Ross King (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
Ross King of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
, is a Canadian ice hockey
Goaltender
. 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
.
King was a star goaltender with the Portage la Prairie Terriers when they won the Memorial Cup
in 1942. King 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 King selected to be a members of Canada men's national ice hockey team - the Ottawa RCAF Flyers.
Although King traveled to St. Moritz as a member of Canada national hockey team, due to tournament rules that allowed teams to dress only twelve players, King was a used as a reserve and did not get into game play during the 1948 Olympics.
Nonetheless, King 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
). King became the regular goalie during the post-Olympics exhibition tour, and the RCAF Flyers won 31 of the 42 games played. Upon returning to Canada with a gold medal around his neck, King and the other team members were greeted with a ticker-tape parade
in Ottawa
.
During the 1948-49 season King played for the RCAF Flyers in the Whitehorse Senior Men’s League.
Eventually King returned to Portage la Prairie where he settled with his wife Joyce and two children, David and Janet. He died in 1972.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 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...
Goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
. 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...
.
King was a star goaltender with the Portage la Prairie Terriers when they won the Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
in 1942. King 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 King selected to be a members of Canada men's national ice hockey team - the Ottawa RCAF Flyers.
Although King traveled to St. Moritz as a member of Canada national hockey team, due to tournament rules that allowed teams to dress only twelve players, King was a used as a reserve and did not get into game play during the 1948 Olympics.
Nonetheless, King 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...
). King became the regular goalie during the post-Olympics exhibition tour, and the RCAF Flyers won 31 of the 42 games played. Upon returning to Canada with a gold medal around his neck, King 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 King played for the RCAF Flyers in the Whitehorse Senior Men’s League.
Eventually King returned to Portage la Prairie where he settled with his wife Joyce and two children, David and Janet. He died in 1972.