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Paul Henderson: we showed you didn't need to be an All-Star to play in the 1972 Series.

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On Hockey Day in Canada, Ron MacLean asked Paul Henderson for some comments on his line in the 1972 Summit Series - with Bobby Clarke and Ron Ellis. Henderson replied: "We showed that you didn't need to be an All-Star to play in that series." Henderson continued: "I don't think any of the three of us were All-Stars at that point."

The only problem is: Clarke had just played in the last three All-Star Games; Henderson had played in the 1972 All-Star Game, and Ellis, already a bit old for an NHL player during that era at 28, had played in four All-Star Games, including, most recently, the 1970 game.

Indeed, among the 28 players who played in at least one game in the 1972 series, most were "All-Stars":

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
All-Stars 13 14 19 15 14
Pct GP 54.2 54.9 68.8 66.7 45.8

The second line shows the percentage of games played in 1972 by players who were All-Stars in each season. All 28 players on the Summit Series roster played in at least one All-Star Game between 1970 and 1974. In fact, there's no evidence that you could play for Canada at the highest levels of international hockey without being an NHL All-Star. Other than that, Henderson is completely correct.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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