Hockey Canada unveils Super Series sites

Last Updated: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | 2:21 PM ET

CBC Sports

Hockey Canada on Wednesday announced the four Canadian sites for the Canada/Russia Super Series, an eight-game exhibition between the countries' best players under the age of 20.

Winnipeg will host the fifth game of the series on Sept. 4, followed by Saskatoon (Sept. 5), Red Deer, Alta. (Sept. 7) and Vancouver (Sept. 9).

The one-time event was organized to commemorate the legendary Summit Series of 1972, in which a team of Canada's top NHL players defeated the Soviet national team on Paul Henderson's famous goal late in the eighth and final game.

The Super Series begins with games Aug. 27 and 29 in Ufa, Russia — about 1,300 kilometres east of Moscow. Games 3 and 4 will be Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 in Omsk, which is another 1,300 kilometres east of that.

With the game in Winnipeg taking place just three days later, players and staff will be subject to a large amount of travel in a short time.

"The key for us is making sure that we have good transportation for the players," Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said in May, when the series was announced. "This is going to be tough on the players. We realize that."

Teenage phenom John Tavares is among the 26 players on Team Canada, which also features four 2006 NHL first-round draft picks — goalies Jonathan Bernier and Leland Irving, defenceman Ty Wishart and forward Claude Giroux.

Brent Sutter — general manager and coach of the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League — will coach Team Canada, while the Russians will be coached by former NHL forward Sergei Nemchinov.

Russia hasn't indicated when it will announce its roster.

Canada's under-20 team has won the last three world junior championships, defeating the Russians in the gold-medal game each time. Russia beat Canada in the final in 2002 and 2003.