'1st time I felt Canadian': Newfoundlander among few who travelled to Russia for 1972 Summit Series

It was the road trip of a lifetime.

Five decades ago, about three thousand Canadians travelled where few westerners had ever ventured before: Russia. They boarded planes fuelled by their love of country and their passion for hockey, and in hopes of witnessing sports history.

Jim Herder was 26 when he travelled from Newfoundland to Moscow for the final four games of the 1972 Summit Series. He was in the crowd at the Luzhniki Palace of Sports when Paul Henderson scored one of the most important goals in hockey history.

Jamie Strashin: We are here marking the 50th anniversary of the '72 series. Does it seem like 50 years ago to you?

Jim Herder: No. I watched the milestones come and go and always wondered whether I'd be here for the 50th, but now that it's here, I'm really enjoying all the memories and the interest.

JS: How did you first find out that travelling to Russia was even possible?

JH: My friends heard about it two weeks earlier than I did and they were on the first group of 2,000 that went with Air Canada. When I heard about the extra Aeroflot flights and picking up another thousand seats, I said to my wife — we had a one year old at home — this is a chance of a lifetime to see Russia. And so I went.

JS: Describe the journey from St. John's to Moscow?

JH: We flew to Montreal first, and I guess there was a regular Aeroflot flight that went [from] Montreal to Paris to Moscow. We had a long layover in Paris. When I got on the plane with everybody, I was a stranger — but I met people that I still am in touch with today.

JS: Russia was a very mysterious, unknown place in 1972. What do you remember about your arrival there? Were you scared at all?

JH: I think I would have been concerned if I was on my own, but really [I] wasn't concerned about my personal safety because of the numbers of people who were going. I had no idea what was going on in the background and diplomatically between the two countries, and it's fascinating to read [about] it now.

JS: What were your initial impressions?

JH: When we landed in Moscow you might as well have put us on the moon. The weather was cold and it was in the middle of the night and we're all tired. They met us with what I call customs on steroids. Their military is not something that you can kid with. Every one of us had our bags gone through. We were there for two hours waiting until everybody was cleared. It was so unnecessary but it was sending a message, I guess, in retrospect. Then driving into Moscow, on the buses, there's just acres of apartment buildings, all dark and all alike.

JS: Where did you stay?