VICKY SUNOHARA AND HAYLEY WICKENHEISER WILL BE ALTERNATE CAPTAINS

LINKOPING, SWEDEN – Canada’s National Women’s Team announced its captain and assistant captains for the 2005 IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championship in Sweden, April 2-9, 2005. Cassie Campbell of Brampton, ON will wear the “C” for Team Canada, while Vicky Sunohara (Scarborough, ON) and Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunavon, SK) will serve as Canada’s alternate captains.

Campbell has been Canada’s National Women’s Team captain in every international event she has played in since the 2001-2002 season. She served as an alternate captain for Team Canada from 19. Campbell has won six World Championship gold medals, as well a gold medal 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where she was team captain, and won silver at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan when she was alternate captain. She has been captain of her club team, the WWHL’s Calgary Oval X-Treme for the past three seasons.

“It is always an honour to wear the ‘C’ on a team filled with so many leaders, “said Campbell. “A lot of these players wear a letter for their college or club team, and I feel that we are fortunate to have a team with such great depth in leadership.

”Both Sunohara and Wickenheiser have been alternate captains with Canada’s National Women’s team since 2001. Sunohara serves as captain of her club team, the NWHL’s Brampton Thunder, and is a veteran of Team Canada, winning six World Championships as well as Olympic gold (2002) and silver (1998). Wickenheiser has played in five World Championships for Canada, and was named MVP of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Team Canada played a ‘pre-Championship’ game on Thursday, March 31 in Norrkoping, Sweden. Despite falling behind early in the game, Canada rallied back for a convincing 9-2 victory over Finland.

The 2005 IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championship begins on Saturday, April 2 with a game between the host team, Sweden against Russia. Canada will play its first game of the Championship on Sunday, April 3 against Kazakhstan (2pm ET / 11am PT). All of Team Canada’s games will be shown live on TSN / RDS, the official broadcaster of Hockey Canada (check your local listings).

Canada has won all eight previous World Women’s Championships, and is hoping to tie the IIHF record for nine consecutive World Championships with the Soviet Union Men’s Team.