Hockey

Hockey Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee are back to being one, big, happy family. The two sides have settled their months-old differences and come to an agreement on what jersey the men’s and women’s hockey teams should wear at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

While the COC had previously declined to support Hockey Canada’s traditional jersey, the one with a silhouetted player skating inside a red-and-black maple leaf, it agreed Saturday to submit a modified version to the International Olympic Committee.The IOC had repeatedly informed the COC it was going to enforce its rules restricting what athletes wear on their Olympic uniforms.

But late last week, IOC president Jacques Rogge told the Canadian Press he thought there could be a compromise between the COC and Hockey Canada.

The COC then announced it would pass along an altered version of Hockey Canada’s 14-year-old trademark jersey given the IOC’s “flexible approach.”

“I look forward to working with the COC to accomplish goals that are good for both parties,” Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said.

Nicholson added it would likely take three to four days for the IOC to review the jersey and give a thumb’s up or down.

If approved, the jersey design would be manufactured by Nike and rushed into stores. If the IOC says, ‘Try again,’ the COC has already endorsed its Plan B – the use of the red-and-white jersey worn by Team Canada at the 1972 Summit Series.

The COC said the classic 1972 jersey “would present a very interesting option to pursue with Hockey Canada in the event the IOC does not approve the current submission.”

Horst Streiter, who does the marketing work for Team Canada ’72, said he is willing to offer the jersey, no charge, so it could be worn at a Winter Olympics held on Canadian ice.

“We wanted to pass it on to a newer generation of athletes and so younger fans could see it again,” Streiter explained.

Team Canada ’72 owns the rights to the jersey it wore in defeating the Russians in their monumental, eight-game showdown.