Head coach Mel Davidson will use the double round-robin
event to analyze the talent at her disposal before next
February selecting Canada's team for the world championship
in Mississauga, Ont., April 3-9.
And here the plot thickens, because
Davidson, too, will be under the microscope
- the Canadian program will not decide until
next May whether she, former head and assistant coach Daniele
Sauvageau or even someone else will lead the team to Salt
Lake City.
For now, Sauvageau is an assistant coach with the Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League's Montreal Rocket and will be
part of the RDS TV crew that will cover the 3 Nations Cup
gold-medal game, but clearly she covets a return behind
the national women's bench.
For Davidson, winning the 3 Nations Cup would not hurt
her job security. Canada has twice won the tournament, in
1996 and '98, while finishing second to the Americans in
between.
"Here
is a great chance to promote the women's game at home, in
front of our fans," said France St-Louis, the tournament's
honourary president.
St-Louis admitted it will be tough to watch the action
from the stands, having only last spring brought down the
curtain on her own magnificent career that included five
world titles. But now, as president and a fine ambassador
of women's hockey in this province, she sees this tournament
as a glorious opportunity to bring the fast-growing game
to Quebecers as never before.
Last winter, fans were hanging from the rafters of the
Maurice Richard Arena for an exhibition game between Canada
and Finland. Organizers hope to rekindle that magic in the
week ahead. After three round-robin games in Sherbrooke,
beginning Sunday, the teams return to the Maurice Richard
Arena for three more preliminary contests and the Dec. 5
championship final.
There are
six Quebec natives on this Canadian roster,
each of them a role model for the impressionable young players
who want eventually to fill their skates: goalie Kim
St-Pierre of Chateauguay, defenceman Isabelle
Chartrand of Montreal, and forwards Nancy
Drolet of Drummondville, Danielle
Goyette of Saint-Nazaire, Caroline
Ouellette of Montreal and St. Laurent's Tammy
Lee Shewchuk.
Fans also will recognize veteran standouts Therese
Brisson on defence and Cassie
Campbell and Hayley
Wickenheiser up front, among others who bring
considerable international experience to the rink.
The American roster includes goaltending star Erin Whitten
and two sharpshooting Concordia alumni - Karen Bye and Cammi
Granato, who has taken a leave of absence from her television
analysis of the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings.
Finland brings Petra Vaarakallio and Karolina Rantamaki
of Blues Espoo, who were the leading scorers in last year's
3 Nations Cup.
The Quebec Centre of Excellence, headquartered at the Molson
Centre, is taking full advantage of the occasion. On Saturday,
it will hold a day-long women's coaching conference featuring
St-Louis, Sauvageau, Rollie Melanson of the Canadiens and
Mike Johnston of the visiting Vancouver Canucks. Then on
Dec. 4, Sauvageau and St-Louis will organize a practice
for a number of local girls' teams before introducing the
young players to the national team.
Three Nations Cup At a Glance
Participants: National women's teams of Canada,
the U.S. and Finland.
Dates/Sites: Nov. 28, 29, Dec. 1 at Sherbrooke
Sports Palace; Dec. 2-5 at Montreal's Maurice Richard Arena.
Format: Double round-robin, with championship game
between the top two teams.
History: Canada won the 3 Nations Cup in 1996 and
'98; US won in '97.
Schedule:
Game 1, Nov. 28, 4 p.m., Canada vs. US, Sherbrooke.
Game 2, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m., US vs. Finland, Sherbrooke.
Game 3, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m., Finland vs. Canada, Sherbrooke.
Game 4, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., US vs. Canada, Montreal.
Game 5, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m., Finland vs. US, Montreal.
Game 6, Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m., Canada vs. Finland, Montreal.
