TORONTO, 23 March 2005 — Wayne Gretzky, the architect of Canada’s gold-medal victory at the 2002 Winter Olympics, has declined an offer to run the team at next month’s world championship because his mother is battling lung cancer.
“I’m disappointed that I can’t be involved with Team Canada at this year’s world championship due to the personal situation surrounding my mother’s illness,” Gretzky said in a statement Monday. “I would not be able to put in the 100 percent that is needed for Hockey Canada.”
With Gretzky unavailable, Hockey Canada announced that Steve Tambellini would be the team’s general manager at the world championship in Austria.
Tambellini was a member of Gretzky’s Team Canada staff at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and at last year’s World Cup of Hockey.
Hockey Canada also confirmed Monday that national team coach Marc Habscheid would be behind the bench in Austria.
“Steve Tambellini will do a wonderful job for Hockey Canada and is more than qualified to lead Canada as they go for their third consecutive world championship gold medal,” said Gretzky, one of the finest players to appear in the NHL. With NHL owners having locked out players in a bitter labor dispute that resulted in the cancellation of the entire season, the world championship will be this year’s most important ice hockey competition.
Most of the world’s top players are expected to take part in the event which will be held from April 30 to May 15 in Vienna and Innsbruck.
