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April 8, 1997 

Hockey machine in for tune-up as Nagano looms

By Alan Adams - Toronto Star Sports Reporter

The victory hangover didn't fog Shannon Miller's mind at all.

The coach of the world champion Canadian women's hockey team
understands the folly of letting the four-time titlists rest on their
laurels, and Miller vowed that won't happen if she takes the team to
the Olympics, as is expected.

The road to gold at the '98 Winter Games will be riddled with potholes
unless the Canadians rethink their game plan and retool their roster
before heading to Nagano, Japan.

Sunday's 4-3 overtime triumph over the United States in the gold-medal
game, paired with a last-minute 2-1 semifinal win over Finland on the
weekend, was a clear indication of just how tenuous a grip Canada has
on the world crown.

The queens of women's hockey could just as easily be
ladies-in-waiting, and they know it.

``We need to break everything down and almost start from scratch,''
Miller said by telephone from Kitchener yesterday as the victorious
Canucks said their goodbyes and headed to their homes with gold medals
in hand.

What became more and more obvious as the eight-country world tourney
wore on was that the Canadians have their work cut out if they want to
maintain their perch atop the world rankings.

Their shooting and skating needs to improve, as does their
understanding of some of the smaller, but sometimes critical, nuances
of the game.

But first on the to-do list is improving the team's fitness level. A
sound body means fewer mistakes when the game is on the line.

The Americans and Finns were in better shape and it showed. Canada's
emotional well may have been deeper but sooner or later that reservoir
will run dry. And then what?

``We have to revisit our conditioning program,'' Miller said. ``Most
of our girls will have to get in better shape. We will have to become
physically stronger and we can't wait until September (when training
camp opens). We have to start in May.''

The coaching staff for the Nagano Games is expected to be in place by
May 1 and invitations will then go out to about 25 players who will
report to training camp in September.

Miller said the 20 Canadians who represented their country in
Kitchener will receive invitations but should take nothing for
granted. She anticipated the Olympic squad could see as many as five
roster changes from the team that conquered the world on Sunday.

Once the team assembles in Calgary, players can expect a healthy diet
of shooting and skating. And because they will now be together
full-time, they can concentrate a little more on team play.

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