CALGARY, AB -- General manager Pat Quinn announced Monday the staff members who will lead Team Canada to Zurich, Switzerland to defend the gold medal Canada won last year at the World Hockey Championship.

The coaching staff is led by head coach Andy Murray, who is head coach of Canada's National Team, and associate coach Mike Johnston, who is GM and associate coach of the National Team. Murray was head coach and Johnston, associate coach, of Team Canada at the 1997 World Championship in Finland. They both were members of the coaching staff for Canada's Men's Olympic Hockey Team, as well.

Murray and Johnston coached Canada's National Team to the gold medal at the Spengler Cup tournament in Davos, Switzerland in December.

Canada will take a 23-player roster to the World Hockey Championship, which runs from May 1-17. Canada has won the gold medal two of the last four years (1997, 1994) as well as a bronze medal in 1995 and a second-place silver medal in 1996.

Rounding out the coaching staff will be Glen Hanlon, a longtime NHL goaltender and an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks for the past six years, and Dean Holden, who was head coach this year at the University of Lethbridge. Holden, 31, has worked with the Canadian Hockey Association before. In May 1992, he worked with then National Team head coach Dave King on an elite fitness program.

In 1994-95, Holden worked with the National Men's Team as an intern, as part of the National Coaching Institute program. In 1995-96, Holden worked full-time for Canadian Hockey, doing video work. He will serve as Team Canada's video coach during the World Hockey Championship.

Gus Thorson, of the CHA, will travel to Zurich as the team's equipment manager, and Geoff Horne will be the team's athletic therapist.

Bob Stewart of the Calgary Flames is also part of the team staff as the assistant equipment manager, while Mike Burnstein of the Vancouver Canucks will work with Horne as the assistant athletic therapist.

The team physician will be Dr. Jim Thorne, who was the team doctor on the gold medal team last year. Dr. Thorne also was the team physician for Canada's gold medal-winning National Junior Team at the 1997 World Junior Hockey Championship.

Team Canada will assemble on Friday in Toronto, where they will hold a practice session before departing for London. From there, the club travels to Prague, Czech Republic for a three-day pre-competition camp that will include an exhibition game against the Czech Republic.

The team arrives in Zurich on April 29 and opens the 1998 World Hockey Championship on May 1, when they play Austria.