'Cold War In Philly': Highly Popular Flyers-Soviets Documentary Available This Month
As a 20-year-old, Joe Amodei was in love with the Philadelphia Flyers.
They had just won consecutive Stanley Cups and were now facing the Soviet Red Army in what was billed as hockey's version of the Cold War.
That was 50 years ago, in the bicentennial year, and Amodei, his parents and siblings were glued to their TV set in their Bucks County home when that epic game was played at the reverberating Spectrum on Jan. 11, 1976.
It left a lasting impression on the budding filmmaker.
Oblivious To The Pressure
In the game against the Soviets, the Flyers ignored the intense pressure they were under and saved face for the NHL – and all of North America – as they soundly defeated the Soviets 4-1 and outshot them 49-13.
The Soviets had not lost to an NHL team before their tour ended against Philadelphia.
The film has interviews with key members of the team, along with those with a strong connection to the club.
At the showings, Dave Schultz and Larry Goodenough, players on the team that dominated the Russians, probably have drawn the most laughs with their engaging, deadpan comments.
The film is amusing and informative, and it also blends the Russian culture into the 80-minute show – and it gets serious when author Alan Bass talks about how Flyers owner Ed Snider used the game to make a political statement about how Russia mistreated Jews.
Bass, who wrote a book on Snider (Ed Snider: The Last Sports Mogul), mentions the Refuseniks – Jews who were trying to leave the Soviet Union in the 1970s but were not allowed to do so.
Bass' interview gives the film context, explaining Snider allowed signs to hang from the top of the Spectrum for the game against the Red Army, denouncing Russia's anti-Semitism and sending a message to viewers of the international telecast.
Snider's View
In an old interview with the late Snider shown in the film, the owner said it makes him "very happy" that "the Russians who are bullying all the people and all the countries behind the Iron Curtain would be afraid of us."
Audiences have been very receptive to the film, chanting "Let's Go Flyers!" as it starts, cheering loudly for each goal scored against the Soviets, and giving the late Gene Hart, the iconic broadcaster, a roaring ovation as he appeared on the screen during the showing in Phoenixville, Pa.
At one point in the opening period, the Russians left the ice after Ed Van Impe – who plays a major role in the film – decked Valeri Kharlamov with a hit.
That caused the Soviet Red Army to leave the ice in protest, believing a penalty should have been called.
Several members of the Flyers' 1970s teams have attended the movie showings and taken part in a question-and-answer session after the film. They will continue to do so in select screenings over the next few months.
Joe Watson, the defenseman who never runs out of stories and does the unthinkable in the win over the Soviets, and his brother, Jimmy, have appeared at many Q&A sessions after the shows.
"They love to talk about that time," Amodei said of the Flyers of that golden era. "These guys are having the time of their lives."
So are the audiences.
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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 4:26 PM.