The 1979 World Hockey Association All-Star Games were a three-game series that was held at Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, the home of the Edmonton Oilers. In place of the usual one game played by the WHA with league all-stars, they elected to pit a set of their league All-Stars against Moscow Dynamo of the Soviet Union. The games were held from January 2–5, 1979. The WHA All-Stars consisted of players from the six surviving teams. Moscow did not elect to play their perceived best stars. Likely, the highlight of the series was the line of Wayne Gretzky with Gordie Howe and his son Mark Howe playing together, which scored three goals in Game 1.
Larry Hillman, coach of the defending Avco Cup champion Winnipeg Jets, coached the WHA, while Vladimir Kiselyov coached Moscow.
Team Lineups
WHA All-Stars Coach: Larry Hillman (Winnipeg Jets) Nat. Player Pos. Team Goaltenders Dave Dryden Edmonton Oilers Markus Mattsson Winnipeg Jets Defencemen John Hughes Edmonton Oilers Paul Shmyr Edmonton Oilers Claire Alexander Edmonton Oilers Rob Ramage Birmingham Bulls Rick Ley New England Whalers Barry Long Winnipeg Jets Forwards Robbie Ftorek Cincinnati Stingers Mike Gartner Cincinnati Stingers Peter Marsh Cincinnati Stingers Rick Dudley Cincinnati Stingers Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers Blair MacDonald Edmonton Oilers Serge Bernier Quebec Nordiques Real Cloutier Quebec Nordiques Marc Tardif Quebec Nordiques Morris LukowichWinnipeg Jets Peter Sullivan Winnipeg Jets Dave Keon New England Whalers Gordie HoweNew England Whalers Mark Howe New England Whalers
Moscow Dynamo Coach: Vladimir Kiselyov, Pavel Zhiburtovich (assistant).
Player GoaltendersSergei BabarikoVladimir Polupanov DefencemenVasili PayusovVitali FilippovAlexander FilippovSergei GimayevAlexei VolchenkovVladimir OrlovMikhail Slipchenko ForwardsViktor ShkurdyukVladimir VikulovAlexander LobanovAlexander VolchkovPavel YezovskikhVladimir PopovAlexei FrolikovMikhail ShostakVladimir GolubovichVladimir SemyonovYevgeni KotlovVladimir DevyatovSergei TukmachyovVyacheslav Anisin
Game summary Game 1 # Score Team Goalscorer (Assist(s)) Time First period1 1-0 WHA Wayne Gretzky (Mark Howe, Paul Shmyr) 1:352 1-1 Moscow Alexei Frolikov (Sergei Tukmachyov, Vitali Fillippov) 14:203 2-1 Moscow Vladimir Semyonov (Veygeni Kotlov) 18:08 Second period4 2-2 WHA Wayne Gretzky (Gordie Howe, Mark Howe) 16:29 Penalties : Backstrom (WHA All-Stars) 14:58, Long (Moscow) 18:03 Third period5 3-2 WHA Mark Howe (Gretzky, G. Howe) 7:026 4-2 WHA Peter Sullivan 19:51 Goaltenders : Moscow: Sergei Babariko WHA: Dave Dryden
Shots on goal : Moscow (21) 8 - 6 - 7 WHA: (30) 12 - 8 - 10
Game 2 # Score Team Goalscorer (Assist(s)) Time First period1 1-0 WHA Morris Lukowich (Ftorek, Mike Gartner) 2:262 1-1 Moscow Mikhail Shostak (Filippov, Shkurdyuk) 7:383 2-1 WHA Mark Howe (Goride Howe, Wayne Gretzky) 9:274 3-1 WHA Mike Gartner (Lukowich, Sullivan) 16:51 Second period5 3-2 Moscow Shkurdyuk (Lobanov) 19:44 Third period6 4-2 WHA Gretzky (Ley) 5:45 Goaltenders : Moscow: Sergei Babariko WHA: Markus Mattsson
Shots on goal : Moscow (22) 4 - 10 - 8 WHA: (37) 17 - 8 - 12
Game 3 # Score Team Goalscorer (Assist(s)) Time First period1 1-0 WHA Morris Lukowich (Gartner) 1:462 2-0 WHA Ramage (MacDonald, Keon) 6:413 2-1 Moscow Shkurdyuk (Anisin, Volchenkov) 11:024 2-2 Moscow Mikhail Shostak (Slipchenko, Frolikov) 11:435 3-2 WHA Peter Sullivan 18:29 Second period6 4-2 WHA Bernier (Ley, Gartner) 14:03. Third period7 4-3 Moscow Semyonov (Payusov, Lobanov) 13:12 Goaltenders : Moscow: Sergei Babariko WHA: Markus Mattsson
Shots on goal : Moscow (19) 8 - 2 - 9 WHA: (29) 13 - 11 - 5
References