It was 50 years ago today (Wed) the Canada’s top hockey players played the Soviet Union’s national team in the finale of the eight-game Summit Series. With just 34 seconds left in the game Paul Henderson scored the winning goal and Canadians erupted in celebration.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, “Against the backdrop of the Cold War, both countries, who were playing against one another for the very first time, represented different styles of not only hockey, but sets of values and political systems too. It is estimated about three-quarters of Canada’s population, which at the time would be about 15-million people, tuned in to the final game from homes, offices and classrooms on what was a Thursday afternoon.

Trudeau notes the series paved the way for more European and Eastern Block players to play in North America, and their different styles of play ultimately changed hockey forever.