The game between Great Britain and France during the 2019 IIHF World Championships is now folklore.
In a winner-takes-all game to stave off relegation, GB fought back from a 0-3 deficit to claim victory in overtime.
It wasn’t the first time these two nations had faced off in such circumstances.
We need to rewind the clock almost sixty years to 1964, when GB and France had opted out of playing in the Olympic Winter Games hosted in Innsbruck, Austria.
It resulted in the nations facing each other in a two-legged affair for the chance to compete at the 1965 World Championships.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar scenario then, as Hungary and Italy were also involved in a playoff for qualification. The former prevailed 5-4 on aggregate through two closely fought games.
The first leg was played at Wembley’s Empire Pool on Saturday 5th December 1964.
Not only was the game played in front of a sell-out crowd reported to be eight thousand strong, but broadcast live on BBC One, on the infamous Grandstand sports program.
The Great Britain squad featured several Scottish players, of whom two played pivotal roles in the first game.
France opened the scoring late in the first period. They were immediately pegged back courtesy of a goal from GB Captain Marshall Key.
GB changed jerseys during the intermission and the new look had the desired effect.
A single strike from Ian Forbes and a brace by Jimmy Spence propelled the home team into a 4-2 lead through forty minutes.
Spence completed his hat trick early in the third period and struck a fourth with a penalty shot.
Ronnie Stark and Graeme Farrell rounded off the scoring to give Great Britain an emphatic 8-2 first-leg win.
Spence finished the game with four goals and six points, whilst Forbes added a pair of assists to his lone tally.
Goaltender
Willie Clark
Defence
Johnny Carlyle
Mike Jordan
Bill Brennan
Dorry Boyle
Forwards
Ian Forbes
Jimmy Spence
Ronnie Stark
Bob Stevenson
Bill Miller
Andy McCubbin
Graeme Farrell
Marshall Key
Dave Lammin
The second leg took place six days later in France, but not where you might expect.
The venue was in Boulogne Billancourt, a suburb of Paris located around 8km/5 miles outside of the city.
A first period without scoring essentially put paid to the faint hopes of the host nation in pulling off an incredible comeback.
France would give their fans something to cheer about as 3-2 victors but lost the tie 10-5 on aggregate as Great Britain qualified for the upcoming world championships.
Finland hosted the 1965 World Championships, the first time the country had held the tournament.
Great Britain performed credibly, suffering only heavy defeats against the powerhouses of Germany (4-12) and Poland (2-11).
An opening 5-5 tie against Yugoslavia was followed by a narrow 4-5 loss to Austria.
Great Britain led 3-0 against Switzerland before succumbing to a 4-7 reverse.
GB avoided finishing bottom of their group by winning their final game.
A 5-1 win against Hungary meant a sixth-place finish in the seven-team group (Romania did not take part).
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