Catching Up With The Past: 1972 Summit Series News and Notes

Wayne Gretzky Dreamed of Second Summit

From Slam! Sports: If Wayne Gretzky had his way, we would have had another Summit Series.

After he and Mario Lemieux led Canada to the thrilling victory over the Soviet Union in the best-of-three final of the 1987 Canada Cup, the Great One really wanted to take the rivalry up a notch.

"My wish and dream was to eliminate the Canada Cup and do another eight-game series with Canada and the Soviet Union," Gretzky said Monday night, shortly after arriving in Moscow. "I felt the NHL had expanded so much and so quickly, we could play two games in Canada, two in the U.S., two somewhere in Europe and two in Russia. Full Story

Moscow Has Changed Since 1972

From The Sun: It's all tough to come to terms with for players who were in Moscow in 1972.

"The whole experience, Moscow 2012 versus Moscow 1972, is surreal," said Rod Seiling. "It's a different world. It's a different country. It's a different time.

"The fact the hotel we're staying in (the opulent Ritz Carlton) is on the site of the old Intourist -- where we stayed in 1972 and may have been one of the worst hotels ever operated in the world -- shows you how far Russia has come.

"It's upside-down." Full Story

Phil Esposito's Life Changing Move

From The Tampa Bay Times: Phil Esposito and wife Bridget had become parents, for all intents and purposes, opening their Tampa home to 19-year-old Dylan, son of Esposito's daughter Carrie, who Jan. 30 died suddenly of an abdominal aneurysm at 43. Talk about a mind-bending life change. Esposito, 70, founder of the Lightning and a member of the hockey Hall of Fame, had three daughters during his first marriage, but as he has said, "I didn't raise any of my kids; my wife (Linda) did. I just played hockey." Full Story