GRETZKY, LOWE AND TAMBELLINI WILL LEAD CANADA’S MEN’S OLYMPIC HOCKEY TEAM
EDMONTON – Hockey Canada President Bob Nicholson announced on Wednesday that Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Lowe and
Steve Tambellini, the management team that led Canada to gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 and a World Cup of
Hockey championship in 2004, will lead Canada’s Men’s hockey team in Turin, Italy for the 2006 Winter Olympic
Games next February, regardless whether NHL players participate.
Option 1:
If the new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA states that NHL players are available
for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, the staff that will lead Canada’s 2006 Men’s Olympic
Hockey Team will be:
Executive Director- Wayne Gretzky
Assistant Executive Director - Kevin Lowe
Director, Player Personnel - Steve Tambellini
Head Coach; - Pat Quinn
Associate Coaches: - Wayne Fleming, Marc Habscheid, Ken Hitchcock, Jacques Martin
Quinn and his entire coaching staff would return to led Canada behind the bench if NHL players attend the
2006 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. This keeps the same coaching staff intact that won gold in Salt
Lake City at the 2002 Olympic Games, and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey championship. In this scenario,
Habscheid, Canada’s National Men’s team coach, will join Quinn and his staff as an associate coach.
Canada will invite 34 NHL players to attend an NHL Olympic orientation camp in Vancouver/Kelowna, BC in
mid-August, similar to the orientation camp that took place in Calgary in 2001. Hockey Canada is moving
forward with plans to host this orientation camp in August, unless between now and the start of this camp in
mid-August, the NHL/NHLPA announces that NHL players will not participate in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
The Team Canada Olympic orientation camp with NHL players, dates, details and player invites will be
finalized and announced within the next three weeks.
Option 2:
If the 2006 Winter Olympic Games do not include NHL players, the management staff for Canada’s Men’s
Hockey team will be Gretzky, Lowe and Tambellini, in an advisory role, and Marc Habscheid, Canada’s National
Men’s Team Head Coach, will be the Head Coach of Team Canada.
Hockey Canada opens an Olympic orientation camp at Rexall Place in Edmonton today, and runs until June
18th, that brings 31 Canadian-born players that played hockey in Europe during the 2004-2005 season and were
not under NHL contract last season. The goal of the camp is to orientate these players for the options and
opportunities that lie ahead for the 2005-2006 season for Canada’s National Men’s Hockey Team. The
opportunities include the events that Canada’s National team will participate in for the upcoming season
(Deutschland Cup – November; Loto Cup – December; Spengler Cup – December; and tours during European breaks
throughout the season, and the options regarding participation at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin,
Italy in February. The roster is available at www.hockeycanada.ca
Habscheid was Head Coach of Canada’s 2005 World Championship team that won a silver medal in May in
Vienna, Austria. Habscheid lead Canada to a 10-5-1 record in 2004-2005, his first season as Head Coach of
Canada’s National Men’s team, who were the only country this season to not use NHL players.
Blair Mackasey, who joined Hockey Canada as Head Scout in June, 2002 (now the Director, Player Personnel
of the Program of Excellence) and is responsible for all player evaluation and player selections for Canada’s
National Junior Team and Under-18 Teams (Spring and Summer), will work with Habscheid, the coaching staffs,
and the management staff to assist in both options with scouting and evaluation of Canadian players eligible
to represent Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.