Rare footage: Olympic hockey heats up Saskatoon in 1988

Saskatchewan has played host to plenty of high-level hockey over the years, but few top the rivalry between Canada and the Soviet Union.

You wouldn’t have expected both nation's men's Olympic hockey teams to be facing off in Saskatchewan. However, Olympic hockey has been played in our province, sort of.

We found rare footage of Olympic hockey teams playing games in Saskatoon in 1988.

That year, the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team faced off against the Soviet Union and Sweden in a pre-tournament series just days before the Calgary Olympics.

The games were some of the first to be played at the new Saskatchewan Place arena in Saskatoon, known today as SaskTel Centre.

This was before NHL players paused their season to play in the Olympics, so fans saw a Canadian Olympic roster that included Trent Yawney, Marc Habsheid, and Goaltender Andy Moog.

The Soviet Union had a stacked roster that included the likes of Igor Larionov, Alexander Mogilny, and Valeri Kamenski.

Both teams lit the lamp early, each getting a goal within the first two minutes. But Canada would get two unanswered goals after that and hang onto a 3-2 victory.

One day later, Canada’s Olympic team faced off against team Sweden.

This match was also a back-and-forth battle, where the teams exchanged two goals throughout the game, with the final score being a 2-2 tie.

Canada went into the Calgary Olympics but finished off the podium in fourth place behind Sweden, Finland, and the Soviet Union.

But those rare opportunities to see Olympic hockey in Saskatchewan, gave fans plenty to cheer about, with many showing their Canadian hockey pride.