Canada's National Men's Hockey Team to Play Norway at Father David Bauer Arena As Part of First Canadian Tour

NR.074.98

8 octobre 1998

CALGARY, AB -- Canada's National Men's Hockey Team plays host to the Norwegian National Team at Father David Bauer Arena on Oct. 11, the only game this season Team Canada will play at its Calgary training base, the Canadian Hockey Association announced on Thursday.

Sunday's game, which begins at 2:00 pm, is the second of a five-game series against the Norwegians. The clubs open the series on Saturday in Fort MacLeod, AB, and will play in Powell River, BC (Oct. 13), Grande Prairie (Oct. 15) and Peace River (Oct. 16).

"This series will be an excellent early-season test for our team," said Mike Johnston, general manager and head coach of Team Canada. "After this tour, we won't play again in Canada until March, so I'm sure our players will be motivated to put on a good show in front of their friends and family in Calgary."

Team Canada is led this season by NHL veteran defenceman Doug Lidster, who began his hockey career with Canada's National Team in the 1980s. Lidster, played for Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, will be a playing assistant coach under Johnston and assistant coach Willy Desjardins.

"Any game we play in Canada is a home game for us, but it's always special to play for your country in front of your friends and family," said Lidster. "We're looking forward to putting on an excellent show."

Team Canada represents Canada in international competitions such as the Baltic Cup in Moscow, the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland and the Sweden Games in Stockholm. It also travels around small-town Canada, where it provides top-calibre international competition, as well as carrying the banner for the Canadian Hockey Association's grassroots development programs.

"Canada's National Team takes a serious approach to its development responsibilities as they travel around the world," said Tom Renney, the CHA's vice-president, hockey. "This is especially true domestically where the team involves itself with Initiation Program demonstrations, guest coaching programs, visit to schools, and coaching clinics.

"There is no other full-time National Team in the world that does anything close to this in terms of commitment to development."