Pete Leichnitz
Encyclopedia
Pete Leitchitz, sometimes referred to as J. Leitchitz, is 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
.
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.
Although Leitchitz traveled to St. Moritz as a member of Canada national hockey team, due to tournament rules that allowed teams to dress only twelve players, Leitchitz was a used as a reserve and did not get into game play during the 1948 Olympics. Nonetheless, Leitchitz 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.
when it was announced that the 1948 RCAF Flyers were selected as Canada’s greatest military athletes of the 20th century.
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...
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
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...
.
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.
Although Leitchitz traveled to St. Moritz as a member of Canada national hockey team, due to tournament rules that allowed teams to dress only twelve players, Leitchitz was a used as a reserve and did not get into game play during the 1948 Olympics. Nonetheless, Leitchitz 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.
Honours
In 2001 Pete Leitchitz 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.