Women's Hockey Teams Converge for 2009 Hockey Canada Cup

Four of the best women's hockey teams in the world will gather in Vancouver, Monday, for the opening of the 2009 Hockey Canada Cup. Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States will compete for gold at Vancouver's General Motors Place.

The tournament will also serve as an Olympic test event for the venue, which will be called Canada Hockey Place for the duration of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. It will host most of the men's and women's Olympic hockey games in February 2010.

"Whenever you have the top four teams in the world in one event, you know it's going to be competitive, fast, exciting hockey," said Canada's head coach, Melody Davidson, in a release. "Hockey fans that weren't successful in getting tickets to the Olympics have a great chance to see the top players anyway at the Hockey Canada Cup. This is the next best thing."

TSN will also televise the gold medal game of the tournament, scheduled for Sunday, September 6.

The United States will open the tournament with a matchup against Finland on Monday at 6 p.m. ET. Canada will face off against Sweden at 10:30 p.m. ET.

The United States is expected to be the Canadian squad's toughest competition. The strong American team took two straight World titles and has earned a medal in all three Olympic women's hockey competitions, including the first gold medal awarded to a women's team in 1998.

The team has also learned not to overlook its European competition. Canada lost its first game against Sweden at the Four Nations Cup in November. Sweden's 2-1 overtime win in the tournament ended Canada's run of 56 straight wins against that country.

The Canadian women are fresh off a week of training and team bonding. They spent time with men's Olympic team candidates such as Sidney Crosby and Martin Brodeur during an orientation camp in Calgary last week.

"It's an atmosphere where everybody is paying attention,'' captain Hayley Wickenheiser said Sunday at GM Place.” You realize 'Hey, you're in the Olympic bubble.' We felt like we were part of a bigger team.''

With 26 women on the Canadian national team roster, the Canada Cup is expected to be the first of several events that Canada's management and coaching staff will use to assess players before whittling the team down to the 21 players who will go to the Olympics.

Injuries, however, have shortened the Canada Cup roster. The hosts will be without Charline Labonte, who was Canada's starting goaltender for the last world championships and 2006 Olympics. The 26-year-old from Boisbriand, Que., sprained her ankle playing basketball Aug. 3.

Forward Jennifer Wakefield of Pickering, Ont., suffered a shoulder injury playing for Canada's under-22 team earlier this month.

Veteran defenceman Delaney Collins is still recovering from a concussion suffered last season. Although the 32-year-old from Pilot Mound, Man., is skating, she's not expected to play this week.

The injured players will instead have to prove their mettle at future competitions this season. Canada will also compete in the 4 Nations Cup in November in Finland, and will play six games against the United States throughout the fall and winter and 30 games against Midget AAA boys teams from the Alberta Midget Hockey League.

The team is looking forward to the international play.

"It creates so many challenges and so much excitement because these girls want to play hockey,'' Davidson said.” For us as coaches, you get to see what you need to see and what better prep is there?

While Canada opens defence of Olympic gold on Feb. 13 versus Slovakia, Davidson not yet named a date when she'll make her final roster decision.

"It'll be when they are ready,'' she said.” I really don't like picking a date. Players just focus too much on it. Even as staff, you focus too much on it. Let's just have fun, train every day, get better and see where that takes us.''

SOURCE: http://www.ctvolympics.ca