Sudbury’s Rebecca Johnston named to Canada's Rivalry Series final roster
CALGARY -- Veteran forward Rebecca Johnston returns to the Canadian women's hockey team for the final two games of a Rivalry Series against the United States.
The four-time Olympian was among 24 players Hockey Canada announced Thursday to finish out the seven-game series, with the U.S. currently leading 3-2.
Johnston, who has won three Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014, 2022) with Canada, took a break from hockey last fall to rest a back injury.
The 33-year-old forward from Sudbury, Ont., was hired by the NHL's Calgary Flames in a player development and community relations role.
The last two games of the series are Feb. 20 in Trois-Rivieres, Que., which Hockey Canada has declared a sellout, and Feb. 22 in Laval, Que.
The roster includes 18 players who participated in the first five games of the series, including captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark and goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens.
Johnston, Nurse and Clark will join U.S. forwards Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight in the NHL all-star skills competition Friday in Sunrise, Fla.
Canada's last Rivalry Series lineup was chosen by head coach Troy Ryan, director of hockey operations Gina Kingsbury and player development manager Cherie Piper.
The U.S. won three straight games in November to open the series before Canada countered with a pair of December victories.
After the Rivalry Series wraps up, the host country will attempt to win a third straight gold medal in the women's world championship April 5-16 in Brampton, Ont.
"As we look ahead to the 2023 IIHF women's world championship on home ice, these final two games against the U.S. will be crucial in our evaluation and preparations for April," Kingsbury said Thursday in a statement.
"Throughout the series we have been able to look at the depth of our program with different players and line combinations, and we are excited for two more competitive games against the Americans and showcasing ourselves to our incredible fans."
Hockey Canada recently announced a revenue sharing component in its athlete agreement with the women that allows the players to make money off the Rivalry Series.
Laura Stacey, Jessie Eldridge, Jill Saulnier, Elizabeth Giguere, Blayre Turnbull, Kristin O'Neill, Sarah Potomak, Jamie Lee Rattray and Victoria Bach round out the forwards chosen to play in Quebec.
The defenders selected were Jocelyne Larocque, Renata Fast, Ella Shelton, Erin Ambroise, Jamie Bourbonnais, Micah-Zandee Hart and Claire Thompson.
Emerance Maschmeyer and Kristen Campbell join Desbiens in the goaltending trio.
The games will be televised by TSN and RDS.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.