In 1972 an eight-game competition was held for the first time ever between Canada's best professional hockey players and the top players from the USSR's Red Army team. The heavily favoured Canadians were stunned by the Soviets' speed, stick-handling, and passing capabilities.
In an event that gripped the nation, the series came down to the last game in Moscow, Russia. On that day, business from coast to coast came to a near complete standstill as the television play-by-play of broadcaster Foster Hewitt held Canadians spellbound. Henderson, who had also scored the game-winning goals in games six and seven, scored the winning goal in the eighth and final game. The goal made Henderson a national hero.