The Super Series were exhibition games between Soviet teams and NHL teams that took place on the NHL opponents' home ice in North America from 1976 to 1991. The Soviet teams were usually club teams from the Soviet hockey league. The exception was in 1983, when the Soviet National Team represented the Soviet Union. A total of 18 series were held; the Soviet teams won 14 and the NHL won 2, with the remaining two series tied. 98 games were played across the 18 series, with Soviet teams posting an overall record of 55–33–10.
The Wings won a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 0 ties, 1 loss. The scores were:
1975-12-29 Soviet Wings beat Pittsburgh Penguins 7 to 4
1976-01-04 Buffalo Sabres beat Soviet Wings 12 to 6
1976-01-07 Soviet Wings beat Chicago Blackhawks 4 to 2
1976-01-10 Soviet Wings beat New York Islanders 2 to 1
Super Series 1978
Spartak Moscow versus the NHL
Spartak won a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 0 ties, 2 losses. The scores were:
Vancouver Canucks beat Spartak 2 to 0
Spartak beat Colorado Rockies 8 to 3
Spartak beat St. Louis Blues 2 to 1
Montreal Canadiens beat Spartak 5 to 2
Spartak beat Atlanta Flames 2 to 1
Super Series 1979
Soviet Wings versus the NHL
Soviet Wings won a series against NHL teams with 2 wins, 1 tie, 1 loss. The scores were:
Soviet Wings beat Minnesota North Stars 8 to 5
Soviet Wings tied Philadelphia Flyers 4 to 4
Detroit Red Wings beat Soviet Wings 6 to 5
Soviet Wings beat Boston Bruins 4 to 1
Super Series 1980
Dynamo Moscow versus NHL
Dynamo Moscow won a series against NHL team with 2 wins, 1 tie, and 1 loss. The scores were:
Vancouver Canucks beat Dynamo Moscow 6 to 2
Dynamo Moscow beat Winnipeg Jets 7 to 0
Dynamo Moscow beat Edmonton Oilers 4 to 1
Dynamo Moscow tied Washington Capitals, 5 to 5.
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
Red Army won a series against NHL teams with 3 wins, 0 ties, and 2 losses. The scores were:
Red Army beat New York Rangers 5 to 2
Red Army beat New York Islanders 3 to 2
Montreal Canadiens beat Red Army 4 to 2
Buffalo Sabres beat Red Army 6 to 1
Red Army beat Quebec Nordiques 6 to 4
Super Series 1983
Soviet journalist Vsevolod Kukushkin reported in his 2016 book The Red Machine, that the nickname for the Soviet national team came into usage during the 1983 series, when a headline in a Minneapolis newspaper read "The Red Machine rolled down on us".[1]
Soviet national team versus NHL
The USSR won a series against NHL teams with 4 wins, 0 ties, and 2 losses. The scores were:
Edmonton Oilers beat USSR 4 to 3
USSR beat Quebec Nordiques 3 to 0
USSR beat Montreal Canadiens 5 to 0
Calgary Flames beat USSR 3 to 2
USSR beat Minnesota North Stars 6 to 3
USSR beat Philadelphia Flyers 5 to 1
Super Series 1986
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
Red Army won a series against NHL teams with 5 wins, 0 ties, and 1 loss. The scores were:
Red Army beat Los Angeles Kings 5 to 2
Red Army beat Edmonton Oilers 6 to 3
Quebec Nordiques beat Red Army 5 to 1
Red Army beat Montreal Canadiens 6 to 1
Red Army beat St. Louis Blues 4 to 2
Red Army beat Minnesota North Stars 4 to 3
Dynamo Moscow versus NHL
Dynamo Moscow won a series against NHL teams with 2 wins, 1 tie, and 1 loss. The scores were:
Calgary Flames beat Dynamo Moscow 4 to 3 (OT)
Dynamo Moscow tied Pittsburgh Penguins 3 to 3
Dynamo Moscow beat Boston Bruins 6 to 4
Dynamo Moscow beat Buffalo Sabres 7 to 4
Super Series 1989
Moscow Central Red Army versus the NHL
Red Army won a series against NHL teams with 4 wins, 1 tie, and 2 losses. The scores were:
Red Army tied the Quebec Nordiques 5 to 5
Red Army beat the New York Islanders 3 to 2
Red Army beat the Boston Bruins 5 to 4
Red Army beat the New Jersey Devils 5 to 0
Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Red Army 4 to 2
Red Army beat the Hartford Whalers 6 to 3
Buffalo Sabres beat the Red Army 6 to 5
Dynamo Riga versus NHL
The NHL teams won a series against Dynamo Riga with 4 wins, 1 tie, 2 losses. The scores were:
Soviet Union