The Calgary Cup was a four-team ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 tournament held from December 26, 1986 to January 3, 1987 in Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It was a preview event for the 1988 Winter Olympics

1988 Winter Olympics

The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...

, and featured the national hockey teams of Canada, Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

, the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. All games were held at the Olympic Saddledome

Pengrowth Saddledome

The Scotiabank Saddledome is the primary indoor arena of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 19,289 people.Located on the Stampede Grounds, on the east end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames of...

.

The tournament was won by Czechoslovakia, who defeated the Soviet Union 3–2 in the gold medal game. Canada won the bronze. Jiri Hrdina

Jiri Hrdina

Jiří Hrdina is a former NHL player from the Czech Republic. In 1984 he was a member of the Czechoslovak national hockey team which won silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sarajevo...

 was named the tournament's top forward, Jaroslav Benak was named top defenceman and Evgeny Belosheikin

Evgeny Belosheikin

Evgeny Vladimirovich Belosheikin was a professional ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for the HC CSKA Moscow and SKA Leningrad. He also played on the Soviet Union's 1987 Canada Cup and Rendez-vous '87 teams...

 the top goaltender. Legendary Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak

Vladislav Tretiak

Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...

 was the honourary chairman of the tournament.

Many future National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 players played in the Calgary Cup. In addition to Hrdina, Brett Hull

Brett Hull

Brett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...

, Dominik Hasek

Dominik Hašek

Dominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...

, Joe Nieuwendyk

Joe Nieuwendyk

Joseph Nieuwendyk is the general manager of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League and a retired Canadian ice hockey player...

, Zarley Zalapski

Zarley Zalapski

Zarley Bennett Zalapski is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman.-Playing career:Zalapski's career started with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders of the AJHL. In his first season with the Traders, Zalapski tallied 70 points in 67 games, including 17 goals. Zalapski spent the next two years...

, Cliff Ronning

Cliff Ronning

Clifford John Ronning is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 7th round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, 134th overall...

, Viacheslav Fetisov

Viacheslav Fetisov

Viacheslav "Slava" Alexandrovich Fetisov is a retired professional ice hockey defenseman...

 and Sergei Makarov

Sergei Makarov

Sergei Mikhailovich Makarov is a Russian former ice hockey right wing and two-time Olympic gold medalist, regarded as one of the greatest players to play the sport...

, among others, suited up for their respective national teams.

Game play

The Calgary Cup was organized as one of several "preview events" for the 1988 Winter Olympics, set to be held in Calgary ten months after this tournament. It featured the national teams of Canada and the United States, as international hockey's dominant powers of the time, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, in a round robin tournament that would see the top two teams meet in a gold medal game, and the bottom two play for the bronze. The tournament would also help the Canadian and American teams prepare for the European style of play.

The tournament opened on December 27, 1986 with the host Canadians facing the United States. The American team, which had formed only 36 hours previous, had only one full workout together prior to the game. They nonetheless shocked the Canadians, winning by a 5–3 score on the strength of two goals by Brett Hull

Brett Hull

Brett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...

. Obviously disappointed with his team's result, Canadian coach Dave King

Dave King (ice hockey)

W. David King is a Canadian hockey coach who has been head coach in the National Hockey League, the Russian Super League, the Winter Olympics, and the IIHF world junior championships. He was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan....

 stated: "We're obviously behind the eight ball. We have to go out and beat the Czechs and Russians, I guess. That'll be fun."

The second game saw the Soviet Union defeat the Czechs 4–0 on the strength of a shutout by Soviet goaltender Evgeny Belosheikin

Evgeny Belosheikin

Evgeny Vladimirovich Belosheikin was a professional ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for the HC CSKA Moscow and SKA Leningrad. He also played on the Soviet Union's 1987 Canada Cup and Rendez-vous '87 teams...

. The goaltender, who had previously been suspended prior to the tournament for what was rumoured to be alcohol problems, earned comparisons to legendary Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak

Vladislav Tretiak

Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...

. The Czechs rebounded the next night with a 6–3 victory over the Canadians in a game that left the home squad feeling much better than following the loss to the Americans.

The Soviets pummelled the Americans 10–1 in the fourth game as eight different Soviet players scored. Describing the loss, American coach Craig Patrick

Craig Patrick

Craig Patrick is a former American hockey player, coach and general manager, the son of Lynn Patrick and the grandson of Lester Patrick...

 said the Soviets made the Americans look like "the guys who travel

Washington Generals

The Washington Generals are an American exhibition basketball team, best known for their spectacular losing streak in exhibition games against the Harlem Globetrotters.-History:...

 with the Harlem Globetrotters

Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...

. At times, you can look pretty foolish." The Soviets then defeated Canada 4–1 on New Year's Eve in a game that was tied at one heading to the third period. The Russians outshot Canada 45–19 in the contest.

The final game of the round robin saw Czechoslovakia embarrass the United States 11–2 on the strength of a Jiri Hrdina

Jiri Hrdina

Jiří Hrdina is a former NHL player from the Czech Republic. In 1984 he was a member of the Czechoslovak national hockey team which won silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sarajevo...

 hat trick

Hat Trick

Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...

. As a result, the Czechs earned a match-up against the Soviet Union for the gold medal, while Canada would face the Americans for the bronze.

Final standings

Team	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA
Soviet Union	3	3	0	0	6	18	2
Czechoslovakia	3	2	1	0	4	17	9
United States	3	1	2	0	2	8	24
Canada	3	0	3	0	0	7	15

Bronze medal game
Gold medal game