EDMONTON, AB – Hockey Canada launched a state-of-the-art hockey development DVD series entitled ‘Team Canada Skills of Gold’ on December 19th, in Edmonton, AB.

The ‘Team Canada Skills of Gold’ series is comprised of a set of eight DVDs and breaks down the primary skills of hockey for coaches and players in a clear and easy to follow format. The series is designed to enhance the skills of hockey players of all ages and skill levels.

This DVD series features over 6 hours of educational footage, and focuses on eight different areas of hockey skills including skating, puck control, checking, team play and off-ice training techniques.

The ‘Team Canada Skills of Gold’ bilingual DVD series was filmed in Edmonton, AB over a two year period with minor hockey players from the area. All filming, editing and post production was done by Aquila Productions an Insight Sports company. Edmonton Oilers’ Assistant Coach Craig Simpson is the host for the English version, while NHL Hall of Fame Honoured Member Mike Bossy is the host for the French version. Footage also includes appearances by Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Lowe, Ken Hitchcock, Ryan Smyth, Joe Thornton, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St-Louis, Wade Redden, Martin Brodeur and Jarome Iginla.

“The ‘Team Canada Skills of Gold’ series is cutting edge material that will benefit coaches and players at all levels,” said Hockey Canada President Bob Nicholson. “At Hockey Canada, we strive to be innovative and world leaders in developing tools for coaches and players. This DVD series serves as the cornerstone resource in the Charles Hay Resource Library and brings innovative hockey development to a whole new level. For those people looking for the perfect Christmas gift or resource for the hockey coach in their family, this is a must have for coaches. This series will have lasting impact on the game of hockey in Canada and around the World.”

The ‘Team Canada Skills of Gold’ DVD series comes together in one bilingual package for $79.95. The series of eight DVDs is available now at Hockey Canada’s online store, Breakaway, at www.hockeycanada.ca, or by calling 1-800-667-2242, at only $79.95 for the entire DVD series.

The DVD package includes all eight DVDs (not sold separately).
A breakdown of the series is as follows:

“TEAM CANADA SKILLS OF GOLD”

DVD 1 – SKATING: Progressive skills and drills designed to develop and improve a player’s skating ability, with instruction in balance, agility, edge control, starting and stopping, forward skating, backward skating, turning and crossovers;

DVD 2 – PUCK CONTROL: Progressive skills and drills designed to develop and improve a player’s ability to handle the puck, through instruction of puck control and passing and receiving, both while stationary or moving;

DVD 3 – SHOOTING AND SCORING: Progressive skills and drills designed to improve a player’s ability to shoot and score, with instruction on sweep shots, wrist shots, flip shots, snap shots, slap shots, tips and deflections and dekes;

DVD 4 – CHECKING: Includes instructions on the four-step progression to teach checking skills that begins the very first time a player takes to the ice, including development of positioning, angling, stick checks, contact confidence and body contact;

DVD 5 – OFFENSIVE TACTICS: Covers the fundamentals of offensive tactics in the defensive, neutral and offensive zone;

DVD 6 – DEFENSIVE TACTICS: Covers the fundamentals of defensive tactics for individual players as well as team defensive tactics through all three zones. Topics include: skating, 1 on 1 defensive technique, back checking, backside support, shot blocking, 2 on 1 rush defense; forechecking, defensive zone coverage, etc.;

DVD 7 – TEAM PLAY: Covers the concepts of defensive zone coverage, breakouts, transitions and regroups, offensive zone play, forechecking, special teams and faceoffs;

DVD 8 – OFF ICE TRAINING: An inside look at off ice training techniques that will enhance a players abilities on ice.