BonoManiac said:
My earliest hockey memory was watching the Islanders win their third Cup in 1982. I was 4.
So yes, I do recall the 1987 Canada Cup. When you get that amount of talent on both sides you're bound to have amazing games. The Lemieux goal to clinch the series is possibly one of the greatest moments in Canadian hockey history. It really was the moment when Mario arrived as a bona-fide superstar.
I remember staring at the screen in utter disbelief. It's too bad hockey like that only comes around every four years, if at all.
Every 4 years you get great stuff, but not at this level. Also, with the NHL being so international, which is a good thing, the familiarity is increased 10-fold.
With the dissolving of the Soviet Union, you no longer have quite the same Russian National Team. Look at their 1987 roster:
Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov, Vladimir Krutov, Alexei Kasatonov, Alexei Gusarov, Vitali Samoilov, Viacheslav Fetisov, Igor Stelnov, Igor Kravchuck, Vasili Pervukhin, Anatoli Fedotov, Andrei Khomotov, Vyacheslav Bykov, Valery Kamensky, Sergei Svetlov, Anatoli Semenov, Alexander Semak, Sergei Priakin, Yuri Khmylev, Sergei Nemchinov, Andrei Lomakin, Sergei Mylnikov, Yevgeny Belosheikin.
Maybe not great goaltending, but the KLM line alone was pretty awesome.
I was 16 when that series went down, and even though I'd been an Islander fan for a long time at that point, this really gave me an appreciation for just how amazing of a sport hockey is. This likely explains why I fight with my boss about getting more college hockey on our air.
I'd love to get this on DVD, the more I think on it.