Rendez-vous '87

Game 1 of Rendez-vous '87

1 2 3 Total U.S.S.R. 0 1 2 3 NHL All-Stars 1 1 2 4
Date	February 11, 1987
Arena	Le Colisée
City	Quebec City, Quebec
Attendance	15,398

Game 2 of Rendez-vous '87

1 2 3 Total U.S.S.R. 0 3 2 5 NHL All-Stars 1 0 2 3
Date	February 13, 1987
Arena	Le Colisée
City	Quebec City, Quebec
Attendance	15,395

Rendez-vous '87 was an international ice hockey series of games between the Soviet men's national ice hockey team and a team of All-Stars from the National Hockey League, held in Quebec City. It replaced the NHL's All-Star festivities for the 1986–87 NHL season. The Soviet team was paid $80,000 for their appearance in Rendez-vous '87, while the NHLers raised $350,000 for the players' pension fund.

Rendez-vous '87 was designed as a follow-up to the Challenge Cup series in 1979, hoping that the team of NHL All-Stars could beat the Soviet team, unlike before. To this end, the series was a two-game affair instead of a three-game affair in 1979. The two-game series took place during five days of festivities starting on February 9, 1987 and finishing on February 13. The series was very successful, with some, including Wayne Gretzky, calling for more international hockey, especially between Canada and the Soviet Union, the two top powers of hockey at the time. The teams split the games, with the NHLers winning the first game, 4-3, followed by a Soviet 5-3 victory two nights later.

Though they outscored the NHL 8-7 over the two games, Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov made no claim to victory. "The NHL didn't win and neither did we, the person that won was hockey itself. Both games were like holidays, like festivals, two of the greatest hockey games you'll ever see."

Television coverage

While the telecasts in Canada were on CBC as usual, they were not Hockey Night in Canada productions. The games were done as a CBC Sports production because Molson, who owned Hockey Night in Canada's rights at the time, was not allowed access to Le Colisée in Quebec City. Carling O'Keefe Breweries assumed advertising rights for the telecasts and the normal host(s) for Hockey Night in Canada in 1987, rookie Ron MacLean and Dave Hodge (before his late season firing) were replaced by Brian Williams. Even the ice blue blazers normally worn by Hockey Night in Canada commentators were replaced by the orange CBC sportcoats. Don Wittman and John Davidson called the action for CBC. The games were shown in the United States on ESPN, with Ken Wilson and Bill Clement in the booth.

Lineups

	NHL All-Stars	U.S.S.R.
Head Coach	Jean Perron (Montreal Canadiens)	Viktor Tikhonov (CSKA Moscow)
Assistant Coach(es)	Michel Bergeron (Quebec Nordiques) Bob Johnson (Calgary Flames)	Igor Dmitriev (Soviet Wings)
Lineup	1 – G Clint Malarchuk (Quebec Nordiques) 2 – D Mark Howe (Philadelphia Flyers, injured / did not play) 3 – D Mike Ramsey (Buffalo Sabres) 4 – D Rod Langway (Washington Capitals, Alternate) 5 – D Rick Green (Montreal Canadiens) 6 – D Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins, Alternate) 7 – D Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers, injured / did not play) 8 – D Ulf Samuelsson (Hartford Whalers) 9 – LW Glenn Anderson (Edmonton Oilers) 10 – C Dale Hawerchuk (Winnipeg Jets) 11 – C Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers) 14 – RW Kevin Dineen (Hartford Whalers) 15 – RW Esa Tikkanen (Edmonton Oilers) 16 – RW Michel Goulet (Quebec Nordiques) 17 – RW Jari Kurri (Edmonton Oilers) 19 – LW Kirk Muller (New Jersey Devils) 20 – C Dave Poulin (Philadelphia Flyers) 21 – D Normand Rochefort (Quebec Nordiques, game two only) 24 – D Doug Wilson (Chicago Blackhawks) 25 – D Chris Chelios (Montreal Canadiens) 28 – RW Tomas Sandström (New York Rangers, game one only) 31 – G Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers) 32 – RW Claude Lemieux (Montreal Canadiens) 66 – C Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) 99 – C Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers, Captain)	1 – G Sergei Mylnikov (Traktor Chelyabinsk) 2 – D Viacheslav Fetisov (CSKA Moscow, Captain) 4 – D Igor Stelnov (CSKA Moscow) 5 – D Vasily Pervukhin (Dynamo Moscow) 6 – D Mikhail Tatarinov (Dynamo Moscow) 7 – D Alexei Kasatonov (CSKA Moscow) 8 – D Alexei Gusarov (CSKA Moscow) 9 – RW Vladimir Krutov (CSKA Moscow) 10 – F Viacheslav Lavrov, (SKA Leningrad, game two only) 11 – C Igor Larionov (CSKA Moscow) 12 – D Sergei Starikov (CSKA Moscow) 13 – F Valeri Kamensky (CSKA Moscow) 14 – D Zinetula Bilyaletdinov (Dynamo Moscow) 15 – LW Andrei Khomutov (CSKA Moscow) 16 – RW Sergei Svetlov (Dynamo Moscow) 18 – C Alexander Semak (Dynamo Moscow) 19 – RW Mikhail Varnakov (Torpedo Gorky, game one only) 20 – G Evgeny Belosheikin (CSKA Moscow) 21 – C Sergei Nemchinov, (Soviet Wings, game two only) 22 – LW Sergei Priakhin (Soviet Wings) 24 – LW Sergei Makarov (CSKA Moscow) 27 – C Viacheslav Bykov (CSKA Moscow) 29 – LW Yuri Khmylev (Soviet Wings) 30 – C Anatoli Semenov (Dynamo Moscow, game one only)

Game One – February 11, 1987

NHL All-Stars won the game 4–3, thanks in part to the line of Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen. Dave Poulin scored the winning goal on a deflection from Mario Lemieux, but Lemieux was initially credited with the goal. On the bench, Lemieux could be seen pointing toward Poulin as the goal was announced.

	NHL All-Stars	U.S.S.R.
Final Score	4	3
Scoring Summary	Kurri (Gretzky, Tikkanen) 5:23 first Anderson (M. Lemieux) 17:00 second Dineen (Poulin, Hawerchuk) 7:03 third Poulin (M. Lemieux, Wilson) 18:45 third (GWG)	Kasatonov (Makarov) 18:42 second Bykov (Khomutov, Starikov) 2:03 third Semenov (Tatarinov, Varnakov) 8:04 third
Penalties	C. Lemieux 10:30 first Bourque 15:34 first Hawerchuk 12:28 second Tikkanen 8:18 third	bench (served by Kamensky) 14:37 second
Shots on Goal	11–9–7–27	5–9–10–24
Win/Loss	W – Grant Fuhr	L – Evgeny Belosheikin

• Referee: Nikolai Morozov
• Linesmen: Ron Finn, Ray Scapinello

Game Two – February 13, 1987

The Soviets won the contest 5–3. This game featured the emergence of the young Soviet forward line consisting of Valeri Kamensky, Viacheslav Bykov, and Andrei Khomutov. After the game, the players on each team exchanged hockey sweaters as part of the hockey tradition.

	NHL All-Stars	U.S.S.R.
Final Score	3	5
Scoring Summary	Messier (Kurri, Gretzky) 3:32 first (PPG) Wilson (Gretzky, Goulet) 7:33 third (PPG) Bourque (Lemieux, Gretzky) 19:23 third	Kamensky (Khomutov, Bykov) 3:13 second Krutov (Fetisov, Larionov) 5:41 second Kamensky (unassisted) 19:41 second Krutov (Larionov) 9:19 third (GWG) Khomutov (Kamensky) 12:59 third
Penalties	Anderson 9:50 first C. Lemieux 11:33 first	Nemchinov 3:22 first Krutov 9:50 first Fetisov 17:04 first Nemchinov 6:05 third Kasatonov 11:46 third Priakhin (minor and misconduct) 17:20 third
Shots on Goal	6–13–12–31	7–9–13–29
Win/Loss	L – Grant Fuhr	W – Evgeny Belosheikin

• Referee : Dave Newell
• Linesmen : Ron Finn, Ray Scapinello
• Tournament MVP's, NHL All-Stars Wayne Gretzky; Team USSR Valeri Kamensky

External links

• Canada Versus the Soviet Union The heyday of the battle for world hockey supremacy (1972–1987)
• http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/search/label/Rendez%20Vous%20'87 Rendez Vous '87