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[October 30, 1998] -- The National Hockey League's (NHL) Minnesota Wild announced today Grass Roots Hockey Advisor Neal Broten will compete in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) A-Pool World Championship Qualification Tournament, November 5-8 in Klagenfurt, Austria, for the U.S. Men's Select Team. The club also announced that fellow Minnesota Wild Grass Roots Hockey Advisors Alana Blahoski and Karyn Bye will compete in the 1998 Three Nations Cup Tournament for the U.S. Women's Select Team, December 10-16 in Kuortane, Finland.

The 1998 United States Men's Select Team 23-person roster features a number of Minnesota connections, including Broten's two younger brothers Aaron and Paul. The 1998 A-Pool World Championship Qualification Tournament will mark the first time the Broten brothers hailing from Roseau, Minnesota, have played together in international competition. The roster announcement was made by USA Hockey President and Minnesota native Walter L. Bush. The team consists of six other Minnesota natives: Derek Herlofsky (Minneapolis), Chris Imes (Birchdale), Tom Pedersen (Bloomington), Ken Gernander (Coleraine), Mark Johnson (Minneapolis) and Corey Millen (Cloquet).

Broten, 38, and the other members of the Unites States Select Team will depart from Boston on Monday, November 2 for Austria. The United States will play Kazakhstan (Nov. 5), Estonia (Nov. 7) and Austria (Nov. 8). The top two finishers from the group of four will qualify for the 1999 IIHF A-Pool World Championship, May 1-16 in Norway.

The 1998 United States Women's Select Team 20-person roster features the Minnesota Wild's Blahoski (Saint Paul), 24, and Bye (River Falls, WI), 27, and four other Minnesotans: Winny Brodt (Roseville), Natalie Darwitz (Eagan), Jenny Schmidgall (Edina) and Krissy Wendell (Brooklyn Park). The assistant coach for the U.S. Women's Select Team is University of Minnesota Women's Ice Hockey Head Coach Laura Halldorson. The tournament is the first women's international competition since the 1998 Nagano, Japan Olympics. The double round-robin tournament features the three medalists from the 1998 Olympic Winter Games - United States, Canada and Finland. The United States will play Canada (Dec. 10), Finland (Dec. 11), Canada (Dec. 14) and Finland (Dec. 15). The three-team tournament is in preparation for the 1999 World Championships in Finland.

Broten, Blahoski and Bye were hired by the Minnesota Wild as Grass Roots Hockey Advisors on September 24, 1998. These three elite Olympic hockey gold-medalists will assist the organization in promoting the overall growth of amateur hockey throughout the Upper Midwest through Local Rink, Fan Development and Community Affairs Programs. Blahoski and Bye helped lead the United States to a Gold Medal in the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Broten helped lead the United States to a Gold Medal in the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Lake Placid, New York Olympics and played in the NHL for 17 seasons.

For more information on Local Rink, Fan Development and Community Affairs Programs, please contact the Minnesota Wild at (612) 333-PUCK (7825).