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One goalie for Canada on precipice

March 25, 1997

By Alan Adams - Toronto Star Sports Reporter

BARRIE - It's the last thing Shannon Miller thinks about before going
to bed and the first thing on her mind when she starts her day.

The coach of the Canadian women's hockey team is in a quandary about
which goalie to cut from the three vying for the two roster spots open
for next week's world championship in Kitchener.

Goaltending is the only spot where a cut has to be made.

``It is on my mind every minute of the day,'' Miller said during a
break at a week-long pre-tournament training camp. ``We feel that all
three could play at the world championship and be successful, but
unfortunately we can take only two. If I could take three, I would
take all three of them.''

The candidates are Manon Rheaume, Danielle Dube and Leslie Reddon. Of
the three, Dube is the newcomer to the world stage but she gave a
strong performance in the fall at the Three Nations Cup, which Canada
won. She played for Bakersfield of the semi-pro West Coast Hockey
League this season.

Rheaume, who is the best-known female goalie in the world, played on
the 1992 and 1994 world championship teams and made history a couple
of years ago when she played for the Tampa Bay Lightning in an
exhibition game. This season, she played for Reno in the West Coast
league.

Reddon was on the 1994 world championship team. She has been training
in Calgary this season in preparation for the camp.

All three are similar in style and Miller admits it is difficult to
give one the edge over another based on ability.

Miller said her priority is to identify the No. 1 goalie and ``then we
need to look at who will be the best second goalie, sort of the
support goaltender.''

If the No. 1 goalie gets hot, Miller intends on sticking with her
throughout the eight-country tournament, which also serves as Olympic
qualifying for the Nagano Winter Games. The top five go to the
Olympics.

``So it is not who are the best two goaltenders. It is who is our No.
1 and who will be the best back-up,'' Miller said. ``I feel quite
strongly that all three could be the No. 1 goalie but I feel that two
of the three have good potential to be the back-up.''

The women don't feel they are involved in a cut-throat competition.

``I am taking the approach to go out and have some fun,'' Reddon said.


Dube says she and the other two goalies don't view the competition as
a battle to the finish.

``We work well together and it is more team work,'' she said. ``We are
all aiming for the same goal and that is to win a world title and then
go to the Olympics.''

And there will be no bitter feelings when the decision is made
``because all three of us get along so I do not see one of us getting
mad at the other,'' Dube added. ``For myself, if that puts me out this
year, well I am young and I will have lots to look forward to. It will
be a minor setback and it will take a little time to regroup.''

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