CALGARY, AB – Team Canada’s Executive Director Wayne Gretzky announced on Tuesday that defenseman Rob Blake will be unable to participate at the World Cup of Hockey 2004 due to injury.

Team Canada’s management and coaching staff will name a replacement for Blake within the next 7 days.

Team Canada’s training camp will open on August 20th in Ottawa, ON at the University of Ottawa, where the team will train for three days and then relocate to the Corel Centre. Canada will play its first game of the World Cup of Hockey 2004 on August 31 versus Team USA at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Tickets are on sale for Team Canada’s exhibition games in Ottawa, and the Team Canada International Series:

Wednesday, August 25, 2004 Canada vs. USA 7:30pm ET Corel Centre, Ottawa, ON
Saturday, August 28, 2004 Canada vs. Slovakia 7:00pm ET Corel Centre, Ottawa, ON
Sunday, August 29, 2004 Russia vs. Slovakia 7:00pm ET Corel Centre, Ottawa, ON

Three game ticket packages can be purchased by the general public on-line at www.capitaltickets.ca, by calling 613-599-FANS or by calling toll free: 1-877-788-FANS. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Corel Centre box office and at all Sports Expert locations in Ottawa-Gatineau.

For more information on Team Canada, please visit the official web site of Hockey Canada: www.hockeycanada.ca. For information on the World Cup of Hockey 2004, visit www.wch2004.com.