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Billie Dawe

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Billydawe
Billie Dawe
Born June 8, 1924(1924-06-08),
Cochrane, Alberta, Canada
Died May 20, 2013(2013-05-20) (aged 88),
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Position Left wing
Pro clubs Edmonton Mercurys
Ntl. team Flag of Canada Canada
Playing career 1949–1952

Billie 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 RCAF Station Gimli during World War II.

Career[]

In 1949, Dawe joined the Edmonton Mercurys, a 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 four other Mercurys teammate, including 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. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Daum, Evan. "Hockey Hero Helped Canada Win Gold", Edmonton Journal, 2013-06-01. 
  2. ↑ Staff writer. "Two in a row for the Mercurys", Lethbridge Herald, 1950-01-12, p. 12. 
  3. ↑ (1979) The New York Times Encyclopedia of Sports: Winter Sports. Arno Press, 72. 
  4. ↑ 3-3 tie gives Mercurys Olympic Hockey Crown. Edmonton Journal (1952-02-25).
  5. ↑ Billy Dawe Bio, Stats, and Results. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved on May 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ Canada Ice Hockey at the 1952 Oslo winter Games. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved on May 21, 2013.
  7. ↑ Dwyer, Bill. "Canadian Goose Egg - It Has Been 50 Years Since Edmonton Mercurys Won Country's Last Gold", Los Angeles Times, 2002-02-15. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Costello, Brian. "Remembering the golden Edmonton Mercurys of 1952", The Hockey News, 2013-12-02. 
  9. ↑ Rush, Curtis. "Olympic repeat first in 62 years: Edmonton-based team was last to defend Canadian gold", Toronto Star, 2014-02-24, p. S-4. 
  10. ↑ Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys 1952. Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved on May 21, 2013.
  11. ↑ Members of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame - Sport: Ice Hockey. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved on May 22, 2013.
  12. ↑ Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys 1950. Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved on May 21, 2013.

External links[]

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Billie Dawe. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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