Defenceman Chris Pronger, Forward Mark Recchi Join Team Canada at World Hockey Championship

NR.057.97
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April 28, 1997
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CALGARY, AB -- Mark Recchi of the Montreal Canadiens and Chris Pronger of the St. Louis Blues have agreed to join Team Canada at the World Hockey Championship in Finland, general manager Bob Clarke announced Monday.

Recchi flew to Helsinki and was to join Team Canada in Turku on Monday, while Pronger was scheduled to arrive in Finland on Tuesday morning. The two players became available when their respective teams were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs over the weekend.

The addition of Pronger and Recchi brings Team Canada to the World Hockey Championship roster limit of 23 players. It also means that Todd Simpson of the Calgary Flames, who travelled with the club to Finland, will not participate in the World Championship. Since Simpson's name had not been submitted to tournament officials by Team Canada head coach Andy Murray, he was never officially on Team Canada's roster.

Recchi, 29, played for Canada at the 1993 World Hockey Championship in Dortmund, Germany, when Canada finished in fourth place. He won a gold medal for Canada as a member of the 1988 National Junior Team at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Moscow. Pronger, 22, will be making his first appearance for Canada at the World Hockey Championship. He won a gold medal for Canada at the 1993 World Junior Hockey Championship Gavle, Sweden.

Canada's won-lost record at the 1997 World Championship is 1-1 after the club beat Norway 7-0 in its tournament opener, then lost 7-2 to Sweden on Sunday in their second game on Sunday. In the loss to Sweden, Canada was penalized 16 times and was shorthanded 13 times for more than 20 minutes in all against a swift, skilled Swedish team.

Calgary Flames rookie forward Jarome Iginla and Dean Evason of Canada's full-time men's national team, scored the only goals for Canada. Canada's next two round-robin games are Wednesday, April 30 against Latvia and Thursday, May 1 against Team USA.

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

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