The Ottawa RCAF Flyers were a Canadian
senior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired.
Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...
team from the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
(RCAF) base in
Ottawa. The team was made up of active and former RCAF members and
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...
personnel. The team won the gold medal in the
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (german: V. Olympische Winterspiele; french: Ves Jeux olympiques d'hiver; it, V Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, V Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. Moritz ...
and the
1942 Allan Cup championship. The team was inducted into the Canadian Armed Forces Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. In 2001, the 1948 team was honoured by the
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...
when it was selected as Canada's greatest military athletes of the 20th century.
1948 Winter Olympics
![RCAF Flyers 1948](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/RCAF_Flyers_1948.JPG)
In October 1947, the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) announced that the
senior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired.
Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...
team from the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
(RCAF) base in Ottawa would represent the
Canadian national team in
ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics
The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, was the sixth Olympic Championship, also served as the 15th World Championships and the 26th European Championships. Canada won its fifth Olympic gold meda ...
.
At the time, the CAHA had ongoing disagreements with the
Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace and the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
on the definition of an amateur, and the RCAF team was a compromise to meet the amateur eligibility requirements of the Olympics. CAHA vice-president
Norman Dawe
Robert Norman Dawe (October 18, 1898January 4, 1948) was a Canadian sports executive. He originated as an ice hockey referee for minor ice hockey games in Verdun, Quebec, before becoming involved in the administrative aspect of sports. He was ...
and secretary
George Dudley
George Samuel Dudley (April 19, 1894 – May 8, 1960) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He joined the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) executive in 1928, served as its president from 1934 to 1936, and as its treasurer from 1936 to 1960 ...
, liaised with the
Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ( ...
and gain approval for the choice.
After the Ottawa RCAF Flyers lost by a 7–0 score to the
McGill University men's team, the ''
Ottawa Citizen
The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
History
Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The new ...
'' reported that multiple Canadian sports journalists called for a university team to represent Canada at the Olympics.
When the RCAF team lost its next game by a 6–2 score to the Ottawa
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...
hockey team, Norman Dawe held an emergency meeting and committed to retaining the team's management and coach,
Frank Boucher
François Xavier Boucher (October 7, 1901 – December 12, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. Boucher played the forward position for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
.
Dawe also announced that the RCAF team would be bolstered from the best available players, and retain the RCAF identity after six civilian players were added from the
Ottawa Senior Hockey League. Dawe recruited defenceman
Henri-André Laperrière from the
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...
, in addition to two more players from Toronto recruited by George Dudley. The efforts to bolster the Ottawa RCAF Flyers resulted in the team winning every game at the Olympics and the gold medal.
Team members
![RCAF Flyers Lapel Badge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/RCAF_Flyers_Lapel_Badge.jpg)
;Players
The IOC lists that all players, including reserves, were given an Olympic Gold Medal.
*
Hubert Brooks,
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was .
Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hi ...
(reserve)
*
Murray Dowey
Murray Albert Dowey (January 3, 1926 – May 26, 2021), was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Fast Hands", he was a member of the Ottawa RCAF Flyers, which won the gold medal in ice hockey representing Canada at the 1948 Winter Olympi ...
,
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
(
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
)
*
Frank Dunster,
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
(
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...
)
*
Roy Forbes
Roy Charles Forbes (born February 13, 1953) is a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, whose music bears heavy influences from classic American genres of acoustic blues and traditional country. Forbes is known for his high soulful voice and p ...
,
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
(defenceman)
(reserve)
*
Andy Gilpin, Montreal (
forward)
(reserve)
*
Jean Gravelle,
Aylmer, Quebec
*
Patsy Guzzo,
Ottawa
*
Wally Halder,
Toronto
*
Ted Hibberd
Thomas Edward Hibberd (April 22, 1926 – May 10, 2017) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He was a member of the Ottawa RCAF Flyers who won the gold medal in ice hockey for Canada at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. In 2001 Hibberd was ho ...
,
Ottawa
*
Ross King, Portage la Prairie (goaltender)
(reserve)
*
Henri-André Laperrière, Ottawa (defenceman)
*
John Lecompte, Ottawa, (defenceman)
*
Pete Leichnitz (reserve),
Brechin, Ontario
*
George Mara
George Edward Mara, (December 12, 1921 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian businessman and Olympian hockey player. He was a member of the Ottawa RCAF Flyers who won the gold medal in ice hockey for Canada at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Mor ...
,
Toronto
*
Albert Renaud,
Ottawa
*
Reginald Schroeter,
Ottawa
*
Irving Taylor,
Ottawa
;Staff
*Coach,
Sgt. Frank Boucher, Ottawa, (nephew of
Frank Boucher
François Xavier Boucher (October 7, 1901 – December 12, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. Boucher played the forward position for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
)
*Manager,
S/L Sandy Watson, Ottawa
*Trainer,
Cpl George McFaul, Ottawa
Legacy
The book ''Gold Medal Misfits'' (
Pat MacAdam,
Manor House Publishing, 2008) chronicles the team's history with original articles from the area and interviews with surviving team members.
See also
*
Ice hockey in Ottawa Ottawa ice hockey clubs date back to the first decade of recorded organized ice hockey play. The men's senior-level Ottawa Hockey Club is known to have played in a Canadian championship in 1884. Today, Ottawa hockey clubs are represented in all age ...
*
List of Canadian national ice hockey team rosters
Below is a list of various national team ice hockey team rosters of Canada. The men's team, women's team and the junior team are included.
Men's
2022 Men's World Ice Hockey Championship
*Head coach: Claude Julien
*Assistant coach: Nolan Ba ...
References
Bibliography
List of 1948 Canadian Olympic Medal Winners*McLauchlin, Les
"Good God, Olympic Gold!" ''The Airforce'', Spring, 1998. Retrieved April 21, 2008
*Iorfida, Chris
''CBC.ca'', February 7, 2008.
* The Life and Times of Hubert Brooks M.C. C.D. A Canadian Hero
Royal Canadian Air Force: RCAF Flyers Wrote Olympic HistoryRetrieved February 8, 2015
{{end
1948 in Canada
RC
Military ice hockey teams
Military sport in Canada
Olympic gold medalists for Canada
Royal Canadian Air Force
Ice hockey teams representing Canada internationally