Olympic News

Sweden - Washington Capitals left wing Marcus Johansson will represent Sweden at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, it was announced Friday. Johansson takes the place of Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin, who announced Thursday he will not participate in Sochi because of a lingering rib injury. Johansson, 23, will be making his first Olympic appearance and will join Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom on the Swedish team. Johansson represented Sweden at the 2009 and 2010 World Junior Championships and was captain of the Swedish team in 2010. In 11 career games at the World Junior Championship, Johansson recorded three goals and five assists. The 6-foot-1, 204-pounder won a silver medal with Sweden in 2009 and a bronze medal in 2010. Johansson has played in 58 games with the Capitals this season, registering seven goals and 29 assists. The native of Landskrona joins Capitals teammates John Carlson (United States), Martin Erat (Czech Republic), Alex Ovechkin (Russia) and Backstrom in representing their respective countries in Sochi.
Finland - Finland will be without top forwards Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild and Valtteri Filppula of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Koivu announced Friday that he was ending his attempts to play in the Olympics. He has been out since sustaining a broken ankle during a game Jan. 4.

"I'm not going to the Olympics games this year," Koivu said in a statement released on the Wild's official Twitter feed. "I just don't feel healthy enough to feel that I can play at the level that I want."

He said he will take a few days off and then resume skating prior to the Wild getting back together Feb. 19. Koivu, the captain of the Wild, likely would have held the same role for Finland in Sochi. It would have been the third Olympics for Koivu. The 30-year-old has eight goals and 27 assists in 44 games this season. Finland also learned Friday that Filppula will miss the Olympics due to a non-displaced fracture in his right ankle. The injury is expected to sideline him for 2-3 weeks. He sustained the injury during the Lightning's 4-1 loss Thursday to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The center was playing in his second game since returning from a lower-body injury that forced him to miss one game. It would have been the second Olympics for Filppula. He helped Finland win the bronze medal in at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics with an empty-net goal that capped a 5-3 win against Slovakia in the third-place game.

"I was really looking forward to going to play in the Olympics. I don't really know what to say, it's tough right now," Filppula said. "Something positive is that it's not too bad of a break, so I should be back pretty soon after the Olympics."

In the absence of star forward Steven Stamkos, Filppula has emerged as the team's No. 2 scorer with 20 goals and 41 points in 56 games. There is no word yet on who will fill the spots left by Koivu and Filppula. The reserves on Finland's roster are Sean Bergenheim of the Florida Panthers and Jarkko Immonen, who plays for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League.

Canada - Tampa Bay Lightning captain Martin St. Louis has been selected to replace Steven Stamkos on Canada's roster for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Hockey Canada announced Thursday morning. St. Louis, 38, will be going to his second Olympics, having played for Canada in 2006. It'll be his first international tournament since the 2009 IIHF World Championship, when he had 15 points in nine games.

St. Louis said. "Great opportunity for me. I think if you asked Stamkos who he wants to replace him it would be me. So I'll do the best I can. Everybody that knows me knows I'm a pretty emotional guy. There has been a lot of that the last month. I heard from [Stamkos] that he wasn't going so I prepared myself, i'm just glad to get the opportunity. I feel like my whole career has been a back-door entrance. This is no different. It's a big opportunity and I'm glad to be there. Of course I was bitter, but it wasn't motivation. I've been motivated for 10 years. If you are not motivated you are not considered for these things. As bitter as you can feel at times, you have to put that aside. You only get so many kicks at the can, so you take them."

Stamkos said. "If there is anyone in our locker room that deserves it from day one it is Marty. I don't see this as Marty replacing me. I see this as Marty getting the opportunity he deserves,"

The Lightning announced Wednesday that Stamkos has not been medically cleared to resume playing so he had to withdraw from the Olympics. Stamkos has been out of the lineup since Nov. 11, when he broke his right tibia in a game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. St. Louis understood once the announcement about Stamkos was made that he would be a top candidate to replace him, so the news did not come as a surprise. St. Louis is tied for 16th in the NHL in points this season with 54. He was considered to be of the top snubs when the Canadian roster was originally announced Jan. 7 and his name was not on the list. It was the second time in four years Hockey Canada general manager Steve Yzerman left him off the roster. Unlike the first time, Yzerman now serves as his GM in Tampa Bay as well. Getting the call is yet another honor for St. Louis, who has gone on to an outstanding NHL career after going undrafted.

Tortorella said. "They won't get him off the ice out there, he's that good. I couldn't be happier for him."

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock was more directly affected by the change because he'll be the head coach for the Canadian team.

"I feel bad for [Stamkos], he's one of the best players in the NHL. I love watching him play. High-powered kid. He's really learning how to play the game 200 feet. He would have been a real asset. In saying that, St. Louis has had a great year. He's had four great years since the last Olympics. It was really hard decisions when we were picking the team. He goes in as a group of one of 14 and then he's got to carve out whatever he can carve for himself, just like the rest of the guys. We're thrilled to have him. He's a great person. He competes hard. He's ultra-competitive and we want him to bring that. He's (St Louis) a dynamic player, he scores, but he's tenacious. He's on the puck. He plays [at] high-octane speed. He can play on your power play. He can play even strength. He could penalty-kill if we needed him. But I think he's a competitor. All you've got to do is go through his career. When I talked to [Vancouver Canucks coach John Tortorella] about him, he said the two most competitive people he's ever coached were [New York Rangers goalie Henrik] Lundqvist and him."

New York Islanders captain John Tavares spent Thursday morning preparing for a game against the Calgary Flames later that night at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, so he had no idea that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis had been selected to replace Steven Stamkos on Canada's roster at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Stamkos, who sustained a broken tibia in a game against the Boston Bruins on Nov. 11, did everything he could to work his way back into Tampa Bay's lineup before the Olympics so he could represent Canada at the Olympics. But it was announced Wednesday that Stamkos has not been medically cleared to play. St. Louis, who leads the Lightning with 54 points (25 goals, 29 assists) in 56 games, was originally left off the roster when it was announced by Hockey Canada last month. The 38-year-old and Tavares, 23, were roommates at Canada's orientation camp last summer.

"It's great for Marty and well deserved," Tavares said after being informed of the news by a reporter. "He's a tremendous person and I think he's proven throughout his career what he's accomplished and the impact he can make on a team like that and a tournament like this. [He's] just a great guy. I think he doesn't take anything for granted. He's worked for everything he's got. I think he's always had that kind of mindset. He's a lot of fun to be around too. He's not this old guy, grumpy guy. He's fun and energetic and extremely hard-working."

Stamkos was the No. 1 pick at the NHL Draft one year before the Islanders took Tavares with the first pick in 2009. Tavares said he feels badly for Stamkos, who had 14 goals in 17 games for the Lightning this season before the injury.

"I know Steve pretty well. I played a little bit of hockey [with him] growing up together and a little bit against each other," Tavares said. "[He's a] good friend. It's tough to see him work so hard and have a freakish injury like that get in the way from living a great opportunity, a dream come true for a lot of us, and you never know if you're ever gonna get this chance again. I remember seeing him here about a month ago and he was really optimistic, really upbeat. I'm sure he's extremely disappointed. I feel for him, for sure."

Slovakia - Columbus Blue Jackets forward Marian Gaborik will miss the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the team announced Thursday. Gaborik, who sustained a broken collarbone Dec. 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers, had hoped to return in time to play for his native Slovakia. Gaborik played for Slovakia in the previous two Olympics as well as at four IIHF World Championships (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007). Gaborik has five goals and 12 points in 18 games this season. He was in his first game back after missing 17 due to a knee injury when he sustained the broken collarbone.

Gaborik Said: "I'm extremely disappointed that I won't be able to play for Slovakia at the Olympic Games but understand the decision is the right one for my recovery and for the national team, I have been lucky and proud to represent my country at two Olympic Games and other international tournaments and look forward to doing so again in the future."

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said: "Marian has worked extremely hard and done everything possible to rehabilitate his injury and return to the ice with the hope of representing his country in Sochi, we share his deep disappointment that he will not be able to do so but are optimistic that he will be fully recovered very soon."

Austria - New York Islanders forwards Thomas Vanek and Michael Grabner know the task of helping Austria bring home a medal from the 2014 Sochi Olympics will be as close to impossible as it gets. But that doesn't mean they're not prepared to give it their best shot. This will be Austria's first appearance in the Olympics since 2002. They will compete in Group B with Norway, along with projected powerhouses Canada and Finland. Austria will face Finland next Thursday.

Vanek said : ''Anytime you can play and represent your country, especially at this level, it'll be fun. Obviously, we're a big underdog, but that's OK. Hopefully we can surprise a few people."

Grabner Said: "It's going to be a lot of fun. It's getting close now. Our team's already there and they said it looks good and it's a lot of fun so far. But at the same time, we have two more games, two important ones here and points that we need. So I'm trying to stay in the moment and get these wins for us."

Vanek and Grabner are two of the three Austrians playing in the NHL this season; rookie forward Michael Raffl, who has six goals and 11 assists in 44 games for the Philadelphia Flyers, will join the Islanders forwards in Sochi. The rest of the Olympic team is already in Sochi, making its final preparations for the tournament. The two Islanders forwards are hopeful more Austrians will play in the NHL in the future.

"Obviously, ski jumping is huge," said Vanek, whose father, Zdenek, played professional hockey in Europe. "[But] I think the game of hockey has grown. I think people are excited to have a team in [the Olympics] as well. I think every kid that played hockey followed the NHL. I think outside of that, it wasn't that big. Back there, there wasn't an internet, so you couldn't really follow it as closely as you can now. I think every Sunday there was an hour show that kind of recapped the whole week of the NHL. I think that was always a must-see as a kid."

"I lived next to an arena, so my mom signed me up and a lot of my friends were playing. That's how I got into it," Grabner said. "But hockey's been getting bigger [in Austria]. People are enjoying it. Hopefully we can get a few more Austrians over here [in the NHL]. I think the last time was '02, so who knows how many more chances we're going to get for Austria to play there. We've just got to go there, do your best and represent our country the best we can and enjoy the experience. We don't have anything to lose, really. At the same time, you've got to do your best. I think no matter who you play or where you play, losing is losing and you don't want to lose. That's in your nature. You've got to do your best and see what happens at the end of the day."

Grabner and Vanek make up two of three Islanders heading to Sochi; Islanders captain John Tavares will represent Canada. Though Islanders coach Jack Capuano is focused on trying to get his team closer to a Stanley Cup Playoff spot, he's happy three of his players will get to enjoy what is sure to be an unforgettable experience, and considering it took 12 years for Austria to get back into the Olympic tournament, Grabner and Vanek realize this could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for each of them. Vanek knows wins won't be easy to come by. Indeed, it will likely take a remarkable performance from one Austria's three goaltenders, Bernhard Starkbaum, Rene Swette and Fabian Weinhandl, in order to beat the likes of Canada and Finland.

"When you go to the World Championships, those games are tough for us, now you've got the best of the best. It's tough. I don't want to put any pressure on our goaltending, but it comes down to goaltending. I think anytime you can have a goalie that's hot and can give you 50, 55 saves, maybe you can get a few odd-man rushes and capitalize on them. That's why you play the game. It's a one-game shot. Obviously, we know the Finland, Canada games are gonna be tough. You just never know."

Capuano Said: "For those guys, it's gonna be exciting. When these six periods are over, they'll go and experience that. I'm pleased and excited that we have a few guys that are going to represent their countries. I think both those guys will enjoy their time together."

USA - Nashville Predators GM David Poile is recovering from surgical procedures in his nose and eye areas Friday in a Minnesota hospital and his travel to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Olympics has been delayed. Poile was hit in the face Thursday by a deflected puck during the Predators' morning skate at Xcel Energy Center and was taken to an area hospital. Poile also is the general manager for the United States Olympic team and was scheduled to travel with other NHL Olympians to Russia on Sunday. In a statement released by the Predators, Poile still hopes to join the team in Sochi.

"Predators General Manager David Poile underwent two successful surgical procedures in the nose and eye areas and received stitches to repair a facial laceration suffered [Thursday] when hit by an errant puck during the Predators' morning skate at Xcel Energy Center," the Predators announced in a press release. "He is resting and recovering and will remain in the hospital for further observation. His return to Nashville is yet to be determined and is pending doctors' evaluation and recommendation. At this point he will not travel to Sochi as originally planned with Team USA on Sunday but he does look forward to joining Team USA during the Olympics. David and his family appreciate the inquiries and well wishes received, but there will be no further comment at this time and they appreciate everyone respecting their privacy."