In September 1972, Canadian hockey pros faced the amateur Soviets for the first time ever. Played under the specter of the Cold War, Canada’s victory in this famous series, thanks to a last-minute winning goal, has become the best known and celebrated Canadian story of all time. But the games were also marked by extreme acts of violence that are only subconsciously remembered. Team Canada’s performance throughout the series, and Bobby Clarke’s two-handed slash of rival Russian star Valery Kharlamov’s ankle in particular, signal a “glitch” in the production of Canadian nationalism, identity and masculinity. This fracture disrupts our self-identification as polite, peaceful and sportsmanlike, and enacts a shadow identity as frustrated, aggressive and vengeful.