 A Pravda cartoon had portrayed the Flyers as Neanderthal thugs wielding clubs instead of sticks.Flyers captain Bobby Clarke's reputation was already cemented due partly to his actions in the 1972 Summit Series, where he delivered an infamous slash to the ankle of Valeri Kharlamov in Game Six.Flyers owner Ed Snider had several reasons to dislike the Soviets, in addition to Soviet-Western political tensions.