CALGARY, Alta. – After a 2020-21 season that saw limited on-ice opportunities and virtual summer camps, Hockey Canada has announced its men’s and women’s national teams will return to the ice in July for their annual summer camps.

From July 25-Aug. 10, Hockey Canada’s national team program, including the men’s under-18 and under-20 teams, and women’s under-18, NextGen (born in 2003), development and senior national teams, will gather in Calgary for a series of on- and off-ice activities for the first time since 2019.

“After a unique and difficult season, Hockey Canada is thrilled to provide our national team athletes and staff the opportunity to return to the ice for our annual summer camps in Calgary,” said Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of national teams. “We look forward to hosting the top athletes and staff from across the country in July, and are excited to kick off our preparations for a new season and a number of international competitions.”

The Program of Excellence (POE) camps, which includes the men’s under-18 and under-20 programs, will take place at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on the Tsuut'ina Nation, while the BFL National Women’s Program Summer Showcase, presented by Sobeys, will take place at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park. Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will also gather for a five-day off-ice boot camp in preparation for the 2021-22 season and 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

“This year’s summer camps mark the first time that all levels of the National Women’s Program will participate in camp at the same time, helping us provide consistency with all our athletes and staff throughout the program,” said Gina Kingsbury (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.), director of women’s national teams. “Despite a difficult season, our athletes have done an excellent job of staying connected and working hard with limited resources, and we are excited to get back on the ice this summer as we work towards the upcoming season.”

The following national team camps and programs will be hosted in Calgary this summer:

• National Para Hockey Team boot camp (July 21-25)
• National Women’s Team pre-worlds camp (July 25-Aug. 10)
• National Men’s Under-18 Team summer development camp (July 26-Aug. 3)
• BFL National Women’s Under-18 Team summer camp, presented by Sobeys (July 29-Aug. 5) – including NextGen athletes
• BFL National Women’s Development Team summer camp, presented by Sobeys (July 29-Aug. 9)
• National Junior Team summer development camp (July 29-Aug. 3)

In the coming weeks, Hockey Canada will announce the rosters and staffs for each national team program.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook and Twitter.

More than a week later, there’s one singular sentence that sticks with Sarah Nurse.

“Diversity is who’s on the team, but inclusion is who gets to play.”

The National Women’s Team forward was one of close to 500 athletes and staff involved with Canada’s national teams – men’s, women’s and para hockey – who took part in mandatory diversity and inclusion training last week.

Hockey Canada remains committed to continuing to listen and learn, and being open to change in an effort to take action around diversity. The seminars are an early step in that commitment.

Discussions on diversity and inclusion had actually been going on for more than a year, championed by Denise Pattyn, Hockey Canada’s director of human resources. As the world changed in the last few months, the conversations picked up.

“We had an opportunity in early June to just continue to have that discussion and talk about what the next steps in her plan were,” says Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams with Hockey Canada. “And then it came to light that with some other things that were happening in our game and around our game and in the world, that we were really short-sighted in not providing an opportunity and taking advantage, quite honestly, of the time that we have right now with our athletes virtually to have an impact.”

Salmond and Pattyn did their research and found Tina Varughese, who has worked extensively with the Province of Alberta’s immigration office and is the president of t Works Inc., which that specializes in cross-cultural communication and work-life balance seminars, and provides customized cultural diversity training.

“She understands the game and she had a really great way of communicating her message to the athletes,” Salmond says.

Varughese focused her seminars on the idea of unconscious bias – underlying attitudes and stereotypes that people attribute to another person or group of people that affect how they understand and engage with others.

“I think the majority of us, if not everyone, feels like they don't have bias towards people. They don't discriminate,” Salmond says. “But when you start to understand what an unconscious bias is and the language that you maybe use in the conversations that you have with other people, you realize that in some ways, without even meaning it, maybe you've created that bias or maybe you have that bias.”

For her part, Varughese was thrilled with the response she received from the athletes and staff.

“They were very keen to be an agent of change … this was incredibly inspiring for me because they are all athletes and in positions of influence,” she said in an interview last week with the Toronto Star.

“I felt they were much more transparent and honest about not only recognizing that they either had unconscious bias or didn’t even know what it was, but they were also very transparent in understanding what other people might go through.”

So what comes next? How does Hockey Canada ensure this is a conversation that continues internally, and also reaches outside the organization to the greater hockey community?

“We've done the virtual part, [so] next time that we have players together, we workshop,” Salmond says. “Talk about what we want the environment to look like, what the athletes want it to look like. I think it's one thing to have a policy or an expectation and to present that or write that somewhere. It's more powerful if the athletes are behind it and they have an opportunity to create it.

“It's really a responsibility that we have as a national sport organization and an opportunity that we have with our athletes and our staff to have an impact at the national level. And hopefully that impact finds its way to club teams and into communities across Canada.”

TORONTO, ON, August 2, 2016 - Hockey Canada, in partnership with Nike and players representing Canada’s national women’s, men’s, and sledge teams, unveiled the new Team Canada jersey in Toronto on Tuesday.

Designed by Nike to celebrate Canada’s 150^th anniversary of Confederation, the jersey will make its competitive debut this week when 41 of the nation’s best under-20 players face off against teams from Finland,Sweden, and the United States in Plymouth, Mich., in their quest to represent Canada on home ice when the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship returns to Toronto and Montreal this December.

Tailor-made for the nation’s athletes, the Team Canada jerseys give a nod to Canada’s rich history while also incorporating performance innovation by Nike.

“This jersey is designed to match performance with patriotism,” said Tom Renney, president and chief executive officer, Hockey Canada. “I have been lucky to be able to turn my passion for the game into a career; and what I realized very early on is that hockey goes well beyond what’s learned on the ice. Hockey is part of the fabric of our nation, and teaches all of the life lessons that build great citizens. We wanted to ensure that every aspect of this jersey had a deep meaning to Canadians, while still pushing the envelope with innovation. From the bottom white stripe to the embedded maple leaves, the jersey is emblematic of that intrinsic link between the game and the 35 million Canadians who carry the Maple Leaf in their hearts.”

Engineered using Nike AeroSwift Technology and woven with Ripstop Fabric, the jersey is made to endure the athletes’ fast and physical performance on the ice. Meshed zones under both arms support thermoregulation through optimal ventilation allowing players to stay cool during the game.

The jersey prominently features the Canada 150 logo on both sleeves, composed of a series of diamonds that represent the four original Confederation provinces, forming the shape of the iconic Maple Leaf. On the upper section of the jersey, rows of maple leaves fill the jersey’s shoulder caps, forming one of the most patriotic features ever seen on a national jersey. The icon of the Maple Leaf represents one voice and the repeat of the icon represents the nation rallying around hockey. The unique and classic double-stripe on the jersey’s sleeves returns, but has been accentuated with a black and red accent making the exclusive design pop like never before.

“In 2017, as we celebrate the milestone 150^th anniversary of Confederation, we naturally reflect on the integral role that hockey plays in uniting Canadians,” says Raj Grewal, MP for Brampton East. “This year’s jersey reflects the pride this great game brings to our country and its importance in our culture.”

In addition to the upcoming National Junior Team development camp games, Team Canada fans will see the new jersey in action at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cupwhen the men’s summer under-18 team look to defend their golden streak this month, as well as during a three-game series hosted in Calgary featuring Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team and Canada’s National Women’s Development Team going head-to-head against their U.S. rivals.

The new Team Canada jersey is available on August 2 at Nike stores and online at Nike.com and HockeyCanada.ca/Shop, at Hockey Canada’s official retail partner SportChek, and other Canadian retailers from coast to coast.

About Hockey Canada

Hockey Canada is the governing body for hockey in Canada and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), with a membership through its 13 provincial member associations of over 700,000 players, coaches and officials. Hockey Canada is a not-for-profit organization that creates leading-edge hockey development programs for its members to deliver in communities across Canada; provides consistent rules and regulations and various other membership services from coast to coast to coast; manages numerous regional, national, and international hockey championships and events; and leads the operation of all teams that represent Canada in international hockey competition. Hockey Canada’s mission is to “lead, develop and promote positive hockey experiences.”For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or join our social media communities onFacebook, Instagram, SnapChat (@hockey_canada), and Twitter.

About NIKE Inc.

NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Ore., is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikeinc.com and follow @Nike.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Sunday that Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, Que./Montreal, CWHL) and Sidney Crosby (Cole Harbour, N.S./Pittsburgh, NHL) will serve as captain of Canada’s National Women’s Team and Canada’s National Men’s Team, respectively, at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, while Greg Westlake (Oakville, Ont.) will captain Canada’s National Sledge Team at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

It is the first time any of the three have captained Canada at an Olympic Winter Games or Paralympic Winter Games.

Caroline Ouellette is a three-time Olympic gold medallist, winning gold with Canada’s National Women’s Team in 2002, 2006 and 2010. She has also helped Canada to gold medals at the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2012, scoring the overtime winner in the 2012 gold medal game, and silver medals in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. A member of Canada’s National Women’s Team since 1999, Ouellette is the third-leading scorer in national team history, recording 238 points (85 goals, 153 assists) in 210 games.

Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunavon, Sask./University of Calgary, CIS) will serve as a permanent alternate captain for Canada’s National Women’s Team, while Jayna Hefford (Kingston, Ont./Brampton, CWHL) and Catherine Ward (Montreal, Que./Montreal, CWHL) will wear an ‘A’ on a rotating basis. All three won gold with Canada at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and Wickenheiser and Hefford will be appearing in their fifth Olympics.

“There is a tremendous amount of experience in our dressing room, and there is no shortage of qualified candidates to wear a letter,” said Kevin Dineen, head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team. “The players we have selected as captain and alternates in Sochi have shown their dedication and commitment to the team and its end goal throughout a long season, and we feel they are the ideal choices to lead our team through the Olympic experience.”

Sidney Crosby won a gold medal with Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime of the gold medal game. He also represented Canada at 2006 IIHF World Championship, leading the tournament in scoring and earning Top Forward honours, and won a pair of medals with Canada’s National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship, silver at the 2004 tournament and gold in 2005. Crosby made his international debut with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2003 Junior World Cup, winning a gold medal and leading the team in scoring as an under-age player.

Jonathan Toews (Winnipeg, Man./Chicago, NHL) and Shea Weber (Sicamous, B.C./Nashville, NHL) will serve as alternate captains for Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team. Both won gold at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and both won gold medals with Canada’s National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship; Toews in 2006 and 2007, Weber in 2005.

“Sidney, Jonathan and Shea have been leaders on the international stage in the past, as well as with their NHL teams,” said Mike Babcock, head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Team. “These three players will be at the forefront of our leadership group in Sochi, but we are confident that every one of the 25 players on our roster will lead in their own way and allow our team to be successful.”

Greg Westlake has been captain of Canada’s National Sledge Team since the start of the 2010-11 season, leading Canada to a gold medal at the 2013 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship, and bronze at the world championship in 2011. The 2014 Paralympic Winter Games will be his third Paralympics; he won gold at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy, and finished fourth in Vancouver. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the 2008 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship. Westlake has been a member of Canada’s National Sledge Team since 2003, and sits second in all-time national team scoring, with 250 points (126 goals, 124 assists) in 147 games.

Brad Bowden (Orton, Ont.) and Adam Dixon (Midland, Ont.) will serve as alternate captains for Canada’s National Sledge Team. Bowden has played in two previous Paralympic Winter Games, winning gold in 2006, and is a three-time world champion, in 2000, 2008 and 2013. Dixon will be making his second Paralympic appearance and won gold with Canada at the IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship in 2008 and 2013.

“This is the leadership team we have had in place since 2011, and we have the utmost confidence in them leading our team into Sochi,” said Mike Mondin, head coach of Canada’s National Sledge Team. “Greg, Brad and Adam have worn the Team Canada jersey with pride every time they have put it on, and have earned the right to wear a letter on the game’s biggest stage.”

The 2014 Olympic Winter Games run from Feb. 7-23 in Sochi, Russia, with the women’s tournament running from Feb. 8-20, and the men’s event from Feb. 12-23.

The 2014 Paralympic Winter Games run from March 7-16 in Sochi, Russia, with the sledge hockey tournament taking place from March 8-15.

For more information on Hockey Canada, its national teams, the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hc_men, www.twitter.com/hc_women and www.twitter.com/hc_sledge.  

Hockey Canada Championship Weekend, Spring 2011 Edition is upon us and Hockey Canada’s Broadcast Partner, TSN is the place to watch all of the action.  Over the course of 48 hours 5 Championship teams will be crowned cementing their stature as the best in the World.

A full broadcast chart with times in your area can be found below, but please check your local listing for any potential time changes or contact your local cable provider to ensure you have access to TSN in your home.

CALGARY, Alta. – Staying in touch with family and friends has become a lot easier for Canada’s national hockey players, thanks to a partnership with TELUS and Samsung.

Hockey Canada is pleased to announce the TELUS/Samsung Sweet Deals for Athletes program, which sees members of Canada’s National Women’s Team and National Sledge Team receiving Samsung Slyde mobile phones, along with exclusive TELUS mobility plans. A total of 75 phones will be issued to the women’s and sledge teams, allowing players and staff to stay connected during a busy 2009-10 season.

“Our team will be travelling non-stop from August until February, with little down time, so this is a great initiative by TELUS and Samsung that will allow us to stay in touch with family and friends,” says Tessa Bonhomme, a defenceman who is part of the 26-player National Women’s Team centralized roster. “This is one less thing to worry about as we focus on our goal of making the final roster of the National Women’s Team.”

Athletes and staff will receive Samsung Slyde phones, which allow users to easily transform the handset into a QWERTY keyboard. The Slyde also boasts a built-in MP3 player and 2.0 megapixel camera.

“Through our ongoing relationship with Hockey Canada, Samsung Canada is committed to connecting hockey players and fans across the country,” say Benjamin Lee, president, Samsung Electronics Canada. “The Samsung Slyde messaging handset, working on the TELUS national network, is the perfect mobile companion to allow the players and coaches to keep in touch with their friends and family as they compete, both in Canada and internationally.”

“TELUS is proud to support our National Women’s Team and National Sledge Team and we’re happy we can use our technology to help them stay connected with friends and family as they continue to represent our country at the highest level,” says Olympian Steve Podborski, TELUS director of community sports. “As a premier partner of Hockey Canada, the TELUS commitment to the support and development of Canadian athletes is steadfast and we’re delighted to give our athletes a boost in ways that are meaningful and unique.”

Samsung and TELUS are proud supporters of Hockey Canada’s national teams and national events, including the TELUS Cup national midget championship. Representatives from both companies were in Calgary this week in support of a training camp that included Canada’s three national hockey teams (men’s, women’s and sledge).

CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team has earned the silver medal at the 2024 Para Cup, coming up short against the United States 4-1 in the gold medal game on Saturday night in Charlottetown.

Tyler McGregor (Forest, ON) scored the lone Canadian goal, tying the game 10:15 into the first period; it would be the last goal until the Americans broke open the game early in the third. Corbin Watson (Kingsville, ON) turned in a stellar performance in the Canadian goal, making 17 saves as the U.S. outshot Canada 21-12.

“Our team did great being ourselves. I loved this tournament; we got to demonstrate the depth of all three of our forward lines,” Adam Dixon (Midland, ON) said. “We just have to keep doing our job, keep doing what we are supposed to do every day when we are away from the rink and at home and we will see improvement in our next competition.”

Declan Farmer had a goal and two assists for the Americans, tying Canadians Greg Westlake (2011) and Brad Bowden (2011) for the single-tournament record with 18 points and setting a new single-tournament record with 11 goals.

Canada defeated Czechia and China before falling to the United States in the preliminary-round finale, and punched its ticket to the gold medal game by defeating Czechia 3-1 in the semifinals. McGregor finished the tournament as the leading Canadian scorer with nine points, recording seven goals and two assists in five games.

“We, for the most part, played to our identity. I really thought our forecheck was good tonight, we generated some chances and some offensive zone time. At the end, they were able to outperform us in the third period,” head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON) said. “I really liked the growth of our younger players in particular. For most of the games and tonight included, all the players we dress are finding ways to contribute whether that is on the scoresheet or getting out and changing momentum.”

China defeats Czechia to win first-ever bronze medal

Earlier in the day, China captured its first-ever medal at the Para Cup, shutting out Czechia 4-0 in the bronze medal game. Yifeng Shen led the way for China with two goals, while Yanzhao Ji made 12 saves for the shutout.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram, and by using #ParaCup.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 18 players who will be a part of Canada’s National Para Hockey Team at the 2024 Para Cup, Dec. 8-14 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Three goaltenders, five defence and 10 forwards were selected by head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON/York University, OUA) and Adam Janssen (Richmond Hill, ON), manager of hockey operations. Assistant coaches Steve Arsenault (Spruce Grove, AB), Mike Fountain (Gravenhurst, ON), Liam Heelis (Georgetown, ON), Boris Rybalka (Vernon, BC) and Greg Westlake (Oakville, ON) also provided input.

“The Para Cup is an exciting event as we showcase our game to Canadians across the country, and we are thrilled to bring the tournament back to Charlottetown this year,” Herrington said. “We are anticipating strong competition from China, Czechia and the United States, but we have prepared a competitive group set to represent Canada next month.”

The roster features 16 players who won a gold medal at the 2024 World Para Hockey Championship in Calgary (Armstrong, Boily, Burnett, Cozzolino, Dixon, Dunn, Halbert, Henry, Hickey, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, Kovacevich, Lavin, Lelièvre, McGregor, Watson).

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team selected its roster from the 32 players who participated in evaluation camp, Sept. 27–Oct. 2 in Elmira, Ontario.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the medal games on Saturday, Dec. 14; please check local listings for details. All preliminary-round games and both semifinals will be livestreamed at HNLive.ca.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

OSTRAVA, Czechia – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team earned a silver medal for the third consecutive year at the 2024 International Para Hockey Cup, falling 5-3 to the United States in the gold medal game on Sunday at Ostravar Arena.

Auren Halbert (Calgary, AB), Dominic Cozzolino (Mississauga, ON) and James Dunn (Wallacetown, ON) scored for Canada in Sunday’s rematch of the 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championship gold medal game.

The United States responded quickly after each Canadian goal, getting a pair of power play markers from Declan Farmer (Clearwater, FL), helping the U.S. finish the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record, including a pair of wins over Canada.

“We have an understanding of what our identity is as a team and how we need to play night in and night out. I think today and yesterday we lived up to that and it gave us a chance to win,” said head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON/York University, OUA). “It’s difficult to win at this level and games often come down to little moments, and tonight the United States executed better in those moments than we did.”

Canada finished the preliminary round with a 2-1 record, defeating Italy in its first game of the tournament, dropping its second game to the United States before wrapping up the preliminary round with a victory over Czechia. Canada earned its spot in the gold medal game with a 1-0 overtime win over Czechia in the semifinals on Saturday.

Adam Kingsmill (Smithers, BC) was strong in net for the Canadians with 22 saves, while Dunn’sperformance, including a third-periodgoal, earned him Canada’s player of the game honours.

“We saw tremendous growth this week, especially from our younger players. A lot of guys got to play heavier minutes than they are used to. Guys like Vincent Boily (Alma, QC) and Shawn Burnett (McMasterville, QC) showed the amount of hard work they put in this summer,” added Herrington . “You’re always worried after winning a big tournament like Para Worlds that there may be some complacency, but a lot of our players came back in better shape than they’ve ever been in. I thought this was a very positive two-weeks together.”

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will now focus on the 2024 Para Hockey Cup, Dec. 8-14 in Charlottetown, PE. Full-event ticket packages are on sale now .

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook , X, Instagram and TikTok.