The Royal Canadian Mint’s latest $2 commemorative circulation coin celebrates the 50th anniversary of Team Canada’s triumph over Team USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in the 1972 Summit Series.
The inner core of the Summit Series $2 circulation coin features two players representing Team Canada.
On Sept. 28, 1972, with only 34 seconds left in a tied eighth and final game, winger Paul Henderson fired a shot that will forever be remembered as the greatest hockey moment in Canadian history.
Known at the time as the Canada-USSR Series, the nearly month-long competition’s first four games were played in Canada.
The USSR surprised the Canadian hockey world by beating Canada 7-3 in the opening game. Canada came back and won 4-1 in game two while the two teams tied 4-4 in game three; however, the Soviet Union left Canada with a lot of confidence after winning 5-3 in game four.
The series resumed two weeks later in Moscow with 3,000 home fans joining Team Canada for the final four games; however, in their first game in the Soviet Union, Team Canada lost 5-4. Undeterred, the team bounced back in the following two match-ups to win games six and seven 3-2 and 4-3, respectively.
The title was on the line as 15 million Canadians watched the showdown in game eight. Down by two goals at the start of the third period, Team Canada never gave up.
“Fifty years ago, I said that every one of us, all 35 guys, came out for Team Canada because we loved our country,” said Hall of Fame member Phil Esposito. “We came because we loved Canada. Today, it holds true. Every one of us is proud of what we did as a team and what we did for our country. The team came together and, importantly to all of us, the country came together.”
The 1972 Summit Series was an eight-game contest between Canada and the USSR with games scheduled across Canada and in Moscow.
“Canada’s winning goal was the most important goal in hockey history,” said team member and Hall of Famer Serge Savard. “If you ask Ken Dryden, or Pete Mahovlich, or Yvan Cournoyer, it’s the highlight of our career, even more than winning the Stanley Cups. It’s something different. We did it for our country.”
SUMMIT SERIES
CIRCULATION COINS
On Sept. 28, the Mint announced three million Summit Series $2 circulation coins had been minted, with two million featuring a fully coloured inner core.
“Many of Canada’s commemorative circulations coins celebrate events that have united Canadians in pride and celebration. The 1972 Summit Series is just such an event, which is why we are proud to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this legendary hockey triumph on a circulation coin,” said Marie Lemay, president and CEO of the Mint. “The Summit Series is a compelling reminder of what Canadians can accomplish when they unite, work hard and persevere. I hope that this coin will inspire Canadians of all ages, genders and backgrounds on the ice or in everyday life.”
Canadian artist Joel Kimmel designed the reverse of the Summit Series $2 circulation coin. The coin’s inner core features two hockey players representing Team Canada. Set against the team’s stylized maple leaf jersey emblem, two charging hockey players are framed by the words “THE SERIES LA SÉRIE” and “50 YEARS ANS.” The coaches’ initials and the jersey numbers of every player surround the core. The obverse still features the effigy of queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
The Mint will also issue several Summit Series collector coins with net sales being donated to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal.
“Hockey is a defining aspect of our national Canadian identity, and in 1972, Team Canada helped inspire a generation of Canadians,” said Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and minister of finance. “This new circulation coin may be a small token, but I hope – 50 years later – that it might help to inspire another. And I’m pleased that the net proceeds from the sale of the collector coins commemorating the Summit Series will be donated to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal.”
The collector sets include:
- 15,000 limited-edition special wrap rolls of coloured coins containing 25 uncirculated coins each, available for $79.95;
- 10,000 limited-edition special wrap rolls of coloured and uncoloured coins containing 25 uncirculated coins each, available for $159.90;
- a $30 two-ounce Fine silver version of the circulation coin measuring 55 millimetres with a mintage of 5,000 and available for $198.95; and
- a $200 pure gold version of the circulation coin measuring 30 mm with a face value of $200, a low mintage of 300 and available for $4,099.95.
For more details, visit mint.ca.