NHL teams paying price for Olympic journey
Can we add the Canadiens to the list of teams that will think twice before supporting National Hockey League participation at the 2018 Winter Olympics?
Sending NHL players to the Olympics can be a risky proposition and the Canadiens learned that lesson the hard way when Carey Price, the No. 1 goaltender at the Sochi Games, left the ice after facing one shot during the team’s morning skate Wednesday in Brossard.
While Price held it together long enough to record two shutouts in Team Canada’s gold-medal run in Sochi, he apparently did so after aggravating what appears to be a groin injury.
The exact extent of the injury hasn’t been determined, but when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Bell Centre Saturday night Price will miss has third consecutive game as the Canadiens attempt to hold on to a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
Price is one of a half-dozen prominent players who returned from Sochi with injuries and that provides a good argument for those who believe the NHL derives little benefit from playing at the Olympics.
In some cases, the injuries could have profound effects on playoff races. That would be the case if Price’s discomfort lingers.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but find themselves with another hole on defence after Paul Martin returned from Sochi with a broken hand. The Penguins already miss Kris Letang, who told reporters this week he might not return this season after suffering a stroke.
The missing defencemen might have been a factor Thursday night as the Canadiens beat the Penguins 6-5 in a shootout.
Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock guided Team Canada to a gold medal in Sochi, but he now faces the task of chasing a playoff spot without leading scorer Henrik Zetterberg. Zetterberg’s case is similar to that of Price. He was having back problems before joining the Swedish team in Sochi, but there’s an argument to be made that a couple of weeks of rest might have staved off the back surgery that ended Zetterberg’s season.
Two other bubble teams are experiencing post-Sochi injury woes. Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler may have a broken bone or two in his hand and has already missed one game, while Columbus defenceman Fedor Tyutin’s disappoint- ment in Russia’s collapse has been compounded by an ankle injury.
Nothing will help the New York Islanders as they flounder near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but general manager Garth Snow was outraged over losing sniper John Tavares. Tavares suffered a knee injury while playing for Team Canada, and while he won’t need surgery his season is over.
Snow said the loss of Tavares will hurt the Islanders at the box office and he might be right since there are few reasons to watch a bad team playing in an even worse arena.
But there is one curious twist to Snow’s whining about the loss of Tavares. When the Olympic rosters were being announced in early January, the Islanders were miffed because Kyle Okposo wasn’t selected for Team USA.
One counter argument in favour of Olympic participation is the benefit some teams derive from a two-week break in the schedule. That time gives banged-up players an opportunity to heal, as in the case of Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk.
Then again, the Canadiens’ performance against the Red Wings Wednesday night showed that the break can leave a team dealing with a lot of rust.