Soviet hockey team in Rochester? It’s a 1964 miracle on ice – Post Bulletin

The cryptic advertisements started appearing in the Post-Bulletin in early December 1964: “The Russians are coming!”

This was at the height of the Cold War, mind you, when the threat of a Russian invasion was nothing to take lightly.

In reality, though, this battle was going to take place on the ice. The touring national hockey team of the Soviet Union was scheduled to play against the Rochester Mustangs Dec. 22, 1964, at Mayo Civic Auditorium. It would be, said Post-Bulletin columnist Ben Sternberg, “the biggest hockey attraction ever presented locally.”

Indeed, the USSR had won the gold medal in hockey at the 1964 Winter Olympics, and while none of the stars of that team would make the trip to Rochester, there was apparently enough Russian hockey talent to fill out a couple of national teams.

“They played about 60 games last year and never were beaten, and I haven’t heard of anyone beating them this year, either,” said Bill Reichart, a Mustang who had been captain of the 1964 U.S. Olympic team.

Aside from the game, though, this would also be a cultural event — a rare opportunity locally to come face-to-face with people who were supposed to be our sworn enemies.

The ice was broken the night before the game when the Russian players were guests at a dinner gathering at the home of Dr. J.M. Janes, a Mayo Clinic surgeon who was the Mustangs’ team physician. A handful of local Russian speakers helped with the translations as the Russian players shared photos of their families back home. Then the players gathered around the hi-fi to listen to Beatles records spun by Bob and Mark Janes, the doctor’s sons.

From there, the Russians boarded their team bus, which took them to the Lawler Theater to view the film “For Those Who Think Young,” a beach movie starring Bob Denver, Nancy Sinatra and Paul Lynde. It was billed as “The swingingest young people’s picture of the year.”

The next morning, the Russian team worked out on the auditorium’s ice rink, which was about 50 feet short of regulation size. “This is not a sports arena for hockey — for dancing maybe?” joked Nickoli Ephstein, the Russian coach. “But we will do our best, we hope.”

After practice, it was time for the Russians to enjoy a taste of Christmas-season capitalism. They went shopping amid the holiday decorations at the Dayton’s and JC Penney stores downtown and at Miracle Mile.

Finally, it was time for the game. Despite some local…