Winter Games of the V Olympiad
World War II forced the cancellation of the Summer and Winter Games in 1940 and 1944. So when the flag was raised in St. Moritz in January 1948, Olympic athletes gathered for the first time in more than eleven years.
The RCAF Flyers were determined to bring the Olympic hockey title back to Canada. After seven games, the Flyers had six wins and a scoreless tie against Czechoslovakia. The Czechs had played all eight of their games and, except for the tie against Canada, had won them all. Canada’s final game was against Switzerland, which had six wins against only one loss. Canada had to win by two goals to finish ahead of Czechoslovakia. Canada scored once in each period to win the game 3-0 and once again take home the gold.
Skating on the outdoor ice badly chewed up by the hockey competition were the figure skaters. The Canadian pairs champions, Suzanne Morrow and Wally Distelmeyer, won the bronze medal. Also skating for Canada was a 19-year-old from Ottawa, Barbara Ann Scott. As Canada’s first world champion figure skater in 1947, Barbara Ann had won the hearts of Canadians. In St. Moritz, she won the hearts of the world. After building an impressive lead in compulsory figures, she exploded in a dazzling display in her free skating routine to win the Olympic gold medal and become the first North American to win the title.
