...particularly on Thursday when the Finland takes on Austria in the preliminary round of the Men's Ice Hockey Tournament without two key players, Tampa Bay Lightning's Valtteri Filppula and Minnesota Wild's Mikko Koivu - both, coincidentally, sidelined with fractured ankles.
Filppula's injury is a sudden blow to a team that was looking to improve upon Silver and Bronze medal showing in the two most recent games, leaving last Thursday's match against the Toronto Maple Leafs with the ailment in his second game back from a previous lower-body injury - but unlike his fellow countryman, the high-scoring centerman probably will not be ready to return when the NHL schedule resumes the last
In Minnesota, it has been known for some time that Koivu would be a long-shot for being able to participate, given that his injury occurred a month ago against the Capitals, but there just wasn't enough time after having surgery for it to heal properly, something that he acknowledged in a statement released by the Wild on Friday.
"I just don't feel healthy enough to feel that I can play at the level that I want. I really think it's not fair for my teammates with Minnesota, with Team Finland, the management in Team Finland and not fair for myself either. The feelings to represent your country, especially in the Olympic Games, it doesn't happen very often. I just have to put the emotions away and think clearly. It's not fair to anyone for me to go and play for Team Finland right now."
Koivu has the proper attitude, something that has endeared him Wild fans already, fans that still have four players headed to Sochi to take part in the games - and it goes to figure that Koivu will be rested and ready for the team's stretch run, looking to help Minnesota maintain their grasp on the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/02/koivu-filppula-absences-weaken-team.html#.UvfLzrQcq58
No comments:
Post a Comment