From Grass Roots to High Performance

EDMONTON – Hockey Canada has taken over Rexall Place in Edmonton, AB for the next four days (Wednesday, June 15 to Saturday, June 18th)  to conduct a series of activities including filming a new series of instructional DVD’s aimed at minor hockey coaches.

The events that Hockey Canada is running in Edmonton this week:

• Filming of new instructional DVD’s focusing on skill development for minor hockey coaches and players, with the DVD’s to be launched this fall
• Program of Excellence (POE) seminar – brings together Canada’s 2005 World Junior and Under 18 coaches, and all of the regional Under 17 coaching staffs from across Canada.  Various presentations from NHL coaches and Hockey Canada personnel will take place
• Domestic Event Planning seminar, which brings together the host committees for all of Canada’s National Domestic events in 2005-2006
• Men’s National team orientation camp, for 31 Canadian players that played in Europe last year as part of Canada’s preparation for the upcoming season

NEW DVD’S
Hockey Canada is in the process of producing a series of eight instructional DVD’s focusing on skill development. The first four videos were shot in Edmonton, AB last year and featured skating, puck control, checking, shooting and scoring. These videos will be distributed to all coaches in Canada receiving the newly rebuilt National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) using a competency based model certification starting this September, and will be available for retail sale this fall. This year’s DVDs being shot this week at Rexall Place are off ice training, offensive tactics, defensive tactics, and team play. Filming schedule is attached and sessions are open to the media.

PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE SEMINAR
The Program of Excellence (POE) Coaching Seminar will take place from Wednesday, June 15-18 at Rexall Place. This annual event is being held outside of Calgary so they could combine it with the Men’s National Team Orientation Camp and have the coaches observe and do tasks involving the Men’s Team. The coaches attending will be the 15 coaches each provincial branch selected as their three coaches for each of the five regions (Pacific, West, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic) that will coach at the 2006 Under-17 Hockey Challenge, as well as the coaching staff for the 2006 World Junior Cup Under-18 summer tournament - Shawn Camp, Curtis Hunt and Cory Clouston, and the Coaching staff for the 2006 National Junior Team – Brent Sutter, Clement Jodoin, and Craig Hartsburg. The presenters are Men’s National Team Head Coach – Marc Habscheid, Hockey Canada Director of Player Personnel – Blair MacKasey, Edmonton Oilers Head Coach – Craig MacTavish, Anaheim Mighty Ducks Head Coach – Mike Babcock, Former Team Canada and present Phoenix Coyotes goaltender – Sean Burke, Hockey Canada Sports Psychologist – Dr. Wayne Halliwell, University of PEI Head Coach – Mike Kelly, and a Professor at the University of Victoria Dr. Howie Wenger.  Seminar schedule is attached, and sessions are open to the media.

DOMESTIC EVENT PLANNING SEMINAR
The third annual Domestic Event Planning seminar will be hosted in Edmonton, AB from June 15-17, 2005. This event has become a key planning tool in the operation of Hockey Canada’s Five Domestic Events each season. Fifteen delegates from five events as well as guests from other organizations will attend presentations and interactive sessions on marketing/sponsorship, ticket incentive strategies, and key information on the planning of their respective events moving forward into the 2005-06 season. This session also gives the respective host committees an opportunity to discuss their own operations with other committees with similar and unique circumstances. This years Domestic Events are going to be held as follows:

NATIONAL MEN’S TEAM ORIENTATION CAMP
Canada’s  Men’s National Team will conduct an Orientation Camp from June 15-18 at Rexall Place for 31 Canadian-born players that played hockey in Europe during the 2004-05 season and were not under NHL contract last season. The goal of the camp is to educate the players for the options that may present themselves for the upcoming season for Canada’s National and Olympic team. All practices are open to the public and media.