Contenu
Against All Odds is the remarkable story of a Canadian hockey team whose quest for Olympic gold symbolized everything Canada had endured during World War II and everything our country was poised to become.
The 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland—the first Olympics after the war—were dubbed the “Games of Renewal.” But then, the shocking news rippled across Canada: due to a redefinition of “amateur athlete,” the country would not be sending a hockey team to the Olympics. Outraged, Dr. Sandy Watson of the Royal Canadian Air Force quickly set about putting together a team of airmen who would face the world’s best on the ice in only a few months.
The ragtag team got off to a slow start, losing so many exhibition games that Canadian newspapers called them a disgrace to the country. But the RCAF Flyers battled back. They eliminated the American team, tied the Czechs, and battled the Swiss as the hometown crowd pelted the Canadians with snowballs during the gold-medal game. And on the same ice where figure skater Barbara Ann Scott won a gold medal, the RCAF Flyers also won gold, with their goalie, Murray Dowey, setting an Olympic record that still stands.