Representatives of the eight countries participating in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey met with IIHF President René Fasel, NHL Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Bill Daly, NHL Managing Director Ken Yaffe and with NHLPA Senior Director of Business Affairs Ted Saskin (via conference call from Toronto) in Zurich, Switzerland to further discuss details of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey (August 30 - September 14).

Two major decisions were made:

• The initial announcement date for the teams' player selection was changed to mid-May. The exact date will be announced later.
• The participants agreed that each World Cup roster will have 23 skaters and three goaltenders, with three of the 26 players to be under the age of 22. The teams will dress 18 skaters and two goalies for each game.

The 2004 World Cup of Hockey is organized by the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), in cooperation with the IIHF.

Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and Sweden play in the European Pool while Canada, Russia, Slovakia and the defending World Cup champions United States are in the North American Pool.

The championship game will be played on September 14 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Go WCH2004.com for the full schedule of the tournament and ticket information.

The World Cup of Hockey will be played according to NHL rules and officiated by NHL referees.