1979 Challenge Cup

The 1979 Challenge Cup Trophy

The 1979 Challenge Cup was an international ice hockey series of games between the Soviet national ice hockey team and a team of All-Stars from the National Hockey League, held in New York City. It replaced the NHL's all-star festivities for the 1978–79 NHL season.

The team of All-Stars from the National Hockey League included 23 Canadians and 3 Swedish players. Bobby Orr commenting in the post-game interviews after Game 2, accidentally called the NHL All-Stars "Team Canada" (because of the amount of Canadians on the roster).

The Challenge Cup, unlike its predecessor, the Summit Series, included non-Canadian born players in the NHL rosters. The games were played on February 8, 10, and 11 at Madison Square Garden. The Soviets defeated the NHL All-Stars 2 games to 1.

NHL All-Stars roster

• Guy Lafleur
• Larry Robinson
• Bob Gainey
• Steve Shutt
• Gilbert Perreault
• Marcel Dionne
• Darryl Sittler
• Lanny McDonald
• Bobby Clarke, Captain
• Bryan Trottier
• Mike Bossy
• Clark Gillies
• Barry Beck
• Serge Savard
• Guy Lapointe
• Robert Picard
• Denis Potvin
• Bill Barber
• Don Marcotte
• Tony Esposito
• Ken Dryden
• Gerry Cheevers
• Ron Greschner
• Borje Salming
• Ulf Nilsson
• Anders Hedberg

Soviet Union roster

• Sergei Starikov
• Viktor Zhluktov
• Vasily Pervukhin
• Vladimir Kovin
• Sergei Makarov
• Mikhail Varnakov
• Aleksandr Skvortsov
• Vladimir Golikov
• Aleksandr Golikov
• Boris Mikhailov, Captain
• Vladimir Petrov
• Valeri Kharlamov
• Gennadiy Tsygankov
• Valery Vasiliev
• Sergei Kapustin
• Yuri Federov
• Zinetul Bilyaletdinov
• Helmut Balderis
• Irek Gimayev
• Viktor Tyumenev
• Sergei Babinov
• Vladislav Tretiak
• Vladimir Myshkin

Game log

Game 1

• NHL All-Stars 4 - Soviet Union 2
• Goals:
• Guy Lafleur 0:16 1st period
• Mike Bossy 6:22 1st period (pp)
• Boris Mikhailov 11:25 1st period (pp)
• Clark Gillies 8:14 2nd period
• Bob Gainey 15:48 2nd period
• Vladimir Golikov 3:02 3rd period
• Attendance: 17,438

Game 2

• Soviet Union 5 - NHL All-Stars 4
• Goals:
• Sergei Kapustin 8:10 1st period
• Mike Bossy 13:35 1st period (pp)
• Bryan Trottier 18:21 1st period
• Gilbert Perrault 0:27 2nd period
• Mikhail Varnakov 2:05 2nd period
• Larry Robinson 5:06 2nd period
• Boris Mikhailov 17:02 2nd period (pp)
• Sergei Kapustin 17:47 2nd period
• Vladimir Golikov 1:31 3rd period
• Attendance: 17,438

Game 3

• Soviet Union 6 - NHL All-Stars 0
• Goals:
• Boris Mikhailov 5:47 2nd period
• Viktor Zhluktov 7:44 2nd period (pp)
• Helmut Balderis 8:44 3rd period
• Vladimir Kovin 10:21 3rd period
• Sergei Makarov 12:44 3rd period
• Aleksandr Golikov 14:46 3rd period
• Attendance: 17,545

External links

• [1] Challenge Cup 1979 rosters and stats.