Red Army: The Official Movie Trailer

Here's a plot summary as posted on IMDB.com:

Following the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, RED ARMY tells the story of the nation's famed Red Army hockey team through the eyes of its captain Slava Fetisov. Whether he was pitted against enemies in the political arena or on the ice, Fetisov's story provides a rare glimpse behind the Iron Curtain of the 1970s and '80s by mirroring the social and political forces at work in the world around him. While helping pave the way for his nation to cross over into the next century, this one man demonstrated how sports could not only be an avenue for creative expression in a world determined to suppress it, but also be something so inextricably intertwined with a nation's cultural and political identity.

And here is more from Jason Kay at The Hockey News.

The movie, which debuted at the world famous Cannes film festival in 2014, and is currently being shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie is expected to be released in North American theatres in 2015.

New Year's Eve Memories

New Year's Eve brings one common memory from the annals of hockey history - the epic showdown between CSKA Moscow and the Montreal Canadiens on December 31st, 1975. It is simply known as "The New Year's Eve Game," and everyone of a certain vintage knows exactly what it is referring to.

The game was part of a game exhibition series between Soviet clubs CSKA Moscow (aka Red Army) and Moscow Dynamo and eight NHL teams dubbed Super Series '76. You can read a full history of that tournament here.

Of the eight games two standout in memory - Red Army vs. Philadelphia for it's infamy, and Red Army vs. Montreal for it's class and drama. It was a beautiful display of shinny, hockey as it should be.

The game, a 3-3 tie, has been considered by many as the greatest game ever played. Although it was just an exhibition game, everyone knew it was much more than that. This game was for the unofficial world championship, to determine the best hockey team in the world.

You can read more about the famous New Year's Eve game courtesy Red Fisher, Kevin Shea, Dennis Kane, Lucas Aykroyd, Arthur Chidlovski and YouTube.