Against All Odds

by P. J. Naworynski

  Hubert Brooks launched himself right back into his military world. Earmarked for a career in the intelligence field, Brooks followed a path in the air force that led him to the rank of wing commander. His postings and intelligence experiences continued to take him around the globe. As Canadian military intelligence officer responsible for the Middle East, Brooks was on the ground immediately after the Israeli Six-Day War to represent Canada and have a look at the captured Russian arms. When the October Crisis lit up in Quebec in 1970, the federal government tapped Brooks to assess the situation on the ground, as he was one of the few people they had who truly understood guerrilla warfare. After his retirement from the military in 1971, Brooks became the director of housing at the University of Ottawa, where he was instrumental in creating new affordable housing for students. He also carried on his volunteer work with the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society. On February 1, 1984, he passed away of a sudden heart attack while working at his desk at the University of Ottawa. The university named a student residence in his honour.

  Frank Dunster never returned to the Ottawa Fire Department. He stayed with the RCAF for another twenty years and piloted everything he could get his hands on. Well into his thirties he was in the cockpit piloting CF-100s, earning himself the new nickname “Old Guy” from the younger upstarts. Frank nearly made it back to the Olympics in 1956, when the team he was coaching almost won the Allan Cup. One of his greatest moments came in late 1987, when he was invited to carry the Olympic torch partway through Ottawa as it made its way towards Calgary for the 1988 Winter Olympics. A diehard smoker who never was into running, Dunster blazed a trail down Bank Street with a huge smile on his face. His kids were in awe that their dad actually found the lungs to run with that torch. Frank’s light went out on April 9, 1995, when he passed away from cancer.

  Murray Dowey headed straight back to his job as a clerk at the Toronto Transit Commission and stayed there until he retired at sixty as the superintendent of administration. He never played serious hockey again. Fast Hands could have had a professional baseball or hockey career, but he opted to raise a family, have a life closer to home, play in the senior leagues, and stay at the TTC. After the Olympics Murray became friends with Czech goalie Bohumil Modry and often sent him packages of goods overseas to help him out. Murray still has the ball cap that George McFaul got him to block out the sun, as well as his skates and blocker. Like Frank Dunster, Murray got a chance to get close to the Olympic flame once again. In 2010, he was asked to carry the torch through Toronto on its route towards Vancouver’s Winter Olympics. Originally the plan was to have Murray hold the torch out the window of a streetcar in a public relations stunt with a nod to his long connection with the service. Murray told the organizers, “Not a chance. That flame will whip inside and light up my hair. I’ll jog with it.” At ninety-one he still has his “fast hands” and is solid on his feet.

  André Laperrière returned to the University of Montreal to continue his studies. He turned down offers to play with the New York Rangers year after year. While playing for his university team he won the Canadian Intercollegiate Hockey Union championship and graduated with his degree in graphic design. A pull to join the public service inspired Laperrière to serve on the Outremont city council from 1970 to 1982. He continued to skate, ski, and play golf and tennis well into his late eighties. His body gave out and he succumbed to bone cancer at ninety, on March 8, 2015.

  George Mara returned to take the helm of his father’s business empire. Not long after Mara’s return from Switzerland, Frank Selke came calling to see if George would lace up for the Montreal Royals and then play with the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup playoffs. George scored a bunch of goals for the Royals but got plowed in his sixth game and separated his shoulder. That put an end to his playing career. George spent the rest of his life immersed in his two passions, business and hockey. He served as an executive on the board of Maple Leaf Gardens for more than a decade. In the late 1960s he helped establish and then chaired the Olympic Trust of Canada for two decades. Known for his philanthropic efforts, Mara helped to raise millions of dollars to support Canadian Olympic athletes. George passed away in August 2006, just a few months shy of his eighty-fifth birthday.

  Wally Halder slid back into the world of business and advertising. But he didn’t stray far from amateur sport. Although he retired from serious active play, he still carried a deep passion for hockey. He coached the University of Toronto’s Trinity College team for a few years and instilled in his kids a love of the sport on the backyard rink. During a friendly tennis match with his lifelong pal George Mara, Wally decided to leave the advertising world and join George as president of the Olympic Trust of Canada. He was an incredible fundraiser and public speaker and stayed in that position until 1988. Wally loved amateur sport and the Olympic spirit—it was a celebration of the youth of the world coming together to compete. He never missed an Olympics. When Wally took ill and was in hospital, George came to visit every day with a McDonald’s milkshake. Arguably the best amateur hockey player in the world in 1948, Wally succumbed to cancer in October 1994.

  Patsy Guzzo continued to lace up for the RCAF for a few more years. He also kept up his impressive pitching game well into his late fifties. When he wrapped up his career in the air force, Patsy opened up a small Ottawa sporting goods store that became the stomping ground for many of the boys. Kind and generous to the core, Patsy would give away hockey gear to kids who couldn’t afford it. The ’48 Olympics remained one of the highlights of Guzzo’s exceptional amateur sports career. He picked up a few nicknames on the road to St. Moritz and back. Press in Switzerland called him “Oiseau,” or “the Bird,” because of his speed and finesse. In Czechoslovakia they called him “the Dancer” because of his smooth play and agility. He was dubbed “the Angel” in Paris. The poetic, religious family man died in Ottawa on January 19, 1993.

  Ab Renaud carried on with his job in government and continued to lace up for the RCAF after the Olympics. Later, he took to the ice for the army. The speedy, solid winger played competitively for another decade as a player–coach in the New York–Ontario league. At eighty, Ab married his longtime family friend Lorraine. He passed away just before Christmas in December 2012.

  Louis Lecompte returned to the RCAF’s photographic unit and eventually made his way to Kenya, where he worked for Canadian External Affairs doing aerial survey work. His passion for hockey never waned. He brought his beloved hockey skates with him to Africa on the off chance he could find some artificial ice there. When he passed away in 1970, Louis was buried with his Olympic ring. His skates and sweater were donated to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

  Orval “Red” Gravelle continued to work as a machinist in the RCAF. He was offered a chance to go professional and play with the New York Rangers, but the fiery forward turned them down. Red opted instead for the stability of a life in the air force. But the scrappy winger didn’t turn his back on hockey. He laced up for years and played in amateur leagues, senior leagues, and industrial leagues as well as refereeing and coaching. Tragically, Red passed away in January 1997 when he was struck by a train near his home outside Trenton while attempting to retrieve his pet dog near the double tracks.

  Ted Hibberd went back to his job at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Ottawa. He continued to play hockey with the RCAF Flyers for a few more years and raised a family of three girls and two boys. Although Ted’s memory banks are not quite what they used to be, he is one of the last Flyers still with us.

  Pete Leichnitz returned to his job with the government and then pursued a lengthy career with Canadian General Electric. The speedy centre and best buddy of Ted Hibberd passed away in December 2011.

  Andy Gilpin carried on with his career in the air force for just under thirty-five years. Hockey also continued to be a passion of Andy’s throughout the decades. He was a regular spokesman for the team, often regaling kids with stories about his time in the air force and in hockey. He also ne
ver tired of lacing up the skates. Andy retired to Trenton and played on a line with old pal Red Gravelle. Active his entire life, Andy skated weekly up until his death at age ninety-three in March 2014.

  Irving Taylor resumed his work in the air force until his retirement in 1965. He was an ardent supporter and founding father of minor hockey and amateur sport in the Ottawa area. Irving passed away in December 1991.

  Ross King returned to Whitehorse and played for the air force team in the Yukon. During the 1953–1954 hockey season, Ross was called up by the Chicago Black Hawks and played in the NHL for a couple of games. He retired to the prairies and was one of the early Flyers to make the long walk home. Ross passed away in 1972, when he was fifty-three years old.

  Dr. Sandy Watson continued his career with the RCAF and was promoted to wing commander in 1949. Never one to sit still, he studied ophthalmology at Harvard University and officially retired from the RCAF in 1959. He taught and became head of ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa and was also eye doctor to a long list of prime ministers and their families. Sandy was instrumental in raising money for and creating the Ottawa Eye Institute, widely recognized as the finest eye hospital and research centre in Canada. In 1987, Watson received the Order of Canada for his lifetime achievements. A scrapper until the end, he died of cancer on December 28, 2003.

  Frank Boucher was posted to London after the Olympics, and hockey, as with all the Bouchers, remained a huge part of his life. He stayed in London an additional four years as the managing player for the Wembley Lions. In 1952 Frank led the Lions to the English national title. Back in Canada, he kept on the skates as the playing coach for various RCAF teams up until 1968, when he retired from the RCAF. He settled into retirement on his farm outside Ottawa, where he passed away from throat cancer on December 12, 2003—just two weeks before his good friend Sandy Watson.

  George McFaul continued to train many of Ottawa’s championship-calibre hockey and football teams. He also spent countless hours on the ice as a referee and was highly regarded as an exceptionally resourceful and skilled trainer and equipment manager. George stayed in the RCAF until his retirement in 1967. He went on to a second career in construction and renovations. George passed away in November 2008.

  In 1988 the RCAF Flyers were honoured at the Calgary Olympics. In 2008 they were inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

  While these men may not have been the best individual hockey players in Canada, they were certainly the best team to represent our nation. Whether they were called to duty to fight or to play, the men who pulled on the powder-blue jerseys never hesitated. Rather, they jumped in with both feet and displayed qualities of courage, determination, and humility in the face of what must have seemed like insurmountable odds. Their story is one of inspiration, admiration, and the incredible Canadian drive to reach down and pull off the unthinkable.

  “In the end what matters is that when everybody said it couldn’t be done, the RCAF Flyers went ahead and did it.”

  —Hubert Brooks

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’ll never forget the day Dugald Maudsley of Infield Fly Productions first told me about the saga of the RCAF Flyers. Todd Kealey from Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services had brought it to Dugald’s attention, and Dugald wanted to know if I was interested in coming on board to write and direct a documentary about the hockey team. I knew nothing of their story, but I was instantly captivated and eager to be involved in the project.

  For the better part of a year I worked closely with Dugald and the amazing team at Infield Fly Productions to help bring the tale of these amazing men to a television audience. The documentary, Against All Odds: The RCAF Flyers, would never have gotten off the ground without the incredibly thorough and impeccable research and organizational skills of Marion Gruner. Marion’s research and initial interviews with the remaining Flyers and their family members formed the bedrock of the documentary. Upon that foundation, Elspeth Domville’s stunning visual research wizardry and Eric Wiegand’s deft photo-restoration work helped shed light on the wealth of pictures, newsreels, and visual materials squirrelled away in basements and stock footage houses from here to Europe.

  With a television project there is a limited amount of information, backstory, and character development that one can impart in between the many commercial breaks. There was so much more to the incredible lives of these national heroes who had been long forgotten.

  I am so happy the stars aligned and a chance conversation with Brad Wilson at HarperCollins breathed new life into the story in book form. Brad’s curiosity about the personal details behind the men on the team and his encouragement for me to expand on the documentary inspired me to tackle a more detailed telling of the lives of these hockey heroes. I am grateful to Brad and to editor Meg Masters for their focused guidance and expert hand in the editing of the manuscript. Their brilliant insights, in combination with the clever work of the diligent team of professionals at HarperCollins, have elevated this project.

  The heart and soul of this book owes itself to a number of key people who have selflessly shared so much with me. Surviving members of the team Murray Dowey and Roy Forbes graciously spent hours and days captivating me with their life stories over the months. They welcomed me into their homes and were able to provide exquisite details of their childhoods, adolescence, and adult years. My conversations and time spent with André Laperrière also filled me with inspiration and awe. Without them, there would be no book.

  I cannot begin to express my thanks and gratitude to Ralf Brooks, Tom Schroeter, and Mary Rose Guzzo, custodians of their fathers’ stories. By getting access to the unbelievable wealth of research material, diaries, pictures, and family history that they have collected, I felt as if I were meeting with and interviewing their beloved dads myself. The information they gave me has been indispensable in the writing of this book.

  I am deeply indebted to the generosity of the family and friends of the boys in blue, many of whom made available their private collections of photographs and recollections from stories their fathers passed on to them. I could not have weaved the tales of these men together and filled in some of the gaps without their selfless sharing and perspectives. Many thanks to Joyce Balharrie, Diane Boyce, Diana Brooks, Kevin Dowey, Brian Dunster, Dennis Dunster, Neil Dunster, Wayne Dunster, Gary and Julie Forbes, Andy Gilpin, Greg Halder, Matt Halder, Ted and Anna Hibberd, Nancy Hibberd, June Horvath, Phyllis Gravelle, George Mara Jr., Janet Nancarrow, Lori Speigelberg, Renée Thomson, and Dr. John Watson.

  Again, I want to thank Todd Kealey of Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services for bringing this tale to my attention.

  Last but not least, I want to thank the two beautiful, brilliant women in my life, Sari and Zahara. Your patience, your understanding, your inspiration, and your love have been instrumental in helping me write this first book. When I doubted myself, you kept me going. When I needed a lift, you were always there to help guide, support, and inspire me. I could not have accomplished this without you both. I am so fortunate to be sharing this journey with you.

  NOTES

  The lion’s share of information I gathered for this book came from interviews I conducted over the course of two years with key surviving members of the team and their family members.

  Details of Hubert Brooks’s amazing life story as well as quotes that appear from him throughout the book are used with the permission of his son, Ralf Brooks. Ralf has painstakingly assembled a treasure trove of information, diary entries, official documents, and family history of the Brooks clan and presented it on his website, hubertbrooks.com. Aside from spending many hours speaking with me, Ralf generously gave me access to the materials he has gathered at hubertbrooks.com in order to help me bring his father’s story to life in this book.

  I turned to Mary Rose Guzzo’s wonderful reproduction of her father Patsy Guzzo’s heartfelt diary, My Trip . . . Journey of an Olympic Gold Win (Ottawa: Baico Publishing, 2009), for quotes I have attribut
ed to Patsy Guzzo. Patsy’s diary also served as another layer of first-hand information and impressions to help support the research I conducted in my interviews.

  At various points throughout this book I also relied on some of Pat MacAdam’s candid interviews and thorough research, which can be found in his book Gold Medal “Misfits”: How the Unwanted Canadian Hockey Team Scored Olympic Glory (Ancaster: Manor House Publishing, 2007), to back up my own research.

  Reg Schroeter, the team’s unofficial records keeper, amassed every newspaper clipping he could get his hands on that related to the RCAF Flyers’ 1948 Olympic adventure. Reg’s son Tom Schroeter generously gave me access to the scrapbooks that he now maintains in his dad’s memory. The scrapbooks included a wealth of newspaper clippings from the Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Journal as well as brochures, telegrams, photographs, service records, and even articles from foreign papers that related to the boys’ hockey games in exhibition overseas.

  Chapter 1: Ottawa

  For descriptions of weather conditions, I tended to lean on a few different sources. Sometimes my interviews with the men involved in the story yielded all the necessary information and details. At other times, I pulled from daily news sources, including local newspapers such as the Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Journal. I also used diary entries from Patsy Guzzo or Hubert Brooks to help give a picture of the climate and environment on many occasions. References to specific temperatures and meteorological conditions were also gleaned from Environment Canada’s historical data files, recorded at various weather stations across the country.

  My descriptions of Buck Boucher’s appearance and dress were derived from photographs taken of the Flyers during the early days of tryouts in Ottawa. Information about Tommy Gorman’s Ottawa Auditorium came from Pat MacAdam’s Gold Medal “Misfits” as well as Jim McAuley’s The Ottawa Sports Book (Burnstown: General Store Publishing House, 1987).