Munich, Germany - There are no games in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) this weekend as four national teams battle for the “Deutschland Cup” in Hanover. While the invitational tournament gives host Germany, Switzerland and the USA the opportunity to try out players for the World Championships next spring, defending champion Canada sends a team made up of European-based pros and AHL players.

Team Canada finished the four-nations tournament with a perfect 3-0 record last year to record its second “Deutschland Cup” win. Team USA, which made its inaugural appearance, finished in second place with a 2-1-0 mark.

King back behind Canadian bench

Former NHL Coach Dave King, now head coach of the DEL’s Hamburg Freezers, will make a comeback behind Canada’s bench. The 55-year-old Saskatchewan native spent almost a decade with the Canadian National Hockey Program, winning a gold medal at the 1982 World Junior Championships and silver medals at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, and the 1989 and 1991 IIHF World Championships. King will be assisted by Pierre Pagé (Berlin Eisbären), also an ex-NHL coach, and Clément Jodoin, who worked as an assistant for the Montreal Canadiens last year.

Several former NHLers on Team Canada

Canada’s roster for the 2003 Deutschland Cup is mostly comprised of DEL players. Of these, ten have NHL experience: James Black (Iserlohn Roosters), Mark Greig, Andy Schneider, Darren Van Impe (Hamburg Freezers), Micki Dupont, Denis Pederson, Darryl Shannon (Eisbären Berlin), Chris Joseph (Adler Mannheim), Jean-Yves Roy (Kölner Haie) and Ken Sutton (ERC Ingolstadt), who won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2000. Hnat Domenichelli of Switzerland’s Ambri Piotta and Bruce Gardiner of the Finnish Elite League’s Espoo Blues also have NHL experience.

The only North American player on the roster is David Oliver of the AHL’s Utah Grizzlies. Oliver is not a newcomer to German rinks, though. He spent one season in the DEL, with the München Barons in 2002-03.

“I’m very pleased with the roster that we have assembled for this year’s Deutschland Cup,” said Dave King. “These are top players in the Elite League in Germany and they are looking forward to making Canada proud as go for Canada’s third Deutschland Cup in four years.”

The Kings: First father-son duo in Team Canada’s history

Dave King’s son Scott will also be suiting up for Canada at the Deutschland Cup. Scott King is currently tied for third in scoring in the DEL, tallying 7 goals and 15 assists in 19 games for the Iserlohn Roosters,. It is believed to be the first time in the history of Canada’s National Men’s Team that a father coaches his son in an international hockey competition. Canada’s National Men’s team operates as a part-time team that participates in international events using Canadian-born players that are either playing hockey in Europe or on loan from their North American NHL or AHL teams.

Ian Gordon of the Frankfurt Lions, who backstopped Canada to three wins last year, will be back between the pipes. Hamburg Freezers goalie Boris Rousson will miss the Deutschland Cup with a sore groin and will be replaced by Frederic Chabot of the Nürnberg Ice Tigers.

Former Stanley-Cup champ Plante leads Team USA

The roster of Team USA is highlighted by seven returnees from 2002, including goaltender Chris Rogles of the Kölner Haie. Rogles played in all three games last year, posting one shutout. The one returnee from the defensive corps is Brett Hauer of Servette Geneva from the Swiss league. Five forwards also make their second Deutschland Cup appearance: Andy Roach, who is mostly used as a defenseman by the Mannheim Adler, Pat Mikesch (Düsseldorfer EG Metro Stars), David Roberts (Berlin Eisbären), Ted Drury (Kassel Huskies) and Derek Plante (Mannheim Adler), who won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999.

Other DEL players on Team USA include offensive defenseman Peter Ratchuk of the Frankfurt Lions, probably the best newcomer in the German Elite League with 10 goals and 8 assists in 19 games so far, fellow-defenders Chris Kelleher (Krefeld Pinguine) and Jeff Dessner (Kölner Haie) and forward Yan Stastny of the Nürnberg Ice Tigers, son of NHL legend Peter Stastny. Dan Bjornlie plays for German Division-2 team SC Riessersee.

Ex-Islander Laviolette and Poss behind the bench

Joining the European players are three forwards who currently play in the AHL: Brian Gornick of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, Jeff Panzer of the Worcester Ice Cats and Erik Westrum of the Springfield Falcons. Rounding out the roster is goaltender Alex Westlund (Khabarovsk Amur Tigers); defensemen Barry Richter (EV Zug/Switzerland), and forwards Brett Harkins (IFK Helsinki/Finland), Bryan Lundbohm (HC Sierre/Switzerland) and free agent Blake Sloan.

Peter Laviolette will serve as head coach of Team USA. Most recently, he was the head coach of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders for the past two seasons. Joining Laviolette behind the bench will be assistant coach Greg Poss, head coach of the Nürnberg Ice Tigers. After a playing career that included four seasons at the University of Wisconsin and three seasons in the AHL and IHL, Poss began his coaching career in Europe. In April 2003, Poss joined Nuremberg. For the previous six seasons, he served as head coach of the Iserlohn Roosters and was named the German League's Coach of the Year for the 2002-03 season.