The Essence of Richard Bendell

Inquisitive ~ Determined ~ Positive ~ Open-minded ~ Persistent, and with a never-ending thirst and quest for knowledge/truth. 

I met Richard and his wife Natalie at the hockey luncheon in December 2024. I then photographed them again in the summer of 2025. I found them delightful company and so down-to-earth. I knew I wanted his story in my passion and purpose book because he followed his passion and produced such a wonderful description of the story.

I realized that Richard was following his passion as well and authored a book about the famous Canada-Russia Summit Series of 1972. There is a link at the bottom of this story which will take you directly to the website where you can order a copy.

The official title is 1972 - THE SUMMIT SERIES: Canada vs USSR. Stats, Lies and Videotape. The UNTOLD Story of Hockey’s Series of the Century. There is now also a 50th anniversary special edition.

Richard and his better half, Natalie

At that time, it didn’t feel like it, but looking back, you realize it was a big moment. One that changed your life. Describe yours

It was early December 1993 when I made one of the most pivotal decisions of my life - to leave my employer in Hamilton at that time, due to a toxic environment, with no other job yet to go to, just a clear understanding that I needed to get away from there and take that leap of faith that this was the thing I needed to do at that moment in time, which was totally against my conservative, cautious nature. To say amazing things happened because of that decision would be a bit of an understatement: within 7 weeks, my entire life had started to change dramatically and for the better. I would find a new job, discover that my father, who passed in 1974, was not actually my birth father, and meet the woman in late January who would become my wife 4 years later. :)

What has been your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?

To find what I wanted to do in life and to find some financial security after a lifetime of living with just barely enough.  My decision path was I was going to go to university in spite of the financial challenges (first in our family to do so), to UWO in London, then still not sure what I wanted to do with my Bachelor's degree, to enter the field of accounting in Toronto and became a professional CMA accountant in June of 1992. So, overcoming it was essentially through education and a lot of hard work over many years.  

What was the trigger that sparked your passion for writing, and how has that shaped the world you see? (Unless you are more passionate about something else, like hockey ;-)

I was always an avid reader of sports history, primarily hockey (and especially international hockey, starting with the Summit Series), and I also enjoyed science fiction, much like the original Twilight Zone and Space: 1999.

Over the years since 1972, I searched out and read some of the few books available at our library in Woodstock, and as time went on, I watched the '74 Series, the Canada Cups starting in 1976, and then the World Hockey Championships when Canada rejoined the event, all with great interest, along with NHL hockey.

But it was always the '72 Series that captivated me the most and made me the hockey fan I became, as it was such an intense and ecstatic memory that I carried with me, even though it faded into the background over the years - always there, a part of me, and never forgotten.

So, to have the opportunity, so many years later, to rediscover the series, find that the original stats had mistaken (42 of the 63 goals would require revisions/corrections), and then find a way to share those findings with everyone, with the help & support of so many great people along the way, truly was a dream come true.

So, it was a 'match' made in heaven. My love of reading, hockey, and now writing all came together in a way I never could have imagined as a 7-year-old who was shocked, thrilled and absolutely elated by the Summit Series in 1972 and Team Canada's exploits (and the Soviet National Team as well), and something I will always be very grateful for having the chance to do.

At the Alumni Lunch Christmas 2024 - John Thompson with Richard and Natalie, enjoying The Summit Series book

What is one gem you learned on your journey that you would love to share? Alternatively, what advice would you give a younger version of yourself?

Life truly is about faith, not just in a religious sense but in a spiritual one. And it takes determination, bravery, and belief in yourself to find meaning in life and in what you enjoy. Ultimately, if there is a will, there is a way. I took this from the 1972 Summit Series and have proudly carried it with me all my life. It was a wonderful moment to give something back to that event over 40 years later, which gave me so much to remember when I was so young.

And I tell myself to invest in Amazon, Apple, Google, or many of those other groundbreaking tech firms I never did back then but wish I had, not until too many years later, lol. 

You can read more about Richard and the book on “X”

https://x.com/72seriesbendell