Punch-up in Piestany
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Date | 4 January 1987 | |||||||||||||||
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Arena | Zimný Štadión Piešťany | |||||||||||||||
City | Piešťany, Czechoslovakia |
The Punch-up in Piestany was a
Following the brawl, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) suspended the players involved for 18 months and the coaches for three years. The players' suspensions were later reduced to six months on appeal, allowing several players from both teams to return for the 1988 tournament in Moscow. Both nations won medals in 1988, with Canada taking the gold and the Soviets winning silver.
The brawl dramatically raised the profile of the
Hockey's "Cold War"
Canada and the Soviet Union had engaged in an increasingly intense rivalry since the Soviets first emerged on the international scene by winning the
The
The "Cold War" culminated in 1987 with
Game summary
In 1987, the World Junior Hockey Championship was a
The IIHF assigned Norway's Hans Rønning as the referee for this game. The assignment was made based on his neutrality despite his inexperience officiating at the international level.[17] Upon hearing of Rønning's assignment, Canadian representative Dennis McDonald sought out IIHF supervisor of officials, René Fasel, hoping to convince him to select a different referee.[18] Aside from the question of his competence to call a game of this magnitude, the Canadians were concerned about Rønning following an earlier game in the tournament he officiated between Canada and the United States. A wild brawl had broken out during the pre-game warm-ups against the Americans three days earlier. The officials were not on the ice when the melee occurred; however, Rønning ejected one player from each team at random for starting the brawl. By rule, any player who gets into a fight in an international hockey game is automatically ejected from the remainder of the tournament.[19] Canadian captain Steve Chiasson was thus barred from the game against the Americans, as well as the following game after being assessed a match penalty.[20] Unable to convince IIHF officials to change the assignment, McDonald was concerned about how the game would be played.[21] Rønning's inexperience at that level was later identified as a significant cause of the brawl, as several stick infractions by both sides had gone uncalled, causing anger to rise between both teams.[14]
Off the opening faceoff, Sergei Shesterikov elbowed Canadian
Early in the second period, the game was paused for a moment of silence in memory of four Swift Current Broncos players who were killed when their team bus crashed in Saskatchewan five days previous. There was a drop in intensity in the five minutes of play that followed.[25] However, just after the six-minute mark, following a minor scuffle that sent two players from each team to the penalty box, the teams resumed shoving and slashing at each other. Each team also scored a goal, giving Canada a 4–2 lead halfway through the game.[26]
The brawl
The brawl began after a face-off as Shesterikov collided with
Boxscore
January 4, 1987 20:00 ( Valeri Ivannikov | Referee: Hans Rønning Linesmen: Peter Pomoell Julian Gorski | |||||||||||||||||||
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DQ – DQ | ||||||||||||||||||||
12 min | Penalties | 14 min | ||||||||||||||||||
Aftermath
The IIHF held an emergency meeting in an arena office to decide how to handle the incident. Each team was represented by a delegate, and the meeting was
After voting to eject the two teams, IIHF officials banned the Soviets from the tournament banquet and medal ceremony but still invited Canada. McDonald stated the Canadians were not interested, Sabetzki and Czechoslovak officials ordered the Canadian team out of the arena within half an hour.[37] They were met by armed soldiers who escorted them across the border and out of Czechoslovakia.[38] The IIHF voided the standings of both teams. In the words of McDonald, "it was like we were never here."[39] However, the other teams kept the points they gained in the matches against both teams.[40]
Both teams attempted to blame the other for allowing the violence to get out of hand. Soviet official Anatoly Kastriukov blamed a Canadian trainer for igniting hostilities by running over to the Soviet bench and punching one of their assistant coaches in the stomach.[41] The Canadians, meanwhile, pointed to Davydov being the first off the bench as being the spark that led to the brawl.[42] CBC commentator Don Cherry was one of the first to float a conspiracy theory that the Soviets had done so as a deliberate attempt to have Canada ejected, and therefore lose a medal.[43][44][45][46] Alan Eagleson suggested that the IIHF's decision would have been different had it been the Soviets in contention for a medal, and not the Canadians.[47] Soviet administrator Yuri Korolev expressed regret that the incident occurred but did not admit any guilt. He felt that the game should have been finished instead of both teams being disqualified from the tournament.[48]
The IIHF voted to suspend all players involved from competing in international events for 18 months, and all coaches for three years.[12] The player suspensions were later cut to six months, which allowed eligible players to participate in the 1988 tournament, and Alexander Mogilny to play in the 1988 Winter Olympics. The IIHF also considered either demoting both teams to the B pool or banning them from the 1988 tournament as further punishment, but backed off as the next year's tournament was set to be held in the Soviet Union, while Canada represented the only media revenue the tournament generated at the time.[49]
Among the Canadians, only two players were not suspended: goalie Jimmy Waite and forward Pierre Turgeon. One other Canadian Steve Nemeth was on the ice along with Waite, but neither threw a punch.[50][51] Waite felt he could not risk being ejected for fighting under the belief that the game would resume, and that the Canadian backup goaltender, Shawn Simpson, was injured.[52] Nemeth would later apply for early reinstatement arguing that he was not fighting, but trying to help break the players apart.[53] Turgeon was the only Canadian who did not initially leave the bench until Canadian head coach Bert Templeton convinced him to go on the ice.[50] Regarding not leaving the bench, Turgeon stated in 2017: "that wasn't my job. I didn't have to fight."[50] Many of their teammates never forgave Turgeon for failing to defend his teammates. In the words of Everett Sanipass: "I'm looking for someone to help (Stéphane) Roy out and I look over at the bench. There's this dog Turgeon, just sitting there, with his head down. He wouldn't get his ass off the bench ... just sitting there when everyone's off the Soviet bench and at least one of our guys is in real trouble getting double-teamed."[54]
Legacy
At the 1988 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Moscow, Canada and the Soviet Union won the gold and silver medals, respectively, as both teams' rosters featured several players from the 1987 tournament.[55] Since the 1987 tournament, the two nations have maintained their dominance of the tournament. Canada has won 15 gold medals between 1988 and 2020, while the Soviet Union, and its successor, Russia, has won six.[9]
Hans Rønning's assignment to officiate the game was viewed by other on-ice officials as a nod to organizers from Lillehammer, Norway, who had just won the right to host the 1994 Winter Olympics and were observing the game.[56] At age 38, Rønning expected the 1987 tournament to be among his last international assignments. Rønning never officiated another international game, though he did referee two more seasons in Norway before retiring.[57]
In Canada, public sentiment widely supported the players. Opinion polls taken in the aftermath of the brawl saw 87–92% of respondents supporting their actions.
Canadian hockey officials criticized the players for the brawl. In 2005, the suggestion of a reunion for the 1987 team was met with uncomfortable silence and "I don't think so" from
Before Piešťany, the junior tournament had a small following in Canada. Only one Canadian reporter flew overseas to cover the 1987 tournament. That changed in 1988, as the major Canadian media outlets all sent reporters to Moscow. The tournament's prestige in Canada continued to grow. By the 2005 tournament, over 100 Canadian reporters covered the tournament in Grand Forks, North Dakota.[63]
The brawl was seen as an embarrassment by Soviet officials who prided themselves on the discipline of their teams. A senior official, Anatoly Kostryukov, said that the "ice hockey department and the Ice Hockey Federation of the USSR will soon analyze the Soviet team's performance at the championship, and those guilty of the incident will be strictly punished".
Players
Of the 20 players who dressed for Canada in that game, 19 went on to play in the National Hockey League.[66] (Shawn Simpson was drafted by the Capitals, and dressed for two games for them, but ultimately only played for their associate team.) In 1987, only one Soviet had ever played in the NHL, Victor Nechayev. The players for this Soviet team would be among the first wave of Eastern Bloc players to arrive in the NHL with the fall of the Iron Curtain. Five of them would ultimately win the Stanley Cup.[67]
- Shawn Simpson, G
- Greg Hawgood, D
- Glen Wesley, D
- Steve Chiasson, D
- Chris Joseph, D
- Kerry Huffman, D
- Luke Richardson, D
- Yvon Corriveau, F
- Theoren Fleury, F
- Mike Keane, F
- Everett Sanipass, F
- Dave McLlwain, F
- Pat Elynuik, F
- Scott Metcalfe, F
- Brendan Shanahan, F
- Steve Nemeth, F
- Pierre Turgeon, F
- Stéphane Roy, F
- David Latta, F
- Jimmy Waite, G
- Valeri Ivannikov, G, D
- Sergei Osipov, F
- Evgeny Davydov, F
- Vladimir Konstantinov, D
- Vladimir Malakhov, D
- Pavel Kostichkin, F
- Vadim Musatov
See also
References
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- ^ Merron, Jeff (14 February 2002). "Russians regroup on other side of the red line". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- ^ Burnside, Scott (27 August 2007). "Super Series evokes memories of 1972". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ "WHA vs. USSR". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ "Canada Cup 1991". TSN.ca. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ "USSR vs. NHL". russianhockey.net. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ "IIHF World U20 Championships". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ Goldring, Peter. "Canada's world junior hockey success". petergoldring.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- ^ a b "IIHF World U20 Champions". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- ^ Moran, Malcolm (1987-02-14). "Soviet ties series on 2nd-period surge". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ "Canada Cup 1987". TSN.ca. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ a b Podnieks 1998, p. 168
- ^ "The Canada-USSR brawl at the 1987 world junior hockey tournament". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d "CBC Archives - The 'Punch-up in Piestany'". cbc.ca. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ Campbell, Ken. "Punch-Up in Piestany: Canada, Russia remember the melee 30 years later". The Hockey News. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 116
- ^ Burns, John F. (1987-01-12). "Diplomacy takes hard check". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 119
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 111
- ^ Podnieks 1998, p. 167
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 120
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- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 134
- ^ a b Joyce 2006, p. 136
- ^ Hornby, Lance (1987-01-05). "War on ice". Calgary Sun. p. 32.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 139
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 142
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 143
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 1398
- ^ "Fight kayos Canada, Soviets". Calgary Herald. Canadian Press. 1987-01-05. p. A1–A2.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 147
- ^ Burns, John F. (1987-01-12). "Diplomacy takes hard check (page 2)". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 148
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 149
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 157
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 150
- ^ "Fakta z MS". Gól: Fotbalový a hokejový týdeník (in Czech). 20. Praha: Fotbalpress: 8. 1987-01-16.
- ^ "Soviets put blame on Canada". Calgary Herald. Canadian Press. 1987-01-07.
- ^ Fraser, Geoff (1987-01-08). "IIHF aims to punish someone". Calgary Herald. p. C1.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 164
- ^ Pettit, Andrew (2017-12-27). "From the Punch-up in Piestany to Boxing Day on the Couch: The Invention of a Canadian Junior Hockey Tradition". Sport in American History. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ Maki, Alan (2017-12-22). "The 1987 brawl that made the world junior hockey championships what they are today". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ Joyce, Gare. "The Punch-Up in Piestany: 30 years later". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ Hornby, Lance (1987-01-05). "Real tragedy for hockey". Calgary Sun. Canadian Press. p. 33.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 213
- ^ Joyce 2006, pp. 214–215
- ^ a b c Maki, Alan (December 22, 2017). "The brawl that started it all". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 177
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 172
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 176
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 175
- ^ "World Junior Hockey Championship - 1988". tsn.ca. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 1984
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 190
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 209
- ^ "It's Ballard to rescue". Calgary Herald. Canadian Press. 1987-01-06. p. C1.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 2
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 195
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 196
- ^ Joyce 2006, pp. 253–254
- ^ Erik, Floren (1987-01-06). "Brawl won't affect future events". Calgary Sun. p. 32.
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 167
- ^ Joyce 2006, p. 25
- ^ Joyce 2006, pp. 26–27
- ^ "World Junior Hockey Championship - 1987". tsn.ca. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ Podnieks 1998, p. 170
- Joyce, Gare (2006), When the Lights Went Out, Random House, ISBN 978-0-385-66275-8
- Podnieks, Andrew (1998), Red, White, and Gold: Canada at the World Junior Championships 1974–1999, ECW Press, ISBN 1-55022-382-8
- "World Junior Hockey Championship - History". TSN. Bell Media. Archived from the original on 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- "1987 IIHF World Junior Championship". Hockey Canada. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
External links