The Greatest Comeback: How Team Canada Fought Back, Took the Summit Series, and Reinvented Hockey

by John U. Bacon

The series you thought you the first book written with the complete co-operation of the whole team   “They’d stolen our beer and our steaks, and then to make it worse . . . they give us this Russian beer—the warm, skunky sh*t, and not the good, cold Labatts our sponsor sent. I remember thinking, ‘These pricks will never beat us again! They are not going to win another f*cking game.’” —Rod Gilbert When the Summit Series began on September 2, 1972, Cold War tensions could not have been higher. But that was the whole point of setting up this unprecedented hockey series. Team Canada, featuring the country’s best players—all NHL stars, half of them future Hall of Famers—would play an eight-game series, with four games played across Canada followed by four in Moscow. Almost everyone expected Team Canada to crush their untried opponents eight games to zero, with backups playing the last four games. But five games into the series, Team Canada had mustered only one win against a tie and three stunning losses. With just three games left, Team Canada had to win them all, and on Moscow’s wider, unfamiliar rink. They would also have to overcome incompetent referees who sparked stick-swinging fights; surmount every obstacle the Soviets and even the KGB could throw at the players and their wives; invent a hybrid style of play combining the best of East and West, one that would change the sport more than any other factor before or since; and break down old rivalries to become a real team. And they did it all. With John U. Bacon’s unparalleled access to the players through dozens of interviews, The Greatest Comeback presents the incredible story of how this series inspired amazing heroics against long odds and under almost inhuman pressure—an experience so unforgettable that the players still consider the series to be the highlight of their storied careers.

Genres: Sports, Hockey, Canada, Audiobook, Nonfiction

424 pages, Hardcover

Published September 27, 2022

About the author

John U. Bacon is an American journalist and author of books on sports and business as well as a sports commentator on TV and radio.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the many books released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series, this one was the best. I had never heard of the author so I didn't know what to expect, but he does an excellent job combining his story-telling skills with hundreds of quotes from interviews he did with players, executives and players' wives involved in the series. He combines modern quotes with quotes and insights offered by players during, immediately after and in the 50 years since the series. It may not be the first book written with the full cooperation of the players as claimed, but it is the most exhaustive and the best I've read so far. It captures the tension and emotion of the series, bringing the reader back to September 1972 and making the reader feel as if they were right there. An excellent book for someone who might be experiencing the series for the first time. And for those who lived through it and who may have read other books about it, this one is a must to have in your library.

[Jonathan Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been working more and more with the Canadian Team at the company I work with, and they all have mentioned the '72 Summit Series in passing and I didn't know anything about it. I was excited to find this one by the great Mr. Bacon.
This is a wonderful and personal account of a hockey series that changed the whole world. I really like that Mr. Bacon has spent so much time with the players and just as important the player's wifes to get some of the behind-the-scenes stories.
If you are looking for a play by play, goal by goal book then this isn't the book for you, but if you are looking for a really good story about what happened and how they won the game, then it's for you.

[William Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, easy read. It covers all the essential points, and fits within the 'nation building, national myth' canon most of the popular accounts have built. As for the Reinvented Hockey bit, that's certainly not the case. The decades of the '70 & '80 were arguable the most violent in the history of the sport (although earlier decades saw absolutely horrific episodes violence that left many players permanently injured). The techniques the Soviets used - fitness training, off ice; multi-layered attack and defense; and cross ice movement and passing, were not introduced into mainstream hockey for decades.

[Paul Sutter]

John U. Bacon is noted for a series of books that are both heavy on research and being compelling reading. Add another book to that list with THE GREATEST COMEBACK. The book is about one of the most talked-about sporting events in Canadian history, rivalling the Toronto Blue Jay’s World Series wins and other sports feats of yesteryear.
It has been fifty years since the classic Summit Series, that saw Team Canada play its heart out against the best players that Russia’s National hockey team had to offer. In the book, author Bacon relives the victory for Canada and the goal by Paul Henderson that sent a country into total frenzy, ranking up there with other iconic moments.
Bacon says people remember what they were doing when John Kennedy was shot, when the Moon landing took place, and where they were when Henderson scored the biggest goal of his career. I agree. I was sitting in the library of the High School I attended, just starting Grade thirteen. Fellow students were gathered around a very small television, watching the dying moment of the game that afternoon. With thirty four seconds left in the tied game, Henderson was the hero of the game with his goal.
Bacon not only discusses that classic moment, but discusses everything else associated with the eight game series, with four games played in Canada and the final four in Russia. There were problems with some of the Canadian players who wanted a bigger role in the series. Some asked to be relieved of their on-ice duties and leave the team, which they did, without fanfare, another player stepping up to replace them. Half of that 1972 team went on to become Hall of Fame inductees. It was the best of the best imaginable to face Team Russia.
While Canada was confident in perhaps sweeping the series, Russia did surprise many with their method of play, defying analysts and their expectations. Bacon looks behind the scenes, along with the controversies involved. In many games, more often in Russia, the refereeing is mentioned, and how the foreign referees pretty well handed out penalties if a Canadian player almost smiled the wrong way. The fix was in, it seemed, but Canada did not let this deter them.
In the finale at game eight, Russian troops with weapons stood around the hockey rink, in intimidating fashion. But Team Canada did not bend or break, and as they say the rest if history. John Bacon digs deeply into the mystique and drama of the Series, uncovering little known facts and the story behind the story. Hockey fans need to add the book to their collection, as the author has scored big time with this fascinating volume.

[Glen Piper]

If you are a hockey fan or even just a fan of Cold War History, then you need to read this book. John U. Bacon weaves an enthralling tale of a true story that's (almost) too good to be true. I knew some of the lore surrounding the 1972 Summit Series, and this book delved even deeper, yielding even more entertaining nuggets. That said, it really shines as an examination of the Canadian psyche and the geopolitical realities surrounding Sport in 1972. I had never really connected the dots linking the Summit Series with the 1972 Munich Olympics (esp. the Massacre of the Israeli Team), particularly the stealing of the Men's Basketball Gold Medal from Team USA by the Soviet Union. That travesty was eerily matched by the unethical & unsportsmanlike behavior of Soviet Officials throughout the planning & execution of the Summit Series.

Bacon's weaving of these various threads, along with his unprecedented access to Team Canada (including players' wives) has resulted in a book that's insanely difficult to put down while leaving you wanting more once you do.

[Thomas Oh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned about John’s books because I’m a Michigan grad. He has written the defining books chronicling the rise, fall, and rise again of Michigan Athletics - primarily football. I enjoyed his informative, well-researched captivating writing style so much that I read all his non-Michigan books. Once I heard about this Summit Series book, I had to read it especially since I’m a Canadian who was only 3 years old when this series took place. Again, John does not disappoint with another page turner. He takes us behind-the-scenes like no other author does with direct quotes from hockey royalty who played in or watched the series as impressionable kids. If you’re a Canadian, Michigan fan, or a fan of great story telling, buy this now and tell your friends this definitely needs to be on their holiday reading list! Go Blue and Da Da Canada!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

As he has done numerous times previously, John U. Bacon delivers by taking you inside the Summit Series with insight from all of the key players, coaches, and supporting cast (mainly wives!) who gave Canada its greatest on-ice victory. From overconfidence, to being booed out of their country, to committing to their conditioning and their teammates, to their treatment in Moscow, to their clutch performances, this book outlines perseverance, dedication, and leadership at its best. Anyone looking for leadership books and/or ways to motivate should pick up any John U. Bacon book. This one is right up there with the best of them. Of course, there is a University of Michigan connection with Red Berenson being a member of Team Canada. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!!!!!

[Dave Cottenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Greatest Comeback” brings a slightly different approach to the 1972 Canada-USSR Summit Series. The perfect balance of detail and breadth, John Bacon captured the essence of the importance of the series along with the interaction of the players in a completely foreign way. Special attention is paid to those dissenting players who traditionally have been an afterthought and left the team and a more realistic picture is painted of a group of players who were not a cohesive unit right out of the gates. One of the best books on the subject … ever!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic overview of the series, the social climate leading up to the series and hilarious quotes from the participants. Great read for all Canadians. Well written and easy to follow without getting bogged down in the play by play of the games.

P.352 "They were stronger physically, but we were tougher mentally. Our mental conditioning - the kind of toughness that comes only from playing in something like the Stanley Cup - is the thing that, in the end, proved the difference."

THE HEART!!! Esposito screaming that he's not getting off the ice - unsportsmanlike but the fire that he won't lose and he won't let the others lose either. I love that.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not being Canadian, I only knew the broad contours of the story, the goal that everyone remembers back in ol' 72, to wit, but the combination of the stories from the players, the framework of both the games but also the practice, the behind the scenes, the whole thing, was very fascinating. Being a Michigan hockey fan, I could hear every Red Berenson quote in his voice and cadence. That was great. An enjoyable read from start to finish.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous read. Team Canada captured a nation. John Bacon captures the reader with exhaustive research, complete access to the team, and a Canadian perspective that puts you in the locker room, at dinner with the coaches, and sitting at the negotiating table with the leaders of the Red Army Team. It's as much a history book as it is a hockey story. Young and old will enjoy and benefit from reading The Greatest Comeback.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember following this series as a nine-year-old, and was excited to read about it. The author did a superb job interviewing so many of the key people and brining the series to life. I did not know about many of the fascinating back-stories of this series. The author has a way of making a real-life story read like a novel--even if you know how it ends, he tells us a lot about how it got there.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along with Scott Morrison book, this 50th year retrospective was the best on the Summit series to date.

I particularly liked the odds and ends on the Soviet mind games, their lies, obfuscations, the absolute third world nature of the country, etc.

Not very different than the way they treated the Allies in WWII and after.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the 1972 summit series. The book is very Canadian focused and has numerous stories and anecdotes from players that aren’t in other books. Having Gretzky and Messier give opinions was very neat. The book did an excellent job dedicating what seems to be 100 pages on game 8. Great book!

[Tyler Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watching so many documentaries/movies, hearing stories from people who lived 1972, doesn't compare to how in-depth John U Bacon has taken this book, if there is a MUST-READ hockey book, it is this one!

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

50th anniversary of the greatest sports series ever played. Interviews with so many of the people involved. If you're Canadian and over age 60 you remember this series like yesterday. Bacon does a fine job covering all the bases.

Only negative is the lack of a photo section.

[Russ Mathers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I’m not a hockey fan but this was a very well told story about a hockey series I’d never heard of. I listened on Audible and it was well performed.

Bacon included enough history of the Cold War to add perspective without being too dry.

[Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best if not the best book on the 72 series…Fantastic insight from players, coaches, wives, etc…I have read many books on the series but this one provided more details that I had not known.

[Dianne Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

We won this series on my birthday (best gift ever). Excellent book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this hockey series and Phil Esposito was one of my favorite Bruins. His candor and emotion when interviewed made the book for me.