Andy Gilpin
Encyclopedia
Andy Gilpin, of Montreal
, Quebec
, is a Canadian ice hockey
forward
. 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
.
Gilpin played Junior A hockey in Montreal. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force
(RCAF), and in March 1947 he was transferred to the RCAF station in the “hockey crazy” town of Whitehorse, Yukon
.
The 1948 Winter Olympics
were to be held in St. Moritz
, Switzerland
. They were then officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games as they were the first Olympic games to be celebrated after World War II
. In the fall of 1947, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
invited the RCAF to form Canada’s Olympic ice hockey squad, and in January 1948 Gilpin selected to be a members of Canada men's national ice hockey team - the Ottawa RCAF Flyers.
Although Gilpin traveled to St. Moritz as a member of Canada national hockey team, due to tournament rules that allowed teams to dress only twelve players, Gilpin was used as a reserve and did not get into game play during the 1948 Olympics.
Nonetheless, Gilpin was a member of the team that won Canada’s first gold medal in Olympic hockey since 1932, and he was given an Olympic Gold Medal.
After the Olympics Games, the Ottawa RCAF Flyers went on an extensive exhibition tour of Europe
, playing in front of crowds reaching 20,000 (as they did in Paris
). The RCAF Flyers won 31 of the 42 post-Olympic games played. Upon returning to Canada with a gold medal around his neck, Gilpin and the other team members were greeted with a ticker-tape parade
in Ottawa
.
During the 1948-49 season Gilpin played for the RCAF Flyers in the Whitehorse Senior Men’s League.
when it was announced that the 1948 RCAF Flyers were selected as Canada’s greatest military athletes of the 20th century.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, is a Canadian ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
. 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
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
.
Gilpin played Junior A hockey in Montreal. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
(RCAF), and in March 1947 he was transferred to the RCAF station in the “hockey crazy” town of Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
.
The 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
were to be held in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. They were then officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games as they were the first Olympic games to be celebrated after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In the fall of 1947, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....
invited the RCAF to form Canada’s Olympic ice hockey squad, and in January 1948 Gilpin selected to be a members of Canada men's national ice hockey team - the Ottawa RCAF Flyers.
Although Gilpin traveled to St. Moritz as a member of Canada national hockey team, due to tournament rules that allowed teams to dress only twelve players, Gilpin was used as a reserve and did not get into game play during the 1948 Olympics.
Nonetheless, Gilpin was a member of the team that won Canada’s first gold medal in Olympic hockey since 1932, and he was given an Olympic Gold Medal.
After the Olympics Games, the Ottawa RCAF Flyers went on an extensive exhibition tour of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, playing in front of crowds reaching 20,000 (as they did in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
). The RCAF Flyers won 31 of the 42 post-Olympic games played. Upon returning to Canada with a gold medal around his neck, Gilpin and the other team members were greeted with a ticker-tape parade
Ticker-tape parade
A ticker-tape parade is a parade event held in a built-up urban setting, allowing large amounts of shredded paper to be thrown from nearby office buildings onto the parade route, creating a celebratory effect by the snowstorm-like flurry...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
During the 1948-49 season Gilpin played for the RCAF Flyers in the Whitehorse Senior Men’s League.
Honours
In 2001 Gilpin was honoured by the Canadian ForcesCanadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
when it was announced that the 1948 RCAF Flyers were selected as Canada’s greatest military athletes of the 20th century.