 30 Years ago today
Source: Couier Post Online - By Chuck Gormley
On Jan. 11, 1976, the defending Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers became the first team to defeat the Red Army team, beating the Soviets 4-1.
The Flyers, led by coach Fred Shero, received goals from Reggie Leach, Rick MacLeish, Joe Watson and Larry Goodenough. With that win, the Flyers defended the honor of the league and proved that the Flyers were the best team in hockey.
The Flyers dictated the tempo of the game, upsetting the Soviets' game plan. In the first period, with the game still scoreless, Flyers defenseman Ed Van Impe put a hard check into Valeri Kharlamov and Red Army coach Konstantin Loktev responded by pulling their team from the ice and heading back to the dressing room. They prolonged the game stoppage by arguing to make their return to the ice conditional on the referee canceling their impending delay of game bench penalty. Eventually, they accepted the penalty and came back to the ice. The game delay tactic ended up backfiring on the Soviets as they returned to find the Flyers even more resolute than before. The Flyers scored quickly after play resumed and never looked back.
"It was important that we upheld the prestige of hockey in North America," Watson said. "We wanted to prove that we were the best team in hockey. We played with a lot of emotion and it showed throughout the entire game. Our intensity never let up and we were very proud of our accomplishment."
Chuck Gormley
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although I never saw the game live I have seen the replay over the years , one of the best games ever in Flyers History
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