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CALGARY -- The Canadian womens hockey team will attempt to reclaim the Four Nations Cup without Hayley Wickenheiser. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Vitolo-Jersey/ . The five-time Olympian and Canadas captain was among six players head coach Dan Church left off his 21-player roster for the annual international womens tournament starting Tuesday in Lake Placid, N.Y. "Were going to take an opportunity to give her that little bit of a break," Church said Monday from Lake Placid. "Theres no question we know what she can do on the ice and that she can contribute in big games. "A lot of it has to with making sure she has a good recovery week here and is ready for the final push towards the Olympics." Wickenheiser, 35, is Canadas all-time leading scorer and has played in 14 Nations Cups during her career. The Four Nations is important preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympics for Canada, the U.S., Finland and Sweden. Assistant captain Caroline Ouellette and forward Marie-Philip Poulin as well as defencemen Meaghan Mikkelson, Lauriane Rougeau and Laura Fortino also remained in Calgary, where the Canadian team is based this winter. Wickenheiser, Ouellette, a three-time Olympian, Poulin, who is recovering from an ankle injury, and Mikkelson were on the team that won the gold medal in 2010 in Vancouver. Fortino and Rougeau have been on the national womens team for two years. "No one is guaranteed a spot in Sochi," Church said. "Some players are obviously a little more secure in their spots, so there were some decisions around that. We also have to look at the overall training plan. "Some of the veteran players do need a bit of a break and this is really our only opportunity within our schedule to do that." The performances of the players he did choose for the Four Nations will help Church determine who he wants on the Olympic team that will attempt to defend the gold in Sochi, Russia, in February. There are 27 women in Calgary trying out for the squad expected to be named in late December. Three forwards and three defencemen will be released. Poulin scored both goals for Canada in a 2-0 win over the U.S. in the 2010 Olympic final, but hasnt played a game since September because of a high ankle sprain. "We were hoping she would be available for this tournament, but she just needs about another week," Church said. Canada opens the Four Nations against Finland on Tuesday before facing the host Americans the following day and Sweden on Friday. The two teams with the best records after the preliminary round meet in Saturdays final. The U.S. is the both the defending womens world champion and Four Nations champion, having won the latter tournament two years in a row. The Americans edged Canada 3-2 in Ottawa in April to win their fourth world title in five years. Canada and the U.S. have already played two of six exhibition games scheduled for this winter with the Canadians winning 3-2 in Burlington, Vt., and 6-3 in Boisbriand, Que., in October. Goaltenders Shannon Szabados, Charline Labonte and Genevieve Lacasse made the trip to Lake Placid. Jocelyne Larocque, Brigette Lacquette, Courtney Birchard, Catherine Ward, Tessa Bonhomme, and Tara Watchhorn were the defenceman named to the team Monday. The forwards will be Gillian Apps, Meghan Agosta-Marciano, Rebecca Johnston, Jennifer Wakefield, Melodie Daoust, Jayna Hefford, Bailey Bram, Jenelle Kohanchuk, Brianne Jenner, Hayley Irwin, Natalie Spooner and Vicki Bendus. While the point of a spending several months together prior to the Olympic Games is to build a cohesive team, it is never far from the Canadian players minds that theyre competing against each other for spots on the team. "Its something thats always there all year long, but were also a team," Apps said. "We fight hard against each other in practice every single day when we come to the rink to make each other better. "Theres six people in this group that wont be on the final roster and thats tough. It is in the back of peoples minds and thats just kind of the nature of the situation." A CBC online story in October questioned whether Wickenheiser would be Canadas captain at the 2014 Winter Games. Shes worn the C for Canada at every major tournament since 2007. "I dont know who will be the captain in Sochi," Church answered. "Hayley is definitely one of the ones were considering. Shes part of our leadership group that weve established. "It could be reading too much into it in terms if its jeopardy. We want a team with a lot of good quality leaders in it and whether people wear Cs or As theyre going to do a good job." Wickenheiser told The Canadian Press on Monday she was not available for an interview. Church has rotated his letters between different players this winter. "If you think you have leadership completely where it should be and you dont pay any attention to it, thats when things go wrong," Church said. "You always have to work on that aspect of your team. "Especially coming out of Ottawa and the results we had there and what we want to do, we want to build a team that has a lot of leaders in it that can step up at different times." Hefford will be Canadas captain in Lake Placid with Ward and Irwin her assistants, said Church. The absence of Wickenheiser, Ouellette, Mikkelson and Poulin at the Four Nations will force inexperienced players to shoulder more responsibility, he added. "Theres a huge opportunity for the players that are here this week to rise to the occasion," Church said. "There are big expectations on them to carry the load here without having that safety net. Thats a good thing for our younger players to experience." The Four Nations will also be Canadas first look at Finland and Sweden since the world championship. The Finns were the Olympic bronze medallists in 2010, but were beaten by the Russians for bronze in Ottawa. The Swedes, the surprise Olympic silver medallists in 2006, dropped to seventh at the world championship. The four remaining exhibition games against the U.S. women are scheduled for Dec. 12 in Calgary, Dec. 20 in Grand Forks, N.D., Dec. 28 in St. Paul, Minn., and Dec. 30 in Toronto. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Filipe-Luis-Jersey/ .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Stefan-Savic-Jersey/ . Dwyane Wade followed a few days later. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Jan-Oblak-Jersey/ .C. - Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek says guard Goran Dragic will return to the starting lineup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing the last two games with a strained back. BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona star Lionel Messi is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of 2013 after picking up his third leg injury of the season. The Argentina forward hurt his left leg Sunday in Barcelonas 4-1 victory at Real Betis and medical exams on Monday showed he needs a recovery period of six to eight weeks. That would rule Messi out until about Christmas, when the Spanish league takes its annual winter break. Barcelona will be without the four-time Ballon dOr winner for up to eight games, including its last two Champions League group games against Ajax and Celtic, four Spanish League matches and the two legs of the Copa del Reys rouund of 32. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Angel-Correa-Jersey/. Messi, who has scored 14 goals in 16 games, has been plagued by nagging muscle problems since the end of last season. The 26-year-old star missed several weeks last month because of a right thigh problem after first hurting his left thigh in August. He was sidelined at the end of last season with a hamstring pull. Also, Barcelona says midfielder Cesc Fabregas will need one week to recover from a right knee injury, forcing him to miss Spains upcoming friendlies against Guinea and South Africa. Barcelona teammate Marc Bartra was called up to replace Fabregas for the friendlies to be played on Friday and Nov. 19. Cheap Hockey Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Hockey Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Hockey Stars Jerseys Cheap Hockey Wild Jerseys Cheap Hockey Predators Jerseys Cheap Hockey Blues Jerseys Cheap Hockey Jets Jerseys Cheap Hockey Ducks Jerseys Cheap Hockey Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Hockey Flames Jerseys Cheap Hockey Oilers Jerseys Cheap Hockey Kings Jerseys Cheap Hockey Sharks Jerseys Cheap Hockey Canucks Jerseys Cheap Hockey Golden Knights Jerseys Hockey Team Canada Jerseys ' ' '