OTTAWA — Canadian diplomats wryly noted the Soviets were “never short of reasons” as to why their hockey team stumbled against the world’s best four decades ago, newly declassified documents reveal. Millions of Canadians watched with delight in 1976 as the home side captured the inaugural Canada Cup — a forerunner of this month’s World Cup of Hockey tournament in Toronto. The Canadian Embassy reported to Ottawa in a post-tourney memo that interest in hockey remained “intense and pervasive” in the Soviet Union. The Canada Cup featured teams from Canada, the United States, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland. “You will appreciate that the Soviets are never short of reasons for not winning.”

Source: National Post September 18, 2016 21:22 UTC