THN Archives: WCHL Teams Surprised Touring Soviets

Looking back to 1974, when WCHL teams faced off against the Moscow Selects.

In this edition of The Hockey News, we travel back to the 1973-74 season when the WCHL hosted the Moscow Selects. This was part of a two-week tour by the Russians, which featured games in the OHL, QMJHL, and the Western International Hockey League. Of the seven games, only Edmonton's All-Star team was able to defeat the Selects. Led by Gerry Cheevers, Mike Rogers, and Bob Bourne, the Oil Kings defeated the Russians 8-6 in front of 5,200 at the Edmonton Gardens. 

Also included in this issue is an update from around the league. From a 10-1 victory by the Swift Current Broncos over the Saskatoon Blades to Brandon Wheat Kings star Ron Chipperfield scoring his 40th goal in just 29 games, relieve some great moments from the past in this edition. 

Lastly, make sure to check out a feature on former WCHLer Howie Heggedal. Playing in the Southern Hockey League, the former Calgary Centennial recorded a league record, scoring six goals against the Suncoast Suns. In the best professional season of his career, he would record 86 points in 71 games for the  Greensboro Generals during the 1973-74 campaign. 

The Hockey News Archive is a vault of 2,640 issues and more than 156,000 articles exclusively for subscribers, chronicling the complete history of The Hockey News from 1947 until today. Visit the archives at THN.com/archive and subscribe today at subscribe.thehockeynews.com