THE AIR LIFT OF 1958

At the February lunch for the NHL Original Six Alumni, I had the pleasure of giving a talk on the career of Sandy Air.

In 1957, Sandy was a member of the Allan Cup champion Whitby Dunlops. As reigning champs, the Dunlops were selected to represent Canada at the 1958 world championships in Oslo, Norway. Due to business commitments, Sandy wasn't going to make the trip. However, he was told by Dunlops manager, Wren Blair, to stay by the phone in case he was needed.

And that call came on February 25, 1958. Hoping to bolster their attack on right wing, Blair and playing-coach Sid Smith felt it was necessary to reach out to Air. A headline in The Globe and Mail read, "SANDY AIR-LIFT PLANNED TO STRENGTHEN DUNLOPS."

On March 9, 1958, Sandy Air and his Dunlop teammates doubled-up Russia by a 4-2 score and their quest to conquer the world was complete.