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.
