OTTAWA—When the Canadian women’s hockey team’s players don their black-and-yellow Livestrong jerseys in their first game of the world championship, they won’t be thinking about Lance Armstrong.

Many players’ lives have been touched by cancer and that will be on their minds Tuesday night.

Nike’s line of Livestrong apparel raises money for the organization established 16 years ago by Armstrong, who is a cancer survivor. But the cycling star’s relationship with the brand ended last year with revelations he took performance-enhancing drugs and lied about it for years.

While distancing itself from Armstrong, the Livestrong Foundation continues to raise money to help people with cancer via its programs and services.

Enter the Canadian women’s hockey team.

“There are going to be comments and people who are going to associate it with Lance Armstrong,” head coach Dan Church said. “I asked those same questions. I wanted to know about where the money was going. I wanted to know about that relationship.

“My perspective personally is Livestrong may be the greatest achievement Lance Armstrong had as an athlete. Beyond what he did on the bike and winning and beyond his cheating and what’s happened to his reputation lately, this is a really positive thing.

“It’s important for us to look at what it does for the millions of people as opposed to what one person did.”

Church’s father David died of cancer in January at the age of 70.

Canadian forward Jayna Hefford’s father Larry died in 2007 of the disease.

Captain Hayley Wickenheiser’s sister Jane is a cancer survivor.

Defenceman Tessa Bonhomme, who is sponsored by Nike, is a poster girl for the Livestrong jersey campaign. Her grandmother Sylvia is a breast cancer survivor.

While it’s not difficult for players to get behind an organization that helps those stricken with the disease, some are wrestling with the thorny issue of Armstrong.

“It’s hard because growing up, Lance Armstrong was a huge hero for me,” forward Caroline Ouellette said. “I read all his books. It was such a story of hope. I bought so many Livestrong clothes in my life and it was just like my heart was broken.

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“But when I see Tessa wearing the jersey, I feel pride because for me, she’s someone that lives strong. She’s the message we need to send to every child that should take on sport and the benefits that sport can bring and also the help that foundation can give to people that are battling with cancer.”

Nike says it has helped raise more than $100 million for the Livestrong Foundation and now stresses the organization is “about a cause and not one individual.”