Hockey Canada hopes to audition candidates for the Canadian men’s Olympic team in a series of exhibition games, beginning in Russia next month.
Hockey Canada chief executive officer Tom Renney confirmed on Tuesday evening he has been in talks with the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and officials from the Kontinental Hockey League, and he could have a firm schedule locked up as soon as Wednesday.
Canada is slated to play in two tournaments in Russia next month, first in Sochi, where Sidney Crosby and Canada successfully defended Olympic gold in 2014 and later in St. Petersburg.
Canada also will play in the Channel One Cup in Moscow in mid-December. The six-country tournament, formerly known as the Izvestia Tournament and last won by Canada in 1987, also will feature national teams from Russia, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and South Korea.
Countries scramble to construct roster
Three months ago, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman put an end to NHL players’ participation in the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea because the International Olympic Committee refused to cover the travel, insurance and hospitality costs.
There has yet to be an official edict from the NHL, but it has been speculated Bettman will prohibit any AHLers under two-way NHL contracts from participating in the Pyeongchang.
That has left countries like Canada to construct a roster from professionals playing in Europe.
The candidates will first get together to play in the Sochi Hockey Open, Aug. 5-9, with early games against host HC Sochi and the Russian national team.
The Nikolai Puchkov Tournament will be contested in St. Petersburg, Aug. 14-17.
As far as a report that Canada also will play the Russian Olympic team in a pre-Olympic game, nothing has been set in stone.
Canada also has yet to hire a coaching staff for the 2018 Olympics, but an announcement is expected by the end of the month.
