Playing on home ice at the Luzhniki Arena in Moscow, the champion Soviet Union was challenged only in its final game, a 3-2 win over Sweden. The USSR featured its usual depth of talent, including a fourth-line of checkers - 19-year-old Vladimir Konstantinov, 20-year-old Valery Kamensky and 21-year-old Yuri Khymlev. Captain Vyacheslav Fetisov was outstanding on defense for the Soviets and contributed six goals and nine assists. Rookie goaltender Evgeny Belosheykin, who had led the Soviet Union to the World Junior Championship in Canada just four months earlier, won himself another gold medal.
|