CALGARY – Hockey Canada has announced that Melody Davidson (Oyen, AB) will be the head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team for the 2008--10 seasons, including the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In addition, it was announced that Peter Smith (Lachine, QC) and Doug Lidster (Kamloops, BC) will join Davidson behind the bench as assistant coaches.

“Melody has a proven track record as the head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team, and we are excited she will be stepping back behind the bench for the 2008--10 seasons,” said Bob Nicholson, president and CEO of Hockey Canada. “We look forward to the coming seasons, and extending the winning tradition of Canada’s National Women’s Team.”

Davidson, who is also general manager of the National Women’s Program, won gold medals at the 2007 IIHF World Women’s Championship, 2006 Olympic Winter Games, 2005 Torino Ice Pre-Olympic Tournament, 2005 4 Nations Cup and 2004 4 Nations Cup, as well as a silver medal at the 2005 IIHF World Women’s Championship during previous stints as head coach. She also won a gold medal as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team at the 1998 Christmas Cup. Davidson was an assistant coach with Canada’s gold medal-winning National Women’s Team at the 2002 Winter Olympics and served as an assistant coach during the 1993--01 seasons, winning IIHF World Championship gold medals both years as well as at the 2000 4 Nations Cup and the 1996 Pacific Rim Championship.

The head coach of the women’s team at McGill University, Smith was head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team during the 2007-08 season, winning a gold medal at the 2007 4 Nations Cup in Leksand, Sweden and a silver medal at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Harbin, China. He was an assistant coach under Davidson during the 2006-07 season, which included gold medals at the 2006 4 Nations Cup in Kitchener, ON and 2007 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Winnipeg and Selkirk, MB. He also served as an assistant coach with Canada at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, capturing a gold medal. Smith led McGill to a CIS national championship in 2008, the school’s first national title.

Lidster returns to the bench of Canada’s National Women’s Team for the first time since the 2003-04 season, when he served as an assistant coach under Karen Hughes. That season, Canada took home the silver medal from the 2003 4 Nations Cup in Skovde, Sweden, and a gold medal from the 2004 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Halifax, NS. He served as head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit in 2004-05. Lidster won two Stanley Cups during an NHL career that spanned almost 900 games – 1994 with the New York Rangers and 1999 with the Dallas Stars. He represented Canada at three IIHF World Championships (1985, 1990, 1991), as well as the 1984 Olympic Winter Games.