Billie Dawe

Billie Dawe
Born (1924-06-08)June 8, 1924
Cochrane, Alberta, Canada
Died May 20, 2013(2013-05-20) (aged 88)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Position Left wing
Played for Edmonton Mercurys
National team  Canada
Playing career 1949–1952
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
1952 Oslo Ice hockey
World Championship
1950 London Ice hockey

Billie "Billy, Bill" Dawe (June 8, 1924 – May 20, 2013) was a Canadian amateur ice hockey player. He was a member of the 1950 World Champion team, the Edmonton Mercurys, and led that team to a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics.

Early life

Dawe was born in Cochrane, Alberta, but lived most of his life in Edmonton. His mother, Hilda, was a British war bride of his father, Bill, who met her while he was serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I. The hockey-playing Dawe would meet his own wife, Lee, in Manitoba, Canada, while training to be a pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force at Gimli, Manitoba during World War II.

Career

In 1949, Dawe joined the Edmonton Mercurys ("Mercurys", "Mercs"), an newly formed intermediate senior-A ice hockey team in Edmonton, Alberta. [1] Dawe played with the Mercurys when they took part in exhibition games in Ayr, Scotland in 1950,[2] and later helped them to win the 1950 World Ice Hockey Championships in London, England.

Two years later, Dawe was team captain when the Mercs won the gold medal at the 1952 Winter Olympics/1952 World Championship in Oslo, Norway.[3][4] Dawe tied for second in team scoring, with 6 goals and 6 assists during 8 games, as the Mercurys outscored their opponents 71-14 en route to the gold medal.[5][6][7]

Dawe retired from hockey following the 1952 Olympics, going to work at the Edmonton Waterloo Mercury car dealership, sponsor of the Edmonton Mercurys hockey team, for a number of decades. Dawe became parts manager at the dealership and a partner in the firm, along with Mercurys teammate and eventual principal owner Al Purvis.[8][1] He continued to be involved in sports, serving as president of the Canadian Athletic Club, coaching Little League baseball, and participating in curling. [1]

Canada did not win the ice hockey Olympic gold medal again for 50 years following the win by the Mercurys. Dawe and a number of the surviving Mercury players were invited to Salt Lake City in 2002 to watch – then help Team Canada celebrate – their next gold medal win.[9]

Dawe, as part of the 1952 Olympic/World Champion Edmonton Mercurys, was inducted to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1968.[10] The 1952 Mercurys, including Dawe, was inducted to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2002 - the same year that Team Canada finally broke its 50-year gold medal drought.[11] Dawe, as part of the 1950 World Champion version of the Mercs, was inducted to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.[12]

Dawe died in Edmonton on May 20, 2013, at age 88.[8][1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Hockey Hero Helped Canada Win God". Edmonton Journal, June 1, 2013
  2. ↑ "Two in a row for the Mercurys". Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. January 12, 1950. page 12.
  3. ↑ Gene Brown. Winter sports. Arno Press; 1979. ISBN 978-0-405-12635-2. p. 72.
  4. ↑ 3-3 tie gives Mercurys Olympic Hockey Crown, Edmonton Journal, February 25, 1952
  5. ↑ "Billy Dawe Bio, Stats, and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Canada Ice Hockey at the 1952 Oslo winter Games". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Canadian Goose Egg - It Has Been 50 Years Since Edmonton Mercurys Won Country's Last Gold". Los Angeles Times, February 15, 2002. by Bill Dwyer
  8. 1 2 "Remembering the golden Edmonton Mercurys of 1952". The Hockey News, Brian Costello, Dec 2, 2013
  9. ↑ "Olympic repeat first in 62 years: Edmonton-based team was last to defend Canadian gold". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont. Rush, Curtis. Feb 24, 2014 S.4
  10. ↑ "Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys 1952". Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Members of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame - Sport: Ice Hockey". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys 1950". Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  • "William Dawe". databaseOlympics.com
  • Edmonton Mercurys page from canoe.ca's 2002 Winter Olympics page
  • "Edmonton Mercurys"/ The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  • "Billie Dawe". Edmonton Journal. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013. via Legacy.com (family placed obituary)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.