NEW YORK: A season-ending injury suffered by star John Tavares while playing at the Sochi Winter Olympics has New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow wanting National Hockey League players to stay home.
The 23-year-old Canadian centre suffered a torn ligament and torn meniscus in his left knee when struck by Latvian defenseman Arturs Kulda in Canada’s 2-1 quarter-final triumph.
The Islanders expect Tavares, third top scorer in the NHL, to be back in time for next season’s training camp in September.
But in losing team captain Tavares, the Islanders had their hopes crushed for making a run at the NHL playoffs after losing 38 of 60 games before the NHL shutdown for the Olympics.
Snow aimed his ire at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
“Are the IIHF or IOC going to reimburse our season-ticket holders now?” Snow told Newsday. “It’s a joke. They want all the benefits from NHL players in the Olympics and don’t want to pay when our best player gets hurt.”
While an Olympic insurance policy will ensure Tavares receives his salary, it will not erase the competitive disadvantage or lost ticket sales due to his absence.
“It wouldn’t matter if we were 10 points up on a playoff spot or 10 points out. We lost our best player and he wasn’t playing for us,” Snow said.
“This is probably the biggest reason why NHL players shouldn’t be in the Olympics. It should just be amateurs.”
The crosstown rival New York Rangers lost their top scorer as well when Norway’s Mats Zuccarello suffered a broken left hand.
AFP
