Ice War Diplomat: Hockey Meets Cold War Politics at the 1972 Summit Series

Former ambassador Smith has elegantly assembled an honest and uplifting sports history that represents a rare insider view of the diplomacy process and its successes and failures during the Cold War. In 1972, a team of Canadian hockey players and a team of the then USSR hockey players were assembled to play an epic eight-game series titled the Summit Series. Created to build better international relationships between the two countries, it was ultimately successful. Now, it is often remembered fondly as the beginning of a grand historical bond between the two nations. Just prior to this series, Smith began his 30-year career as a Canadian diplomat, receiving his first assignment at his country’s embassy in Moscow, Russia. Among other duties, he was given the awesome task of working to make the series a reality.