Quote:
Originally Posted by Theo27
Thanks for the information Zine.
Was Kapustin the regular on that line for Red Army Moscow?
I was also curious about Tretiak only playing in 4 of 7 games compared to 5 of 7 for Myshkin. I read that Tretiak may have been playing hurt during the games? Either way, I presume it was a surporse to see Myshkin having better stats for the series than Tretiak?
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Kapustin - Zhluktov - Balderis played together in the CSKA and national team from 1976 to 1980. It was probably the best line in the Soviet Union in the late 1970's. In 1980-1981 season the line was broken up when Balderis returned to Dynamo Riga and Kapustin went to play for Spartak Moscow.
In Spartak Kapustin played in an equally good line of Kapustin, Sergei Shepelev and Viktor Shalimov. That line played together from 1981 to 1986. Kapustin-Shepelev-Shalimov could have been the best line in the world in the 1980-1981 season. The KLM line did not yet play together in that season.
Kapustin-Shepelev-Shalimov did not become a long standing great line, as Kapustin was 27, and Shalimov was 29, when the line was first formed in 1980. Shepelev was a little younger, 25, but he never was the same after Kapustin and Shalimov retired from national team. Shepelev did not make the national team after 1984 Canada Cup.
But from 1980 to 1982 this line was as good as any line in the world. I have watched many video tapes from their game and I love the way they played the game. Kapustin-Shepelev-Shalimov was also instrumental in the 1981 Canada Cup victory with Shepelev scoring a natural hat trick in the final game.
