Mr. Speaker, while Canadians are looking on with pride as our athletes are dominating at the Sochi Winter Games, I would like to pay tribute to one very special Londoner, Andy Gilpin. He was a member of the Canadian hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1948 Olympic Games in St. Moritz.
Mr. Gilpin is now 93 years young. He was a member of the “RCAF Flyers” who won that great victory over Team Czechoslovakia to take home the gold medal. The Flyers were selected from RCAF stations across Canada.
Sixty-six years later, we celebrated “Andy Gilpin Day” last week with a luncheon hosted by the 427 London Wing of the RCAF Association. Along with his family and friends, Hockey Canada and the Ontario Hockey Federation made presentations in his honour. Andy is one of less than a half dozen hockey players of the 1948 Olympic team to whom we still have the chance to pay personal tribute.
We honour his exceptional service to our country, and we honour his incredible contribution to Canadian sport. He makes London and Canada proud.
Through Andy Gilpin, we say, “Go, Team Canada”.