My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Against All Odds chronicles the story of the 1948 Canadian Olympic hockey team. The 1948 Olympic Games (the V Winter Olympics) were held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and dubbed "The Games of Renewal" as they were the first games held after World War II.
New rule changes to the definition of amateur athlete for the 1948 games meant that Canada was not going to have a hockey team to send to the Olympics. Determined not to let that happen, Sandy Watson, manager of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) amateur team, gained approval to form a team of players from RCAF Flyers. He and coach Frank Boucher formed a team of men who had served in WWII.
I can't believe in my years as a Canadian hockey fan that I knew nothing about this piece of history. The story in itself is fascinating, and the author did a fantastic job telling it. From the quest of scouting out players for the team, telling the background of the players and what their war experiences were, and their long road to the Olympics, I was glued to the book start to finish.
This is my 8th book read for the 12th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge.
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