A four-part documentary series about 1972鈥檚 legendary Canada-USSR hockey battle is bound for CBC.
Producers say 鈥淪ummit 72鈥� 鈥� the series鈥� working title 鈥� presents 鈥渢he definitive story鈥� of the legendary eight-game Summit Series, which marks its 50th anniversary this September.
Each hour-long episode will examine the legacy of the Cold War-era faceoff, a nail-biter between cocky Canadian stars caught by surprise by their well-conditioned Soviet Union rivals.
The docuseries is set to premiere this fall on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service. A French-language version is also planned.
Nicholas de Pencier will serve as producer and showrunner alongside a team of writers and directors that includes musician and writer Dave Bidini, director and producer Robert MacAskill and journalist Ravi Baichwal.
Producers say the project will feature interviews with Team Canada players including Phil Esposito, Ken Dryden, and Serge Savard, in addition to voices from Team USSR, and never-before-seen archival footage
鈥淭he 72 Summit Series is in our DNA as a nation,鈥� de Pencier said Monday in a statement.
鈥淚t was a life-altering experience for the players and their fans from both sides of the Iron Curtain, that changed the cultural, political, and sports landscapes in ways that no one could have foreseen at the time.
鈥淚t is a story that endures and needs to be told through the prism of the present day to understand what it meant, how it changed hockey, and how it changed Canada.鈥�
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