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Shooting for Glory
Paul Henderson says the best moment of his life wasn't when he scored the winning goal in the 1972 Canada/Russia hockey series, but when he gave his life to Christ.
by Jessie Schut
September 28, 1972: in classrooms, offices and homes around
the country, millions of people were watching the final minutes
of the 8th game in the Canada-Russia hockey series. The series
was tied. With only a minute to go, the score was also tied.
Paul Henderson, sitting on the bench, hollered at Pete
Mahovlich to come off the ice, and unbelievably, Mahovlich
did. Henderson jumped the boards, tore down the ice, and
became an instant hero when he slid the puck past Russian
goalie Tretiak with 38 seconds left in the game.
Twenty-five years later, Henderson is still approached on the
streets and held up as Canada's saviour that day. They tell him
his goal was a golden moment in their lives, a time when they
felt supremely proud of being a Canadian.
Henderson agrees that his decision to jump the boards that day
led to a tremendous experience. But it wasn't the best decision
he ever made. That came several years later, in a move of a
different kind.
Back in 1972, Henderson was at the peak of his playing career.
He'd been part of the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple
Leafs, and had scored the winning goals in the last three games
of the Canada-Russia series.
In earthly terms, he had everything: fame and fortune, a loving
wife and chidren, and a rosy future. But he discovered that it
wasn't enough.
"The years between 1973 and 1975 weren't a very good time for
me," he says in his biography Shooting for Glory. "I didn't know
who I was, or where I was going in my life."
And so Henderson, who in hockey was never known as going
through the motions, began his relentless and thorough search
for answers to those questions. He read the Scriptures over and
over, checked out all kinds of religious literature, and began
grilling his friend Mel Stevens, a man who had given him his
own Bible. The search took two and a half years, but finally,
Henderson made the most important move of his life. He
confessed that he needed a Saviour, and surrendered his life to
Christ — but with an stipulation attached:
"Here is my life, it's yours," he prayed, then added, "Now don't
expect me to go out and tell anybody about this! I know I'll
never have the courage to do it."
God didn't honor the stipulation. Henderson was a changed man,
and soon he realized he couldn't keep quiet. He began sharing | 
