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National team on the drawing boardby ALEX BINKLEYOTTAWA (CP) — The president of Hockey Canada says his officials hope to start next summer organizing a national team to prepare players for the 1984 Winter Olympics.Lou Lefaive said in an interview Monday that cancellation of the Canada Cup hockey tournament last fall on the heels of the boycott of the Moscow Olympics left Hockey Canada without the money to start putting together a national team.It also meant Canada could not participate in two major hockey tournaments — Isvestia in Moscow and Rude Pravo in Prague. As a result, the program was put on hold for a year.Father David Bauer, who put together the 1980 Winter Olympic hockey team, and Bob Pugh, executive vice-president of the Canadian Interuniversities Athletic Union, had proposed that the concept of a national team be kept.Players would be evaluated and the best invited to a training camp which would have been held last summer. The players, most of them in college hockey, would be assembled to compete in the major international tournaments.Pugh said in an interview he is disappointed that Hockey Canada had not gone ahead with the concept. But it would cost about $1 million for the four years, a commitment that would be difficult without the Canada Cup proceeds.Meanwhile, sources said Bauer and Sammy Pollock, long-time gen-eral-manager of Montreal Canadiens and a Hockey Canada director, would be asked to take charge of the national team program.While the Canadian team at the 1980 Winter Olympics, composedmainly of college players, managed only a sixth-place standing, it was one of the most competitive Canadian teams seen abroad in ages.Some of those Olympians, still playing college .hockey, will wear Canadian colors again when they join Alberta Golden Bears, last year’s university champs, to represent Canada at the world student games in Jaca, Spain, in late February.Lefaive said national team officials will work with college and junior hockey coaches to identify the best prospects for the national team. They will then be invited to the training camp.A squad could be assembled to play exhibition games with teams participating in the Canada Cup as well as teams in the American and Central Hockey Leagues.A team would only be assembled full-time for six months prior to theOlympic Games. While not all the national team members would still be available by 1984, a system would be started that could encourage players to aim for a year or two with the squad.Hockey Canada would be prepared to ask NHL owners to hold off signing top junior prospects until after the Games so the team could make full use of them and college players.Pugh said a national team could be a big plus for Canadian college hockey. Junior owners are usually reluctant to release players for international competition but college schedules are more easily accommodated.Other national team backers say one of the main advantages is that much better teams will be available for international play than now aresent.
Newspaper Details
Brandon Sun
Brandon, Manitoba, CA
Thu, Jan 08, 1981
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason P.
USA 01 Dec 2018
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