cross checking
15:45 – 🇨🇦 PEN – White, interference
16:27 – 🇷🇺 PP GOAL – Petrov (Vikulov, Tsygankov)
17:34 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – P. Esposito (Parisé, Savard)

2nd Period
20:59 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Gilbert, hooking
26:04 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Parisé, slashing
26:11 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Anisin, hooking
32:44 – 🇨🇦 PEN – P. Esposito, roughing
32:44 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Kuzkin, roughing
35:14 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Parisé, roughing
35:14 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Kuzkin, roughing
35:24 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Stapleton, holding

3rd Period
42:13 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Gilbert (Ratelle, Hull)
43:26 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bergman, holding
45:15 – 🇷🇺 PP GOAL – Yakushev (Maltsev, Lutchenko)
47:25 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Gilbert, charging
56:26 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bergman, roughing major
56:26 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Mikhailov, roughing major
57:54 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Henderson (Savard)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 T. Esposito (28-31)
L: 🇷🇺 Tretyak (21-25)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 9+7+9 = 25
🇷🇺 6+13+12 = 31

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Tony Esposito, Eddie Johnston. Defence: Gary Bergman, Guy Lapointe, Brad Park, Serge Savard, Pat Stapleton, Bill White. Forwards: Bobby Clarke, Yvan Cournoyer, Ron Ellis, Phil Esposito (A), Rod Gilbert, Bill Goldsworthy, Paul Henderson, Dennis Hull, Peter Mahovlich, J.P. Parisé, Jean Ratelle (A).
🇷🇺 Goaltenders: Alexander Sidelnikov, Vladislav Tretyak. Defence: Alexander Gusev, Viktor Kuzkin, Vladimir Lutchenko, Yuri Lyapkin, Alexander Ragulin, Gennadi Tsygankov. Forwards: Vyacheslav Anisin, Yuri Blinov, Alexander Maltsev, Boris Mikhailov (C), Yevgeni Mishakov, Vladimir Petrov, Vladimir Shadrin, Valery Vasiliev, Vladimir Vikulov, Alexander Volchkov, Alexander Yakushev.

Article Credit: IIHF
Photo Credit: Team Canada 1972: The Official 40th Anniversary Celebration – IIHF – HHOF – IOC