The brightest young hockey stars in Canada and Russia are set to face off, commemorating the brutal 1972 Summit Series. While the political stakes are no longer high, national pride is still on the line.

"It's probably not going to measure up to '72, but at the same time, it's still an honour and should be a great experience," said Sam Gagner, a forward for Canada's team.

To some hockey fans, the 1972 series was a defining moment in Canada's modern cultural history -- a battle between Canadian democracy and Russian communism.

And its influence on the nation's cultural identity has only increased over time.

"It was country versus country, it was East versus West," Phil Pritchard, curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, told CTV News.

While the series treated fans to a roller-coaster ride of thrilling hockey, it also featured ugly moments, including in Game 6 when Canada's Bobby Clarke deliberately slashed the ankle of Russia's best player, Valery Kharlamov, fracturing it.

The Summit Series was also the first time the top professional players from the two countries met on the ice, at a time when only amateurs could participate in Olympic hockey.

It brought high-profile attention to Canadian players such as Phil Esposito, Yvan Cournoyer and goaltender Ken Dryden, who has since made the transition into Canadian politics and serves as a Liberal MP.

It also made stars out of Russian players like goalie Vladislav Tretiak -- who is now friends with Dryden.

"Today, the countries are a lot closer," said Pritchard. "Times have changed."

The players will also be far younger than the Team Canada of more than three decades ago.

Instead of National Hockey League stars, Canada will be represented by a junior squad, most of them born nearly 20 years after Paul Henderson scored his winning goal.

But expectations are still high in Canadian cities.

"We've already sold 4,000 tickets in the span of three or four days," said Scott Brown, spokesperson for Winnipeg's True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the city's MTS Centre arena.

With a report from CTV's Jill Macyshon in Winnipeg