PELLY CROSSING 'It's eight ounces of gold and I can run fast, so don't even think about trying to get away.'

Cassie Campbell had no need to worry, as she showed off her Olympic gold medal in the community of Pelly Crossing Tuesday.

Nobody was going anywhere.

It's not everyday you get an opportunity to meet face-to-face with a Canadian hockey legend, to hear her stories, ask questions and take a real live look at that historic golden disc. Especially in a small community like Pelly.

But thanks to the Canada Winter Games Community Partner Program, which aims to give all rural communities in the territory an opportunity to get involved in the 2007 Games, Campbell spent Tuesday visiting Mayo, Pelly and Carmacks, in a whirl-wind Yukon tour that lasted just one day.

'She's fabulous, she's a trooper,' said Lindsay Agar, a community liaison with the 2007 Games. 'She came in last night very late and will be leaving very late (today).'

In Mayo, Campbell took part in an interactive floor hockey game with kids from JV Clark school. In Pelly, she was treated to a barbecue lunch, a traditional dance and a portion of the Games torch relay.

She also received a handmade pair of moccasins made by Pelly resident Audrey Trudeau, of Audrey's Creations, which she immediately donned and wore for the remainder of her visit.

Asked about her experience, Campbell, who had been to Yellowknife a couple of years ago but never the Yukon, vowed that she would be back.

'I'm amazed,' she stated. 'I'm excited to be here and just get a chance to see our country. We often travel abroad, but to be here, it's so beautiful. I saw a lot of wildlife this morning, so it's pretty cool.'

While she was asked some cute questions on her Yukon trip, like 'Do you fish?' and 'Did you know my dad plays hockey?', Campbell said the question she gets asked most often is, 'How does it feel to stand on the blue-line, listen to the national anthem, watch the flag go up and have a gold medal around your neck?'

The answer, she said, is never easy. You can't quite put a feeling like that into words.

'It's your best day times a million. You're there with your teammates, you know what you guys have been through and you know how hard it was to get there.

'Even though people think that women's hockey is a little bit lopsided and we're always the favourites, we push and train and work hard every year to continue to stay on top. So we struggle to make these gold medals happen.'

Like Catriona LeMay Doan, Campbell is an ideal ambassador for the Canada Winter Games, as well as for the community program. She took part in the 1991 Games and knows how important they can be for people of all ages.

'I think the Canada Games kept me in hockey. Literally, it was the event that allowed me to pursue elite level women's hockey. So I think to have something of this magnitude here, people really need to respect that and enjoy that, realize it's important in the impact it can have not only on the kids, but on us older adults as well.'

Asked about the importance of athletes like herself visiting youth across the country, Campbell said sometimes just to see someone in person can help make dreams a reality.

'I grew up playing girls hockey and so many times I was told I shouldn't, that I should pursue other sports or get into something else. If I had listened, where would I be today?

'It doesn't matter where you're from or who you are, or what your nationality is, it's about having a dream and going for it.'

There are so many opportunities now for young women who want to play hockey after the Canada Games, Campbell added, from playing on college and university teams to representing your country at the international level. There's even a new league, the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), which Campbell hopes will become the female version of the NHL.

'I think it's just amazing the opportunities now and it's just going to get bigger and better.'

Having recently retired from the national women's team, Campbell will be a part of Hockey Night in Canada this season, a challenge she looks forward to, though she hopes people won't judge her too quickly.

'People have to realize I'm a hockey player first and I'm just moving into the broadcast world, so there's going to be some rust and some learning curves.'

So far, she said, she's been well received by her new peers. Most of them know exactly what she brings to the table.

'I'm not just going to be the token woman. I think I've played the game and I know a lot of the guys. I think the players respect me. They prefer to be asked questions by players (rather than) people who know nothing about the sport.'

Campbell is well aware she has a lot to learn and a lot of work to do, but she is certainly willing to do it an attitude that reflects on her days as captain of the Canadian women's hockey team.

'You can do anything you put you mind to, as long as you have heart and passion,' she stressed to her audience at the Pelly recreation centre.

Agar said Campbell was very well received in all three Yukon communities she stopped in Carmacks for a lasagna dinner and some interactive shooting lessons on her way back to Whitehorse.

'Hockey is a very big sport in the communities, so Cassie coming out and talking to them has really been an eye-opener.'

Carmacks was the most recent addition to a long list of communities and first nations who have signed up to be part of the Canada Games Community Partner Program. They include; Teslin Tlingit Council, Village of Teslin, Ross River Dena Council, Town of Faro, Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, Village of Carmacks, Kluane First Nation, Champagne Aishihik First Nation, Village of Haines Junction, Selkirk First Nation, Pelly Crossing, Village of Mayo, Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation, and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation.

Staff members with the community program will be making presentations in Dawson City and Watson Lake this week, hoping to get those final two communities on board.