Al Purvis

Who was Al Purvis?

Allan Ruggles Purvis was a Canadian ice hockey player who played with the Edmonton Mercurys, a team which represented Canada and won a gold medal at the 1950 World Ice Hockey Championships and also won a gold medal at the 1952 Winter Olympics. He later became owner of Waterloo Ford, a local car dealership that had been the sponsor of his medal-winning hockey team.

Purvis was born in Trochu, Alberta. He moved with his family to Calgary and attended Western Canada High School there.

He was invited to join the Edmonton Mercurys when he was 19 years old, having played junior hockey for the Calgary Buffaloes. The Mercurys were sponsored by Waterloo Mercury, a local car dealership whose owner hired some of the team's players to work for his firm. Purvis, a defenceman was the team's assistant captain. Though better known for his checking skills, Purvis was a goal scorer.

The Mercurys won the Western Intermediate League championship and were selected to represent Canada at the 1950 World Ice Hockey Championships held in London, England, where the Mercurys took the gold, winning all seven games they played in the tournament and outscoring their opponents by a margin of 88–5.