Q&A with Paul Henderson

Paul Henderson jumps into Yvan Cournoyer's arms after scoring the series-winning goal with 34 seconds left in Game 8. AP

Paul Henderson scored 376 goals in his professional hockey career, but it's one goal on Sept. 28, 1972, that has defined his life. Henderson scored five goals in the four games in Moscow, including the game-winning goal in each of the final three games. Henderson spoke with CNNSI.com NHL Producer Jon A. Dolezar about the '72 Summit Series and his life since.

CNNSI.com: What are you looking forward to about this weekend's reunion in Toronto?

Henderson: It's going to be terrific. It's been awhile since this many of us have gotten together, so we are really looking forward to it. Just the camaraderie. Obviously, a bunch of guys we went to war together with. We got a neat weekend planned -- we have a golf tournament, we have a dinner dance lined up, we're getting rings, we're going to do some things to get the public involved -- and probably tell each other a bunch of lies about how good we look.

The Series An exhibition which turned legendary 1972 Summit Series Game Recaps Defining event in Canadian history Russian hockey changed drastically Oppression bred creativity on ice From SI Eliot: A lasting impression Flashback: Still blushing Flashback: Off to Hockeyland Flashback: Narrow victory Features Q&As: Henderson | Tretiak Team Stats: Canada | Soviet Union More stories Canada bodychecked communism Slap in face to Canadians Hopes were dim heading to Moscow Too much garbage with series

It's a time to celebrate. None of us are getting any younger. The sad part is we lost Gary Bergman, who was one of the stars of the team. So there will be a bit of melancholy to it without him. Obviously, though, none of us are getting any younger and the years are going to take their toll.

CNNSI.com: How many guys have you stayed in touch with in the group?

Henderson: A lot of the guys live around here [Toronto]. There's probably about eight or 10 guys that I see at different functions. Obviously the guys who live in this area, you see a lot more of them, because we do charity things together. But the guys who live in the States, you don't see that much of them.

CNNSI.com: How does it feel to hold such a special place in Canadian hockey history?

Henderson: It's very satisfying. I mean, to be chosen "Team of the Century" -- is that any good? And the goal was chosen as the "Sports Moment of the Century." That's terrific. And the great news is we're really excited that the eight games came out on DVD, so it's neat because they are all fixed up with good color now, so I'm going to be able to show these to my grandchildren. I can share a little history with them, walk them through it and talk about what it was like in Russia, tell them about the refereeing and all that kind of stuff. So we've kept it for history's sake right now, because it was a significant time in Canadian history -- in our whole identity even.

CNNSI.com: What has been the lasting impact of the Summit Series on Canadian hockey?

Henderson: I think we needed it. The Russians had been beating our amateur teams. This is the one thing up here in Canada that we are all about. We are all about hockey. If there's something that will rile people up, it's their hockey. You get a Habs fan and a Leafs fan and they'll almost come to blows over it. So it's something deeply ingrained in us. And then obviously when you play on the world scene, we are all Canadiens. We're not Easterners or Westerners. So it's probably hockey more than anything -- it did bring us together more in '72. I've heard that 100 times over -- it brought us together probably better than any other thing did, besides war.

CNNSI.com: How much do you think the Soviet game has influenced what we see now in the NHL?

Henderson: Are you kidding me? Physical training, dry land training. We thought we were in shape, we thought we had good conditioning until we ran into them. The whole European influence in training, weight training, everything like that. None of us pumped weights or that kind of stuff back then. Nowadays, everybody does it. And you have to -- you can't compete if you don't.

CNNSI.com: How impressive was your performance in the last three games of the series?

Henderson: I was looking forward to playing over there because speed and my shot were my two biggest assets. And I really felt the better hockey players I played with, the better I was going to play. Because if you put me on with a bunch of hackers, I'm not going to stand out. I'm not a guy who's going to stick out through the whole team. And so with the bigger ice surface and playing with that caliber of players, I figured this was my element. If I'm ever going to do well, it's going to be here. And I actually scored two goals in the first game over there. So I scored five goals in the last four games, but it really didn't surprise me. Not that I was that talented, but my skills were perfect for this environment. And I was a very good defensive hockey player, too, so I was not going to be a liability in my own end. I was a very, very good defensive hockey player. So I was good defensively, and boy, I could hurt you bad with my speed if I had the people that could get me the puck. And obviously I had the best players in the world, so that's, in fact, what happened.

CNNSI.com: Did you stick together with the same line the entire series?

Henderson: Yeah, we were the only one. Ron Ellis, Bobby Clarke and myself. I believe Phil Esposito was our best hockey player, there's no question, but our line was the best line. We were the only line that stayed together all eight games and we were very effective at both ends of the rink.

CNNSI.com: What has the series-winning goal meant to you?

Henderson: Obviously, I've been riding that thing for 30 years. It's given me a profile in this country that I wouldn't have had. I'd be known as a very good hockey player with the Leafs, but this has taken it above and beyond anything that my wildest imagination would've ever imagined. I'm more recognizable in this country today than I was back then. And it's very satisfying. But it's always win-win. With Canadians, they tell me, "I remember where I was when you scored the goal." Like in the States people tell you where they were when JFK was killed. With Canadians, they know where they were when I scored the goal.

CNNSI.com: What are your memories of the play where you scored the series-winning goal?

Henderson: I see it all the time and it's just as vivid today as it was back then. I got goose bumps for probably about six or seven years when I'd watch that thing. It was absolutely incredible. Every time I watched it, I'd get goose bumps go up my back. Now it's been awhile since I got goose bumps, but obviously it's still very, very satisfying.

CNNSI.com: What happened on the actual play itself?

Henderson: I called Peter Mahovlich off the ice. I really wasn't even supposed to be out there. Peter thought the coach was yelling at him, so he came off and jumped over the boards. Yvan Cournoyer had it on the far boards and I yelled at him. He fired it across and I was hoping just to one-time it, because I was a righthand shot coming off the left wing. But it was too far out in front of me. And the Russian came out and actually tripped me, I fell and my momentum carried me into the back boards. I got up and Phil Esposito had just whacked at the puck and whacked it at Vladislav Tretiak. Fortunately for us, Tretiak kicked out the rebound. And I had gotten up so fast that I was actually right there. I had the puck right on my stick and I tried to immediately fire it into the corner. And Tretiak got it with his pad. I thought, "Oh, no!" But the puck came right back to me and he was down. I had about a foot to put it in and so I buried it in the net, jumped into Cournoyer's arms and have been celebrating for 30 years.

CNNSI.com: What did you guys do after the game?

Henderson: It was a great celebration, but we weren't crazy. I think we were done physically, mentally and emotionally. We just sat there and sort of savored it. Then went back to the hotel and we were going to have a celebration back there, but they had closed all the restaurants on us, so we sat in the hallway with peanut butter and crackers and a beer. I can't even remember how late we stayed up, that's a mirage now.

CNNSI.com: How were you guys received during the four games in the Soviet Union?

Henderson: It was a whole new ballgame. Back then it was the Iron Curtain. The accomodations were third-rate, the food was atrocious, the refereeing was awful, there were a lot of things that really upset us. So it wasn't the greatest place in the world to be. We just couldn't wait to get out of there.

CNNSI.com: How did the politics of the time motivate you guys as players?

Henderson: It was obviously our way of life against their way of life. They had no scruples whatsoever, as far as we were concerned. They'd do anything to win. Even the last game -- Kampola was not supposed to be refereeing that game, but they just somehow got him on the ice. But that's the way they did things. Fortunately for us, we were able to overcome it. It really was a whole ideology. It was freedom against communism.

CNNSI.com: Do you think the 1972 Summit Series was some of the best hockey ever played?

Henderson: I think until 1972 it was, no question. But I think the 1987 Canada Cup series with Lemieux and Gretzky was unbelievable hockey. I was there, I watched it, and I think that was some of the best hockey I've ever seen. But times change, you see, so it's like comparing apples and oranges. The game changes and so at that point in history, it was the best.

CNNSI.com: How would you describe the Soviet style of hockey and what they tried to do on the ice?

Henderson: They were so skilled. Their skill level was unnerving. They had a game plan. They passed the puck -- it was all about controlling the puck, while we were much more about shooting the puck in, going to get it, crashing and banging the boards. They never thought about doing that. They never wanted to give the puck up, which was a new idea. There were a whole bunch of different things that we had to make major adjustments to.

We made them slowly. The biggest adjustment was that we had to get ourselves in shape to compete at this level, because we were in the summertime and we just had a short training camp. We underestimated them, so physically we weren't ready to play initially. And then all the guys on our team were all superstars and everybody wanted to do the same things they always did, and so it was very tenous at times.

CNNSI.com: How different is the Russian style from the Canadian style?

Henderson: Well, it was traditional European hockey. Even today, it's coming around and it getting a lot tougher now over there. But back then, they just played a different game. There was no fighting -- you'd get thrown out of the game if you did. There was much more stickwork and much more puck control than our game.

CNNSI.com: Do you think an event like that could ever be staged again?

Henderson: No. There is no mystique any more. We see them all in the NHL. The Fedorovs are all here. The Bures, the Jagrs, there are no surprises any more because everybody sees the best hockey players in the world. And they all want to be in the NHL and that's where they are. You can never reconstruct that, because there is no mystique any more. We know everything now. There was the Iron Curtain. You just could never replace it.

CNNSI.com: Which current NHL player plays a style most similar to how you played?

Henderson: Oh, it's hard to say. Guys that I really admire would be Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman. They are just great hockey players. They fire the puck well. Look at the careers they have had -- they are team leaders and they can score the big goals. They are very, very gifted, talented guys. I love watching them. And young guys like Jarome Iginla now, too. Boy, can he fire that puck and score great goals? I mean, it's terrific. We have a lot of great hockey players and I think we highlighted it in the Olympics. It was wonderful.

CNNSI.com: What does it mean to you when people tell you how much the Summit Series means to them?

Henderson: I had a guy come up to me about two months ago who had emigrated from England in 1965. He told me, "I was an Englishman living in Canada until Sept. 28, 1972. But that day, I became a Canadian and I've been a very proud Canadian ever since." When you hear these kind of stories, it's obviously very satisfying.

CNNSI.com: What else have you been doing with yourself since your NHL career ended?

Henderson: I went to seminary and since 1984 I've been running a men's Christian ministry called The Leadership Group. We talk a lot about being husbands and fathers, trying to find balance in life. I started with three men back in 1985-86, and now I've got over 600 men and more than 70 groups that meet in the area. We look at the spiritual dimension of life and look at the things that are really important. Things like what kind of legacy you are going to leave behind and what are you doing with the life you've got. My wife and I do about five marriage conferences per year.

CNNSI.com: How much hockey do you still watch these days?

Henderson: Not as much as I used to. I do a lot of traveling and speaking, but I'll get down to Toronto once in awhile to watch the Leafs. But I'm always aware of what's going on with the Leafs. In the morning I ride my bike and usually watch TSN to catch all the highlights.

CNNSI.com: How much hockey do you still play these days?

Henderson: Not much anymore. We get away in the winter. I have a bit of a bad back and so if it goes out it takes like three weeks to heal. The amount of time going to get treatment drives me nuts. So I basically have hung up the skates. Like this year, Ronnie Ellis wanted me to play in the NHL Hall of Fame induction game, but I said, "Ronnie, I've hung 'em up, big boy." So no more public games. We played last year, but I find that there's a time for everything and it's time for me to put them on the wall.

I haven't changed a pound. I'm still in great shape. I played at 184 and I'm still 184 today. I work out three or four days a week, so I'm still in great physical condition, but I've just chosen that there's a time and I feel this is my time.

CNNSI.com: Would you say that the time around the 1972 Summit Series was one of the best times of your life?

Henderson: No, it was one of the worst times of my life, actually. Harold Ballard owned our club and we had no chance to win the Stanley Cup. I couldn't stand him. I hated the guy's guts. We just couldn't compete. We lost half our team to the WHA. There was a lot of anger and bitterness in my life right then. I never really got a chance to celebrate '72. And then there was the invasion of our privacy. So it was not a good time in a lot of ways. I'm not sure that I was ready for that kind of stature all of a sudden. Like it happened overnight. "Whoah, here, what's going on?" It was not the best time in my life, that's for sure. I probably enjoy it more now than when it happened.

CNNSI.com: What about the controversy surrounding your criticism of Bobby Clarke for his slash on Valery Kharlamov?

Henderson: Hockey players fight all the time. You get in a fight, then after the game you go out and have a beer and it's all over. That's why I'm fully anticipating this weekend. I phoned Clarkey and said, "I am sorry, I didn't mean it that way." I stand behind what I said -- what I said, I meant -- but who needs to bring this garbage up? Why don't we just talk about Esposito being the best hockey player in the world? We are going to sell a whole lot more DVDs, so there's a good side of it.

 

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