Welcome to Coca-ColaCup76.com, the Internet’s only site devoted to the long-forgotten “NHL Japan” series between the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts!
My name is Steve Currier, and I will be your guide through this memorable, quirky, but significant footnote to NHL history. I have written a book on the subject, When the NHL Invaded Japan: the Washington Capitals, the Kansas City Scouts, and the Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Cup, 1975-76 (that’s it on the right!) which you can learn all about on this here site, and if you like what you see, I will be eternally grateful if you buy a copy… Well, maybe not eternally grateful. I mean, eternity is a really, really long time. Take the age of the universe, which is something like 13.8 billion years, and then realize that eternity is even longer than that. I can’t make that kind of commitment, even to someone who is willing to shell out a few bucks to buy my book and make me happy. But I will be grateful nonetheless for the rest of my life. How’s that sound? Can’t really get a much better deal than that, right?
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So, what was the Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Cup? This was, for a brief time, a symbol of professional hockey supremacy in Japan. In what was expected to be an annual event, the two initial (and ultimately only) participants were the NHL’s Capitals and Scouts, the league’s two worst teams. They were chosen to participate since they were so far behind everyone else in the league that there was no chance they could go on a win streak, qualify for the playoffs, and leave the series’ organizers scrambling to find replacement teams at the last minute. It didn’t really matter who was going to play in Japan since any North American professional team was already going to be leaps and bounds better than any team plying its trade in East Asia.
The first two games were held in Sapporo, the site of the 1972 Winter Olympics, and the final two games were held in Tokyo. The Tokyo games were unique in that they were played on top of an Olympic swimming pool. Boards were so rickety that players had an understanding that there would be no heavy hitting anywhere near the sides of the rink. Poor lighting and fishing nets placed along the top of the boards made for some interesting mishaps throughout the final two contests.
In the end, the Capitals prevailed 3 games to 1 and took home the Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Cup, which still resides in the Capitals’ home office in Arlington, Virginia.
So, if all that sounds interesting enough to stick around here a little longer, check out the various photos and articles I have uploaded, and you can even drop me a line (stevecurrier@goldensealshockey.com) if you’re just looking to leave a comment, ask a question, or order an autographed copy of my book.
All the best,
Steve
When the NHL Invaded Japan 