Today we bring you a special moment that paved the way for many Europeans in the NHL and Russian players as well. This moment happened 31 years ago and in the dead of night literally. We may take this for granted, but the impact speaks volumes. First, we have a video and then the moment as always.
August 24, 1980
Peter Stastny, his brother Anton, and Peter’s wife Darina left the national team of Czechoslovakia at Innsbruck, Austria, after a 4-3 loss to the USSR. They left at midnight and defected to Canada.