Canadian women’s hockey team goes young
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Canada’s national women’s hockey team included six players under the age of 20 on its roster for the world championships and its list of players invited to try out for the Vancouver Games.
One familiar face was featured among the names announced Tuesday: Hayley Wickenheiser, who has played in all three previous women’s Olympic hockey tournaments and captained Canada to gold in Turin in 2006.
Several Olympic veterans were left off the roster. After losing the world championship and Four Nations Cup title to the U.S. last year, Coach Melody Davidson decided to go for speed and enthusiasm over experience as her team shoulders the pressure of trying to repeat as Olympic champions, and do it on home ice.
‘In this country, what’s expected is phenomenal,’ she told the Canadian Press news service. ‘We’re going to put our plan in place and be as prepared as we can and where the chips fall, they’ll fall.
‘In the end, people will second-guess every little move we make. I’ve just got to stay true to what my staff, myself and our players think is the right way to go.’
In the pool of players is Meghan Mikkelson, sister of Ducks defenseman Brendan Mikkelson. Their father, Bill, played for the Kings in the 1971-72 season and moved on to the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals.
The women’s world championships will start April 4 in Hameenlinna, Finland.
--Helene Elliott