The Cold War was a fascinating period in history, and it affected many aspects of our lives, especially in light of the geopolitical nature of the conflict. But aside from the politics, what exactly was the Cold War like? We’ll explore this in more detail in this article, but for now, let’s take a closer look at the most interesting facet of the fight for freedom: the hockey rivalry between the two superpowers. Between 1949 and 1991, the two rival nations were virtually locked in an icy embrace, playing each other for international bragging rights and keeping the Cold War children engrossed in their games for hours on end.
Table of Contents
Glory On Ice
Although it began as a mere sporting rivalry, the Cold War quickly evolved into a serious fight for global superiority, with all the intensity of a nuclear showdown. In fact, the fighting side by side on the ice brought out the best in both players and coaches, who developed amazing strategies to outsmart their opponents. Many great matches were played, with scores that would make even the most die-hard sports fan cringe. Below, we’ll explore some of the most interesting facets of this intriguing rivalry.
Hockey Equipment
One of the first things that anyone playing hockey in the 1950s would notice is how little equipment they needed to be able to play. While the sport had become incredibly popular in North America and Europe, it was still in its infancy in the Soviet Union, and players and coaches relied mostly on their speed, strength, and hockey sense to score goals. As the game evolved, so did the equipment, especially the sticks and pucks. While the original wooden puck was replaced by the more durable plastic one in the 1950s, the stick did not become entirely plastic until the 1970s. This enabled the players to better control the puck, contributing to an increase in scoring as the game grew more physical.
Hockey Sticks
When discussing the evolution of hockey, one of the first things that come to mind are the hockey sticks. Made of wood or plastic, depending on the era, the hockey stick has been a crucial component of the game since its inception. The stick’s role was originally to deflect the puck, but over time, other uses were discovered, such as shooting or holding the puck while passing. Even today, the shape and design of a hockey stick can vary a lot, but the basic structure always remains the same. Let’s take a quick look at how hockey sticks have changed throughout the years, and how they can still be identified by their most notable features.
The first wooden hockey sticks were produced in the early 1800s and were made mostly from spruce trees, though other woods such as oak were also used. Wood is still the preferred material to make hockey sticks because of its density and ability to absorb the shock of a puck or skidding carriage.
In the 1800s and well into the early 1900s, wooden sticks were gradually replaced by the now-famous curved sticks, which were made of a single piece of wood. These curved sticks were easier for the players to maneuver than their wooden counterparts because of their shape, and they enabled the sport to evolve into the fast-paced game that we know and love today. The curved stick eventually gave way to the tapered one in the 20s and 30s, which allowed for faster speeds and more revolutions per minute (rpm) when in use. One of the first tapered hockey sticks was produced by the English company W. S. Graham in 1895 and utilized wood pulp as a material, which was the standard for most of the 20th century.
Hockey Pucks
One of the most recognizable features of a hockey puck is its flat plane, making it easier for the puck to travel through the air and into the net (or past the goalie). The original design of a hockey puck was based on an English soccer ball, and it was first manufactured in the late 1800s. As the sport grew in popularity, new designs were constantly being produced to make the puck easier to maneuver for the players and to reduce the chance of injury due to rough play. The smoother the surface of the puck, the less energy that is required to propel it through the air, making it a safer option for the players. Pucks today are usually made of a variety of materials, from plastic (which is most common) to rubber or leather (the traditional choice of the 1880s).
Hockey Helmets
Hockey helmets came about as a result of a series of accidents and incidents that occurred in the early 20th century. One of the first recorded cases of fatal head injury was an American hockey player named Andy Hebenton, who was fatally struck in the head by a hockey puck in 1909. Following his death, football helmets were modified and utilized for hockey, and the NHL (then known as the National Hockey League) adopted a rule mandating that players wear helmets in 1908. However, it would not be until the 1920s that hockey helmets went mainstream as they became mandatory equipment for all players.
The Rise Of Nationalism
If you thought the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s was intense, just wait till you get a load of this. The game itself didn’t change a lot from the era of the Cold War to the present day, but the competitive spirit and national pride that existed during that time period permeated everything about the sport, especially in the United States. Many American families got swept up in the game back then, with the NHL experiencing a rapid increase in popularity as a result. It became an important way to bind the country together in the face of a common enemy, as American’s of all persuasions got to express their nationalism one last time before the World War II generation began to slowly decline in number.
Game Day
One of the most interesting and unique aspects of the Cold War era is how the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union affected the way that people lived and the way that they played. The game day atmosphere was completely different from any other sport, and it had a profound effect on players and coaches alike. The intensity of the rivalry spilled over into all areas of society, permeating everything from the way people dressed and acted to the way they played sports. For example, the United States had to completely reevaluate its approach to recruiting new soldiers, as the majority of them were hockey fans and wanted to participate in the sport whenever possible. Since the end of WWII, the United States had slowly begun to improve its national strength, and the game day atmosphere inspired some of these young men to take up the sport and to enlist in the military, resulting in a huge surge in interest. Due to the climate of the time, a lot of men found themselves playing hockey in the hopes of securing their status as a “real man,” and in many cases, this resulted in lifelong bonds formed between teammates and friends. This was most definitely a product of its time, as you would not typically see male friendships formed outside of the context of the work place today, let alone a sports arena.
Coaching
The man behind the bench, or more specifically, the coach’s approach to improving a player’s performance, is another fascinating aspect of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviets developed a system of intense, long-term training that produced remarkable results, enabling them to keep up with the Americans in terms of overall skill and athletic ability. Many credit the work of Russian strength coach Vasiliy Trofimenko for the country’s dominance in the late 1970s and early ’80s, with his unique style of training providing the Soviet players with the edge they needed to triumph over their American counterparts in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Trofimenko is renowned for his “stress inoculation” method of preparing his athletes for competition, which entails exposing them to as much stress as possible while maintaining a calm, collected mindset. This approach enabled the Soviets to remain at the top of their game for years to come, even as America began to rise again as a global power in the latter half of the 20th century.