1977 Izvestia Cup Tournament

1976-77

The WHA continued its year-old tradition of sending its reigning league champions, the Quebec Nordiques, to compete in the Soviet Union's Izvestia Tournament. Beset with injuries to Richard Brodeur, Christian Bordeleau, Francois Lacombe and Wally Weir, and unable to secure temporary help from the other WHA teams, the Nordiques finished the four-game tournament with three losses and a tie. Marc Tardif had seven points to lead the Nordiques, with linemate Real Cloutier right behind with six points. Matti Hagman collected five points, and Bob Fitchner four, playing alongside Tardif and Cloutier. The WHA did not participate in the 1978 tournament.

Game 1 • December 16, 1977 USSR 5, Quebec 3 USSR 2 2 1 - 5 Quebec 0 1 1 - 2 1st Period: 1. USSR: Anisin (Balderis) 7:10; 2. USSR: Anisin 18:36; 2nd Period: 3. Que: Cloutier (Tardif, Hagman) 10:12; 4. USSR: Tsygankov (Petrov) 12:29; 5. USSR: Lutchenko (Vikulov) 12:49; 6. Que: Hagman (Cloutier, Tardif) 13:41; 3rd Period: 7. USSR: Anisin (Mikhailov) 7:02; 8. Que: Hagman (S. Bernier, Tardif) 16:09. Goaltenders: USSR: Tretiak, Que: Broderick.

Game 2 • December 18, 1977 Sweden 6, Quebec 2 Sweden 0 4 2 - 6 Quebec 0 0 2 - 2 1st Period: No Scoring. 2nd Period: 1. Swe: Lundberg (Lindblom) 8:44; 2. Swe: Olsson (Salming) 13:24; 3. Swe: Lundberg (Olsson) 15:41; 4. Swe: Lundqvist (Lundholm) 16:50. 3rd Period: 5. Swe: Lundholm (Olsson) 5:44; 6. Que: Tremblay 11:03; 7. Swe: Esbjorg (Salming) 13:05; 8. Que: Lariviere 19:42. Goaltenders: Swe: Londberg; Que: Broderick & Corsi.

Game 3 • December 19, 1977 Quebec 6, Finland 6 Finland 2 2 2 - 6 Quebec 1 5 0 - 6 1st Period: 1. Fin: Repo 2:37; 2. Fin: Suoraniemi (Nummelin) 6:02; 3. Que: J. Bernier (Tardif) 6:41. 2nd Period: 4. Que: Fitchner (Cloutier, Tardif) 6:15; 5. Que: Cloutier (Fitchner) 11:49; 6. Que: Tremblay (Fitchner) 12:15; 7. Que: Hagman (Lariviere) 14:06; 8. Fin: Peltonen (Koivulahti) 17:13; 9. Fin: Repo 17:34; 10. Que: Hagman (Tardif, Cloutier) 19:50. 3rd Period: 11. Fin: Tamminen (Repo) 13:05; 12. Fin: Koivulahti 14:55. Goaltenders: Fin: Leppjanen, Que: Broderick.

Game 4 • December 21, 1977 Czechoslovakia 6, Quebec 2 Czechoslovakia 3 2 1 - 6 Quebec 1 0 1 - 2 1st Period: 1. Cze: Ebermann (Novak) 8:13; 2. Que: Cloutier (Fitchner) 8:21; 3. Cze: Kajkl (Machac) 11:08; 4. Cze: M. Stastny (P. Stastny) 12:45. 2nd Period: 5. Cze: P. Stastny (Novak) 11:49; 6. Cze: Novak (Martinec) 13:27. 3rd Period: 7. Que: Tardif (J. Bernier) 10:57; 8. Cze: Martinec (Hlinka) 14:52. Goaltenders: Cze: Kralik, Que: Broderick & Corsi.

Visit to Russia Irks Nordiques • by Reyn Davis • The Sporting News • January 14, 1978 J. C. Tremblay says he's seen Moscow for the last time. Money won't cause Marc Tardif to go back. And all of the Nordiques are mad because no one paid them a thin dime to go to Russia in the first place. Like emerging from a 10-day coma, the Nordiques came back from the Izvestia Tournament in Moscow regretting they had ever gone. "When we start every season, our goal is first place," said Tardif, the Nordiques' captain. "It isn't to win any tournaments in Russia. I don't see how we can be expected to finish in first place after something like this." The Nordiques, defending Avco Cup champions, lost all four games [sic] in Moscow, dropping decisions to the national teams of Russia, Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Finland. The Czechs won. "And the second-best team there was the Swedes," said Marc Boileau, the Nordiques' coach, suggesting some crumbling going on in the Russian hockey empire. When the Nordiques left, they were sitting in second place, six points behind the front-running New England Whalers and four ahead of the Winnipeg Jets. When they returned, they were 12 points out of first place and eight behind the Jets, who had taken over second place. Just a glance at the standings sickened the Nordiques. Now they must pay another price — a heavier-than-normal schedule so they can catch up. The Nordiques accepted the invitation to go to Russia with the understanding that they would have their choice of five players from five other WHA clubs to use on the tour. But the clubs reneged, just as the Nordiques had objected when, a year earlier, the Jets had asked for the services of Serge Bernier for the Izvestia Cup. The Nordiques were offered two players by one team, the New England Whalers: Bryan Maxwell, a defenseman, and Cap Raeder, a goaltender. Tremblay said the Nordiques would have needed a complete line, one of the WHA's best, and two good defensemen and one of the league's top goaltenders. Boileau said the only fair way to handle the Izvestia situation is to suspend league operations for two weeks while an all-star team goes over. Tardif indicated that neither money nor adventure would lure him back. Most of the WHA's best players have been to Moscow at least once. In the case of Winnipeg Jets' captain Lars-Erik Sjoberg, he has been to Russia more than.a dozen times — and doesn't care to go back. The Russian lifestyle is so different that players usually start longing for home within hours of arriving there. For one, the presence of soldiers everywhere is disconcerting, not to mention unnerving. "I thought the television was great," said Boileau. "The only inconvenience was having to go downstairs to the lobby to watch it. All I saw were hockey games, so I liked it." Three hundred and fifty Quebec fans had a ball. But for the players, who felt they had no business being there, it was not enjoyable.

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