Summit Series '72, Game 2. Cashman Now a Leader

"You could say that Cashman was one of our leaders in changing the tone of this game from the one in Montreal." exclaimed Harry Sinden after Canada's 4-1 victory at Maple Leaf Gardens in Game two. Wayne Cashman inserted for the game after not dressing in the first game debacle said, "I played like we do it on the Bruins, you go into the corner and dig that puck out and start throwing it around in front of the net." Cashman added, "I watched the game very closely on Saturday night - and I saw them getting into the corners first all the time. I just decided to get in there first myself."

For the first goal of the game Cashman set up Esposito in the slot after Cashman and Russian defender Vladimir Litchenko collided near the Russian blue line. In his wake, he left the Russian helmet-less and with a broken stick. Cashman said afterwards, "He broke the stick himself. I wouldn't do that to those guys. They can't afford to lose too many."

Pete Mahovlich who scored  what may have been the prettiest goal of the series with a shorthanded marker to get it to 3-1 Canada exclaimed, "Phew! I'd hate to have to play at that pace 78 games during the season." On the specifics of his beauty of a goal on which he faked a slap shot and the defenceman bit, he said, "He sort of seized up and I bounced the puck over his stick and went in on the goaler, hoping to fake him to the left. I guess it worked. I'll try it again if I get the chance."

 On Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, Phil Esposito had high praise for, "the way he can come out and close off the angles." He added however, "But, he's no Tony Esposito." Phil thought little brother Tony made, "one of the greatest saves I've ever seen, sticking his foot out" stopping a low hard shot by Kharlamov. "That one and those two big saves he made right at the start of the second period."

Harry Sinden summed up the series to date with, "In the first game we ran around. This time we were in control of ourselves. There's an organized way to play this game and a dis-organized way, you've seen both in three days."

As for the thunderous enthusiasm at Maple Leaf Gardens in support of Team Canada, Sinden thought it was such a rarity in that building that most of the fans, "must have been from outside Toronto".






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