Henderson joins teammates onto Canada’s Walk of Fame

September 23, 2012   Miscellaneous   No comments

(Members of Team Canada ’72 enjoyed their Canada Walk of Fame Induction this weekend)

“Henderson has scored for Canada.”

Nearly forty years to the day after Foster Hewitt uttered those iconic words, Team Canada 1972 was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, whose enshrined members adorn the sidewalks of Mirvish Village in Toronto.

Paul Henderson, the man who scored game winners in each of the last three games of the fabled Summit Series – most famously in Game Eight – was thrilled to share the honour with his teammates. “It’s nice to be recognized,” said Henderson. “Obviously, the Walk of Fame and being recognized as a team is really special. We were put into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, so I’d say this is next in line.”

Several members of the 1972 team were in Toronto for the festivities including Henderson’s linemates Bobby Clarke and Ron Ellis, and goaltender Ken Dryden.

“We went to war together and persevered. There’ll be that bond that started back in ’72 and continues to this day,” Henderson said.

The 69-year-old appeared in good spirits, despite having a setback in his treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. When the Canada-Russia junior hockey challenge was staged last month Henderson missed a chance to tour with some of the Summit Series, due to his treatment. But his absence didn’t deter from the influence that the team had on the younger generation of players. “Hockey seems to be in our DNA, and I know that I was so thankful and so proud to be able to represent our country. So I think it’s the same with the young players today.”

Henderson opined that the end of the Cold War likely precludes any recurrence of the intensity of the original Summit Series. “There’s no mystique anymore,” he said. “(The Soviets) were an unknown commodity. They were trying to take over the world with their ideology.”

The scorer of the most famous goal in Canadian history couldn’t resist one last anecdote: “A buddy of mine phoned me about when the Berlin Wall went down. He said ‘Henny they never recovered, your goal was the last nail in their coffin.’”



Paul Henderson talks to a crowd at Toronto’s City Hall to kick off Canada’s Walk of Fame festivities.

Rob Del Mundo is the author of Off The Post, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca

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Rob Del Mundo

Rob is an avid Leafs fan, and Leafs media member working for Stan Fischler Hockey Services. He is also the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a part-owner and a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca.

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