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CONACHER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2004-03-20 published
Alexander Gardner
WATSON
'Everyone said we'd never win'
How an Royal Canadian Air Force medical officer took a sad-sack
squad of airmen and built a team that brought home Olympic hockey gold
By Tom HAWTHORN,
Special to The Globe and Mail Saturday, March 20, 2004 - Page F11
Victoria -- He was a hockey enthusiast who turned a makeshift
team into world beaters. In 1947, Sandy
WATSON was a Royal Canadian
Air Force medical officer with an amateur's passion for hockey,
but within a year he had put together a squad of airmen that
overcame great odds to win an Olympic gold medal.
Dr. WATSON's part in the story of how the Royal Canadian Air
Force triumphed at the Olympics began with the announcement that
Canadian hockey officials had decided to skip the 1948 Winter
Games. The news so upset the doctor, who died late last year
at his home in Ottawa, that he vowed to create a team from scratch.
"When I read the headline saying we -- this great hockey nation
would not be sending a team, I was offended," he said. "And
I thought maybe I could do something about it."
The International Olympic Committee had adopted tough new rules
defining an amateur athlete. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
felt the new standard eliminated most senior players from the competition.
With the entry deadline just 48 hours away, Dr.
WATSON decided
on what he would later describe as a whim to build a team from
among fellow Royal Canadian Air Force members. The squadron leader
won approval from hockey officials and superior officers in two
frantic days of lobbying. Canada would take part in the Olympic
tournament after all. Now all he needed were some players.
The Royal Canadian Air Force's postwar enrolment of 16,000 promised
a wealth of hidden hockey talent. Dr.
WATSON had managed a series
of exhibition hockey games in England in the months following
the defeat of Germany, pitting the air force against the army.
The games featured such National Hockey League players as left-winger
Roy CONACHER, a sniper for Royal Canadian Air Force teams during
the war. Such professionals were ineligible for the Olympic team,
of course, so Dr.
WATSON knew the calibre of players would not be very high.
About 200 airmen were dispatched to Ottawa for a training camp
in October, 1947. The volunteers were mostly a sad-sack lot,
a shock for Dr.
WATSON and coach Frank
BOUCHER, an Royal Canadian
Air Force sergeant. Some could barely skate.
The team made its public debut in an exhibition game played at
the Auditorium in Ottawa on December 14, 1947. The opponents
were McGill University's varsity team, deliberately chosen to
offer minimal resistance. The air-force brass was in attendance,
as were senior hockey officials and the governor-general, Earl
Alexander of Tunis. To Dr.
WATSON's horror, the McGill Redmen
scored an easy 7-0 victory.
The newspapers were highly critical of the Olympic team. An all-Royal
Canadian Air Force team seemed a folly. Senior officers in the
air force could not have been happy about such a poor squad wearing
the Royal Canadian Air Force roundel on their sweaters. They
were likely to be embarrassed on the world stage.
Reinforcements were needed, so Dr.
WATSON went hunting.
"We just put the thing together overnight, almost," he told the
Medical Post in 1988. "Our guys had played together as a team
for something less than three weeks before we left. The goaltender
I never even met until we reached Europe."
Dr. WATSON's first move was to scout an Ottawa Senior League
game. The New Edinburgh Burghs beat the Hull Volants 6-2, with
five goals produced by a forward line of Reg
SCHROETER, Ab
RENAUD
and Ted HIBBERD.
Dr.
WATSON invited the trio to join his squad,
also taking former flying officer Frank
DUNSTER and Pete
LEICHNITZ.
Other players parachuted onto the team were defenceman Andre
LAPPERIERE, a student at the University of Montreal; forwards
George MARA and Wally
HALDER from Toronto; and, goaltender Dick
BALL, also from Toronto.
The recruits joined Louis
LECOMPTE, Pat
GUZZO, Irving
TAILOR/TAYLOR,
Andy GILPIN, Roy
FORBES, Ross
KING, Orval (Red)
GRAVELLE and
Hubert BROOKS on a team called the Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers,
but whose military experience varied. While
HIBBERD and
LEICHNITZ
were civilians sworn into the Royal Canadian Air Force with the
rank of aircraftsman 1, Mr.
BROOKS, a flying officer, had been
a prisoner of war who escaped three times before joining Polish
partisans. He was awarded the Military Cross.
With the team preparing to embark for Europe, Dr.
WATSON faced
another crisis. Mr.
BALL, slated to be the starting goalie, failed
his physical with a lung infection. Facing another 48-hour deadline,
Dr. WATSON awoke Toronto bus driver Murray
DOWEY with a telephone
call at his home at 1 a.m. The practice goalie for the Toronto
Maple Leafs was willing to play, but would need a leave of absence
from his job. Dr.
WATSON convinced his boss, Allan
LAMPORT, a
future mayor of Toronto, in a phone call at 1: 30 a.m.
Mr. DOWEY was called back at 2 a.m. and told to report at Downsview
airport at 6 a.m. to catch an Royal Canadian Air Force plane
to Ottawa. The airport was fogged in that morning, so a sleepy
Mr. DOWEY caught a train to the capital.
His appearance did not immediately impress the team manager.
"Around noon a skinny, bedraggled kid, looking like something
dragged through a knot hole, arrived at my office," Dr.
WATSON
once told the Ottawa Citizen. "We swore him in the Royal Canadian
Air Force, got him kitted up with a uniform and he looked even worse."
The Canadians were given poor reviews by the European press.
A tie and a one-goal victory over lightly regarded English teams
did not auger well for the Flyers.
The round-robin Olympic tournament was held in an outdoor rink
at St. Moritz, Switzerland. In the opening game, Sweden scored
against Mr.
DOWEY after just two minutes and 35 seconds of play.
But the Canadian goalie would be the team's star and a crowd
favourite with his innovative use of a catching glove. Canada
beat Sweden 3-1, before rolling over Britain (3-0), Poland (15-0),
Italy (21-1) and the United States (12-3).
A scoreless tie with Czechoslovakia was followed by a 12-0 drubbing
of Austria. The gold-medal game was played against the Swiss
hosts on February 8. Dodging snowballs thrown by local partisans,
the Flyers won 3-0 to claim an unlikely gold medal and a place
in Olympic lore. Canada finished with seven wins and one tie.
Mr. DOWEY allowed just five goals in eight games for a miserly 0.62 average.
Two days later, Mr.
BROOKS married his Danish sweetheart, Birthe
GRONTVED, in a ceremony at a small church in St. Moritz. Barbara
Ann SCOTT, the Canadian figure skater who also became an Olympic
champion at those same Games, was the maid of honour and Dr.
WATSON was best man.
The Flyers barnstormed Czechoslovakia, France, Belgium, Sweden,
England and Scotland while overseas. They completed the European
tour, including the Olympic matches, with a record of 31 wins, five losses, six ties.
"Nothing in my life gave me the same thrill (as) organizing that
trip and then actually winning it," Dr.
WATSON said.
While something told him that Canada had a chance, few at home
believed it when the team set out.
"Everyone said we'd never win," he told the Medical Post. The
headline in the Ottawa Citizen the day they left summed up the
opinion of the sporting press: "The Flyers, like the Arabs, are
folding their tents and silently stealing away."
Alexander Gardner
WATSON was born on March 28, 1918, at Cellardyke,
a fishing village on the north shore of Scotland's Firth of Forth.
As captain of a minesweeper, his father had trawled for mines
during the Gallipoli campaign of 1915. Long months spent fishing
the dangerous waters of the North Sea seemed unsuitable for the
father of a young family, so the
WATSONs moved to the Ontario
fishing village of Port Dover on Lake Erie when Sandy was a toddler.
A brilliant student, he spent a year studying at Queen's University
in Kingston, Ontario, before completing a medical degree at the
University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He won a scholarship to
Cambridge, where he earned a bachelor of surgery. He later studied
at Harvard and Columbia Universities in the United States.
An Royal Canadian Air Force wing commander during the war, Dr.
WATSON became in peacetime one of Canada's eminent ophthalmologists.
In 1967, he helped found the Sally Letson Foundation for post-graduate
training. He served as the foundation's executive director for 25 years.
He was chairman of the department at the University of Ottawa
medical school from 1968 to 1985. Dr.
WATSON was the driving
force behind the university's Eye Institute, which opened in 1992.
He was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1988.
Among his patients were a Parliamentary Guide's worth of notables,
from governor-general Jeanne
SAUVÉ to New Democratic Party leader
T.C. (Tommy)
DOUGLAS/DOUGLASS. He treated prime ministers John
DIEFENBAKER,
Lester PEARSON, Pierre
TRUDEAU, Joe
CLARK and Brian
MULRONEY.
Dr. WATSON also became the eye specialist for the Montreal Canadiens,
a legacy of his desperate plea for assistance while putting together
the Royal Canadian Air Force team. The Canadiens contributed,
while Conn
SMYTHE of the Toronto Maple Leafs refused. (Major
SMYTHE was army, of course.) One young prospect examined by Dr.
WATSON was a gangly, teenaged goaltender who needed contact lenses.
Dr. WATSON reported the goalie's vision was good, and Ken
DRYDEN
would lead the Canadiens to six Stanley Cups.
Dr. WATSON, who retired in 1997, died at home in Ottawa of prostate
cancer on December 28. He leaves his wife, Patricia, sons John
and Alexander, and five grandchildren. He also leaves a sister,
Faye McVEAN. He was predeceased by a sister and a brother, who
drowned as a teenager.
His death came just 17 days after that of Mr.
BOUCHER, the coach,
who also died in Ottawa. They are survived by eight of 17 players.
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COND o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2004-05-19 published
Carl Archibald
BROWN
In loving memory of Carl Archibald
BROWN who passed away on May 12, 2004.
Carl BROWN, a resident of South Baymouth, passed away at the Manitoulin
Health Centre, Mindemoya, on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 at the age of 80 years.
He was born at Tehkummah,
son of the late Archibald Martin and
Hazel Marie
(LITTLE)
BROWN. He was a member of St. Andrew's By the Sea
United Church at South Baymouth and a member of Doric Lodge number 455, Little
Current. Carl had been self employed all his life. He enjoyed gardening,
reading, walking in nature and biking. Carl was a kind and loving man,
known and respected by all. He will be greatly missed and his family and
all who knew him will cherish many happy memories. Carl is survived by
his loving wife
Roberta
(SIM)
BROWN.
Loving and loved father and
grandfather of Robert
BROWN,
Gary
BROWN, wife
Christie and their
children Marty, Alasha and Adam, Janice
BROWN and husband Gerry and
their children Christopher and Temara, Michael
BROWN and wife
Shelley
and their children Natalie, Darren and Camellia, Heather Nichols and
husband James and their children Myles and Katherine, Anne
McDONALD and
husband Barry and their children Andrew, Emily and Jessica, Bonnie
DOWHANIUK and husband James and their children Nadia and Peter, Frances
BRUYNS and husband Tony and their children Caleb, Kaitlynn, Liam and
Hannah, David
BROWN and wife
Marnie and children Laura and Aislinn and
Mary SIMIONI and husband Oscar. Also survived by loving mother-in-law
Cecilia SIM, sister Marie
ANSTICE (husband Bert predeceased) and sister-
in-law Cora
COND and her husband Glen. Predeceased by brother William.
Friends may call at the Fairview United Church, Tehkummah after 7 pm on
Friday. The funeral service was conducted at the church on Saturday, May
15, 2004 at 11 am with Darlene Hardy officiating. Interment in Hilly Grove Cemetery.
Doric Masonic Lodge number 455 will conduct the memorial service on Friday at 7 pm.
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CONNELL o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2004-12-15 published
Harvey Edward
HANER
In loving memory of Harvey Edward
HANER,
January 17, 1919 - December 7, 2004.
It is with great sadness, the family of Harvey
HANER announces his death.
Harvey died at his residence in Mindemoya on Tuesday, December 7, 2004 at the age of 85 years.
He was born at Spring Bay,
son of the late Harvey and Naomi
(JOHNSTON)
HANER.
Harvey had
farmed from 1947 until 1980 and had been a bus driver for 22 years. In his earlier years, he
had worked at
INCO and worked as a logger, and various other jobs. He
was a veteran of World War 2. Harvey was a devout member of Saint Francis
of Assisi Anglican Church, and was a church warden. He was very involved
in the community, as a charter member of the Central Manitoulin Lions
Club, the Providence Bay Fair Board, the Little Current Legion, was the
co-ordinator for the Eye Van for more than 20 years, a member of the
Central Manitoulin Historical Society and had a great love of horses,
and enjoyed hunting. A kind and loving, and loved man, Harvey will be greatly missed by all.
Harvey was married twice, His first wife
Geraldine
(WILLIAMSON) predeceased in 1977.
He later married Nola
(GALBRAITH) who survives.
Loving father of Lynda and her husband Bain
PEEVER of Mindemoya, foster
son Steve SHAW and his wife
Barb of North Bay, step children Lynn,
husband Blair
QUESNEL of Collingwood, Sue, husband Larry
MOGGY of
Manitowaning and Brad
CONNELL and his wife
Cristina of Mississauga.
Proud grandfather of Brenda and Keith
FINNILA and step grandchildren
Breanne, Aaron and Sarah
QUESNEL,
Andrew and Geoffrey
MOGGY and
Jennifer, Lauren and Bradley
CONNELL. Dear brother of Frank
HANER of
Spring Bay and Lois
COOPER of Mindemoya.
Friends called at Saint Francis of Assisi Anglican Church, Mindemoya on
Thursday from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 pm. The funeral service was conducted at
the church on Friday December 10, 2004 at 2 pm with Reverend Canon Bain
PEEVER officiating. Interment in Grimesthorpe Cemetery. Culgin Funeral Home.
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CONNER o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2004-03-03 published
Marion Evangeline
SMITH
In loving memory of Marion Evangeline
SMITH who died peacefully at
the Manitoulin Health Centre on Tuesday, February 28, 2003 at the age of 90 years.
Beloved wife of Clarence "Smitty"
SMITH (predeceased December 30, 2003.)
They celebrated 50 years of marriage.
Born to Gordon and Ida (née
CONNER)
BICKELL in Nova Scotia on January 3, 1915.
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CONNOR o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2004-12-22 published
Raymond Lloyd
McNEIL
In loving memory of Raymond
McNEIL, 67 years, who passed at home
surrounded by his family on Sunday, December 19, 2004.
Beloved husband of Claudette (née
TREMBLAY) of Sudbury. Loving father of Carol (husband
DAN O’
CONNOR) of Sault Ste. Marie, Harley (predeceased,) Wendy (husband
Mike CECCOLINI) of Sudbury, Gord (wife
Christine) of Sturgeon Falls and
Shelly (husband Kalid
RASHID) of Ottawa. Cherished grandfather of Danny
Jr., Zachary, John, Mark, Melissa, Jake, Kevin, Jenna, and Saara. Dear
brother of John (wife Brenda) of Val Caron, Edward of Onaping, Peter of
Sudbury and Monty (predeceased). He will be sadly missed by many nieces
and nephews. Ray was a quiet, simple man who enjoyed his family. “We
will never say goodbye, but I will see you later.” Memorial service will
be held in the R. J. Barnard Chapel, Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home,
233 Larch St. Sudbury, Wednesday, December 22, 2004 at 11: 30 am.
Cremation at Parklawn Crematorium. Friends may call Wednesday after 10 am.
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CONSTANZA o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2004-01-07 published
Ronald Harry
BONAS
In loving memory of Ronald Harry
BONAS who passed away Saturday morning, December 27, 2003
at the Sudbury Regional Hospital-Saint Joseph's Health Centre at the age of 70 years.
Beloved husband of Betty
(GRIFFITHS)
BONAS of Sudbury. Dear father
of Kim and Heather (husband Ezio
CONSTANZA) all of Ottawa, Wayne
(wife Gwen) of Sudbury. Cherished grandfather of Christina, Ann,
Emily and Lindsay. Dear son of Bonnie
(GAGNE)
BONAS of Whitefish
Falls and Herman
BONAS predeceased. Dear brother of Colleen of
Whitefish
Falls.
Sadly missed by John
MacDONNELL of Ottawa.
Funeral Service was held in the Church of the Ascension, 1476 Sparks
Street Sudbury on Tuesday, December 30, 2003. Cremation at the Parklawn
Crematorium. Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home.
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