70 Years Ago Today, Canada Reclaims Gold



"The airmen ended the nine-country round robin tournament in a first-place tie with Czechoslovakia but a superior goal average hoisted the Maple Leaf to the top of the flagpole as the Fifth Winter Olympics drew to a close", 
so described Jack Sullivan, Canadian Press writer as published in the Montreal Gazette on February 9, 1948. He continued:
"The team which few in the Dominion gave much chance to succeed went through the tournament unbeaten to give Canada her second championship in the Winter Olympics-writing the name of the Flyers alongside that of Barbara Ann Scott, ladies figure-skating champion.
Murray Dowey, 22-year old blonde netminder from Toronto, registered his fifth shutout in eight games and Wally Halder, the team's top scorer during the games with 21 goals and eight assists, fired the shot that proved to be the winner in the first period. Patsy Guzzo added the second Canadian goal in the middle period and Reg Schroeter made it 3-0 before the midway mark of the third as the Canadians clung grimly to their lead."
Team Photo from The Gazette
The boxscore from the final is below:
The recap in the Gazette continued describing the victory;
"During the second and third periods the partisan Swiss crowd, taking exception to some of the referee's decisions, hurled snowballs at the Flyers. The ice conditions and the refereeing were so bad that at times the game threatened to develop into a farce. The officials from Britain and Belgium were pointedly in favour of Switzerland, some of the latter's decisions being almost unbelievable. 'We played eight men-Swiss players and the referees-and still beat 'em' said Cpl. George McFaul, RCAF trainer.
Halder's goal, scored less than five minutes after the game began was the neatest of the tournament. He literally ran over the slushy ice, travelling the length of the rink to fire a low corner shot which the Swiss goalkeeper managed to kick out. Three Swiss jostled him but he grabbed the rebound and fired again. The netminder deflected the puck behind the net and Schroeter returned it to Halder, who though still hemmed in by three rivals banged it in."
The final table of standings is below. Canada won the tie-breaker with Czechoslovakia on a formula of Goals For divided by Goals Against.
"The victory celebration was hilarious. After posing for a group photograph in the middle of the ice, the players clambered over the boards, yelling and whooping it up.With Mara as team captain standing on the top step of the rostrum, they were presented with gold medals. Other members of Canada's Olympic team grabbed them as they scooted for the stadium dressing room. They blew kisses to the crowd, gave the thumbs-up sign and yelled excitedly, 'We've done it, boys'."


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