CALGARY – On Saturday, Canada's National Women's Hockey Team Head Coach Melody Davidson named Cassie Campbell the team's captain for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Vicky Sunohara and Hayley Wickenheiser were named as Canada’s alternate captains.

Campbell, a forward, has been Canada’s women’s team captain since 2001, including captain at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has worn either the ‘C’ or been an alternate captain for Team Canada since the 1997-98 season, including being an alternate captain at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. Campbell has won six World Women’s Hockey Championships, and this will be her third Olympic Winter Games. Campbell, 32, a veteran of Canada's National Women's Team, first stepped onto the international scene for Canada in 1994. The native of Brampton, ON ranks as Canada’s third player all-time to play over 150 international games with Canada's National Women's Team.

Sunohara, 35, was an alternate captain for Canada’s gold medal team at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah and has been an alternate captain for Canada’s women’s team since 2001. The native of Scarborough, ON has played in a total of seven World Championships, including Canada’s first ever World Championship Team in 1990, capturing six gold medals. Turin will be her third Olympic Winter Games, having also been a member of Canada's silver medal winning team at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

Wickenheiser, 27, joined the National Women's Team at the 1994 World Women's Hockey Championship as a 15 year old, and captured her first of five World Championship gold medals. The native of Shaunavon, SK is the all-time leading scorer with Canada's National Women's Team. Wickenheiser was been an alternate captain with Canada since 2001, and was captain of Canada’s Under 22 women’s hockey team in 1998. The 2006 Olympic Games will be the four time she has participated at an Olympics, including the 2000 Olympic Summer Games (Canada’s softball team), the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah which captured gold, and was a member of Canada's silver medal winning team at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

CANADA’S WOMEN’S TEAM DEPARTS FOR ITALY ON SUNDAY

Team Canada will have two media availabilities in Canada prior to departing for the Olympics on Sunday:

1. Saturday, January 28th – FATHER DAVID BAUER ARENA, CALGARY

Canada’s Women’s Olympic Hockey Team will practice at Father David Bauer Arena on Saturday, January 28th from 11:15-12:30pm MT. The players will then have some off ice training before they are made available to the media around 2:15pm MT.

2. SUNDAY, JANUARY 29TH – CALGARY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

At approximately 3:00pm MT on Sunday, January 28th, players and staff will be available to the media as they come off the bus and enter/check-in the Calgary International Airport on prior to departing for Italy. The team will depart at 5:45pm Sunday, January 29th from Calgary’s International Airport on AC flight 844.

Team Canada will be in Val Pellice, Italy for a five day camp, and one pre-Olympic Exhibition game on February 3rd in Val Pellice against Sweden. The team will then travel to the Athletes Village in Turin, Italy on February 5th. Canada opens up the 2006 Winter Olympic Games on February 11th versus the host nation, Italy at 8:30pm local time (2:30pm ET).