Stamkos injury could be a blow to Canada at Sochi Olympics
TORONTO — When Steven Stamkos crashed into the post in Boston on Monday afternoon, the shock waves could be felt all the way to Sochi, Russia.
The Tampa Bay Lightning star is out indefinitely with a broken right tibia, an injury that could be a significant blow to Team Canada in its efforts to defend gold at the Olympics. Stamkos was tied with Alex Steen as the NHL’s leading goal scorer, and with Sidney Crosby for the points lead at the time of his injury and figured to be a lock to make the team.
“Certainly from a Canada perspective, I don’t know of a time frame, but certainly probably going to be questionable if he can play in the Olympics,” said Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, who’s part of Canada’s management team. “Big loss for Tampa, big loss for our league.”
Stamkos lost his balance and crashed into the net during the second period of the Lightning’s 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins. He writhed in pain on the ice and appeared to tell a trainer, “It’s broken.”
The broken tibia will require surgery, which is set for Tuesday.
“The biggest concern for me, and the rest of the Lightning, is that decisions are made in Steven’s best long-term interest, and we feel this is the appropriate course of action,” Lightning GM Steve Yzerman said in a statement.
Yzerman is also Team Canada’s GM. Stamkos had 14 goals and 23 points in the first 17 games of the season, helping Tampa Bay climb to first place in the Atlantic Division.
Stamkos was just 20 years old when Canada won gold in Vancouver in 2010, and he did not make the cut for that team. In three world championships, Stamkos has 16 goals and 10 assists.
If he cannot come back in time to help Team Canada in Sochi, it could open the door for someone like Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars or perhaps Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks. Neither were invited to Olympic orientation camp in Calgary, but preparing for an Olympic tournament without Stamkos is not something Canada wanted.
“You’re never replacing Steve Stamkos,” Nicholson said. “We have a lot of great players. Steve Yzerman has a very difficult job putting this team together, but you don’t replace Steve Stamkos and we’ll just have to find another way to make sure the lineup’s strong.”