![]() ![]() ![]() "It seems the better players you have, the better coach you are," jokes Sinden. In 1968, under Sinden's guidance and with Orr's scoring prowess, Boston finally made the playoffs. At the same time, a young player named Bobby Orr was turning the defence position upside down by rushing down the ice and scoring buckets of goals. At the age of 33, he was the youngest bench boss in the league - and was saddled with a team that hadn't made the playoffs in seven years. With the Bruins struggling in the 1965-66 season, Patrick knew he was about to be fired."In one of his last acts, he named me as the next coach of the Bruins," Sinden says. When the EPHL folded, Sinden headed to Minneapolis to coach in the Central Professional Hockey League. On the train, Sinden would often dine with Boston general manager Lynn Patrick, chatting about hockey on the long journey. While that was definitely slow, it did provide opportunities for up-and-coming coaches to get to know the brass. In those days, teams often traveled by train. The Kingston Frontenacs were a Boston farm team, adopting the Bruins' black and gold colours. In 1960, he came to Kingston to join the Kingston Frontenacs of the Eastern Professional Hockey League as a player-coach.Įven though the league only lasted four years, at the time it was the premier development venue for the NHL. He played for Oshawa in the OHA and then the Whitby Dunlops in the OHA senior league. Sinden was born in Toronto (not Kingston, as some sources say). "It was probably the hottest summer on record in Toronto and the players really had tough workouts," Sinden says. In 1972, they gave up part of their vacation to head to Toronto in August for the Team Canada training camp at Maple Leaf Gardens. In those days, NHL players took the summer off to relax and play golf - there was no thought about staying in shape. "I was concerned that we might be caught off guard, although I didn't think they could beat us," he recalls. While the Canadian squad was cobbled together from various NHL teams, the Soviets had played as a team for years, perfecting their goal-scoring plays. He had seen the Russians play and was in awe of their superb conditioning. In the summer of 1972, Canadians were so cocky about their hockey prowess that the pundits were predicting that Canada would sweep all eight games. The first international hockey showdown, the summit featured an epic Canadian all-star team, including Ken Dryden, Phil Esposito, Guy Lapointe, Stan Mikita and Kingston's Wayne Cashman. "Some of the players were as proud of that series as winning Stanley Cups," Sinden says. Many of the Canadian skaters felt the same way. It got a lot of attention about which system was right and which one was wrong." "That series became a political series between democracy and communism and was followed around the world. Sinden says the series was the biggest highlight of his career - even greater than coaching the Boston Bruins to a Stanley Cup victory in 1970. ![]() Moments later, the Soviets did just that - roaring back with a three on two that was fortunately turned away by defencemen Pat Stapleton (a former Kingston Frontenacs star) and Bill White. "I called the team over to the bench and told them not to let the Russians have an odd-man rush." "I knew that it was far from over," he recalls from his home in Massachusetts. The entire nation went wild when Henderson scored to give Canada a 6-5 lead.īehind the Canadian bench, coach Harry Sinden stood with a worried look on his face. In the stands, Canadian fans chanted "Da, da Canada, nyet, nyet Soviet." Back in Canada that afternoon, millions of hockey fans (and non-fans) were glued to their television sets, gathering in school gymnasiums, offices and homes. It is perhaps the most famous game in the history of hockey - the final match of an eight-game Cold War showdown between democracy and communism.Īfter seven games in Canada and Russia, the series was deadlocked at three wins each and a tie. ![]() With just 34 seconds on the clock, Canada's Paul Henderson fired a shot past goaltender Vladislav Tretiak to capture the first Canada-Soviet Union hockey series. The greatest hockey game ever: Harry Sinden and the 1972 Canada-Russia series ![]()
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