Paul Henderson: 4 Nations ‘is some of the best hockey that we’ve seen’

There’s a lot on the line with the 4 Nations Face-Off final coming up tomorrow night between Canada and the United States. Paul Henderson, former professional Canadian hockey player, joins Evan to discuss the contentious, upcoming face-off.

Listen to Paul Henderson on The Evan Bray Show:

EVAN BRAY: Does hearing that goal 53 years later still take you back to that moment?

PAUL HENDERSON: Well, it always does. But there’s only thing that irritates me about that goal. I scored seven goals in that series. Six were really nice goals. The only garbage goal was the last one and I’ve had to listen to that for 50-something years. Any other goal but that one? But, well, okay, stop celebrating.

(Bray plays audio) There you go. That one was a beautiful one up the middle. You split the D. To me, you were like a modern-day Connor McDavid in that goal.

HENDERSON: Well, that was the only time in my life, wherever I went a one-on-four and scored. But anyway, I am so looking forward to the game.

Did you as players feel as though you were playing for something bigger than hockey games in that summit?

HENDERSON: Well, we didn’t initially, because we thought we were going to win. I mean, we knew they were good, but it’s just like the NHL today a last-place team plays the first-place team, the last-place team may win the odd game, but they’re sure not going to win a series, and that’s the way we felt. But I tell you what, six minutes into the first game, we knew that we were in over my head. In fact, Phil scored right off the bat.

I scored at the six-minute mark, and we come back to the bench, and I said to Bobby Clark and Ronnie Ellis, my two teammates, “Boys, this is going to be a very long series.”  We knew in that space that they were gifted, talented and unbelievably physically prepared. So it did become when we got behind, it did become our way of life against theirs, and we felt that way.

I told my wife, after we lost the first game in Moscow, I told my wife, if we don’t win the last three games, we’re going to be known as the biggest losers in the history of Canadian hockey. And we all knew it, but that’s what I think. And Tarasoff, the Russian architect of their hockey said that, you know, we can compete with the Canadians in so many areas, but we just don’t have the grit that they have, the heart. They just never give up and I think that’s the difference between communism and a democracy. Proud to be Canadians. Paul

Do you feel like the narrative around this four nations face-off, is it? Is it similar in some ways, to what was happening back then? It’s something bigger than just the game of hockey.

HENDERSON: Well, I think everybody that like in the America, the same way everybody wants to represent your country. You know, like us in Canada, we’re just, I think we were so looking forward to that, because we never, you know, the amateurs had to play, and the Russians are always winning every year because the pros couldn’t play. But I think that’s if you ask any hockey player, they want to represent their country and put the maple leaf on and and that goes with everybody also, and the Russians the same way when you know, and we, you know the problem those back in 72 we hated them, and we hated the Russians. We hated the players, but see, we shouldn’t have hated them. We should have just hated the system because they’re just like you and I. They’re trying to keep their wife happy, raise children and get by in the world, and so I am so thankful I’ve gotten to know a bunch of them since then, because they’re just like us. They’re just great guys and trying to make youknow, prove themselves to the world that they could play hockey, and the Russians certainly did that, and then we certainly did it at the end. And so it’s just something.

I was at the game on in Montreal, and I, I don’t think I’ve been in an arena that was more electric. It was just and then the start of the game, what is going on here? And but that’s, I think this is some of the best hockey that we’ve seen. And I’ll tell you, I think that look David and McKinnon. I mean, there’s nobody can skate and do the things that they can do, but everybody on that team is a gifted Marner, one of the, well, he plays here in Toronto, and I see him all the time. He’s one of the best playmakers I’ve ever seen in my life. And there isn’t a person on that team that isn’t an outstanding hockey player, and I think it’s these games have been some of the best hockey I’ve just seen in years.

Do you think it’s different for Canadians because of our history with the game of hockey? Do we put more pressure on ourselves?

HENDERSON: Well, I think so, but I think it’s good. I think that pressure is good because you know that if you don’t come and play, you’re going to get embarrassed and so. But these guys have been professionals for years. They’ve been doing this for years, and they hate to get I don’t care who you are. If you’re a professional hockey player, you don’t want to lose a shift, a game or anything. And then, of course, playing for your country, because when you know, if you’re playing a game, and not even on television, I mean, you don’t have the you know, the pressure on you. But Saturday night, when I skated out in that rink, on Saturday night when I played with the lease, I knew that half the country was watching us. It was, and a guy like me, I just love that other guys, you know, don’t seem to like that kind of stuff, or your personality comes in. But I just reminded myself, I got the whole country to watch him, so I better compete.

What do you think about the booing when the national anthem for the United States is played?

HENDERSON: I’m I wasn’t, you know, but I think that’s what Trump has done for us. I mean, hockey brings a whole country together. I mean, nothing else will bring us from, you know, Vancouver to Halifax and, and I guess you know it Quebec, and that surprised me a bit, but I’ll tell you what, even Austin Matthews, every time he touched the puck, he got booed and so that just tells you what the little patriots, and I love patriotism, and I it came out there, and but, of course, there’s a fine line between humility and pride, and it’s the same thing there. You can go over the line, and it’s a very, not a very bright line. And so I was little embarrassed at times, I think, but overall, but I tell you what, I am firmly convinced that you’re going to see Canada play one of the best games they ever have played for these guys.

If we look at just the rivalry between Canada and the United States, some comparisons get drawn to the 2010 Olympics, which, of course, was the golden goal by Sidney Crosby to win the gold there. Do you compare? Do you think there is a comparison, Paul, between the 2010 Olympics and the gold medal win for Canada, and what we’re seeing now?

HENDERSON: Oh, definitely in, you know, Eleanor and I, we used to do marriage conferences, and we were doing one out in in Victoria on Vancouver Island, and we were watching the game. We had spoken in the morning, and we were watching it looked like we were going to win. And then they, you know, the US tied it up, and we had to go and speak again. And so I told and we had 300 people in the room. I said, if I told the people that if you listened on the radio or something like that, I said, if the US scores, don’t say a word, but if Canada scores, please just yell it out about 15 minutes into the talk, Lady shout out. Crosby scored for Canada, and I started to sing O Canada. And my wife told me afterwards, don’t you ever do this again in your life, because I am a terrible singer. But we just spontaneously started singing O Canada, and, you know, and I’m a terrible singer, but, and the worst of it is they found out there was about several couples were from Americans there, and I had to apologize later, but that, but that’s what it does for you. mean, it was just instantaneous, okay. I promised my wife. I would never do it again, and I never have.

Who do you put money on to score that winner?

HENDERSON: Well, I would say, you know, if you’re going to win your best players have to be your best. And I, you know, I think McKinnon and Nick David are, I mean, they just, they separate themselves. I mean, McKinnon goes down the lathe goes down. This is like a runaway train, and the things they can do with that puck at full speed. If so, I would pick, obviously, I would pick one of those two, because they are just dangerous from anywhere. But it could be anybody. I mean, Mitch Marner is a clutch player and it, I don’t care who it is, I just want to win.

If you were in the middle of that locker room before the game, giving a motivational speech, what are you saying to those players?

HENDERSON: I would tell them, just go and have fun. Guys. Just do that. You’ve all got rules to play. Just go and do it. Then. I think it’s really important that don’t try to do something you shouldn’t do. In other words, don’t try to go through the team when you know you can’t or anything like that. Don’t try to be the hero. Just go and play the game as if it opens up before you when you. Get a good chance to bury the sucker.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.