Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Naslund will miss the Olympics because of a lingering groin injury, dealing a blow to Sweden’s chances for a gold medal.
Naslund, one of the leading goal scorers in the NHL the past few seasons, will be replaced by Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom, Sweden’s ice hockey federation said Thursday.
Naslund’s injury forced him to sit out a game against the Avalanche on Saturday, but he returned to score a goal when the Canucks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 7-4 on Tuesday. However, he informed Sweden coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson on Thursday his groin was still hurting, federation spokesman Mats Olsson said.
“It’s not good for us at all,” said top Swedish goalie Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers. “He’s a great player and a good scorer, so of course we needed him. But if he can’t go for 100 percent then I think it’s nice to let someone else take his spot.”
Naslund had been expected to form a top line with childhood friend Peter Forsberg, the former NHL MVP who has led the Philadelphia Flyers to one of the league’s best records this season.
Forsberg also has a sore groin, but has said he is likely to be fit for the Turin Games.
“It’s never good to have those players injured, the top players on the team,” Lundqvist said. “I hope that Peter is well when the tournament starts and he will be very excited about playing.”
* Pat Rupp, goaltender for the 1964 and 1968 U.S. teams who also played for the Red Wings, died in Dayton, Ohio, after a long battle with cancer.
He was 63.
During the 1964 Olympics in Innsbruck, Rupp blanked the East Germans 8-0, a shutout feat not matched by an American Olympic goalie until 28 years later when Ray LeBlanc held Germany scoreless in a 2-0 victory in the 1992 Olympics.
Skiing: Bode Miller returned to the slopes after a golfing vacation looking relaxed and good humored, but one of his sponsors still seemed a bit wary about controversy surrounding the American.
Miller, who is returning to the men’s World Cup circuit after a nine-day absence, appeared focused and sharp, completing a fast and tactically sound training run ahead of Saturday’s downhill race in Chamonix, France. He had the 22nd-best time in training.
He broke a streak of competing in 136 straight World Cup races when he skipped downhill and super giant slalom events last weekend in Garmisch- Partenkirchen, Germany, to play golf in Dubai with his younger brother, Chelone.
“I played five days,” Miller said. “The rounds don’t take all day. I was getting up pretty early, just testing and hanging out, going to the gym a little bit. It was nice.”
Michael Walchhofer of Austria posted the fastest time in the training session, finishing the 3,380-meter Piste Verte course in 1 minute, 57.35 seconds.
