Key forward ruled out for Canada–Czechia quarterfinal
Photo credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
As Team Canada prepares for Team Czechia on Wednesday, they may have a little easier time of things as Czechia is going be down a key player going into the game.
The 2026 Milan Olympics will be wrapping up in under a week and all eyes are going to be on the men's hockey as teams like Canada and the US are vying for gold though the quarterfinals are still looming on the horizon.
The United States is going to take on Sweden in a matchup that is do or die for Auston Matthews and William Nylander, and while only one of them can make it -- the US has a little harder time than people might think.
Radek Faksa taken out at the worst possible time
For Canada, they are taking on the same team they took on to kick off the Olympics and as they are looking for a repeat of their 5-0 victory over the Czechs -- it might have gotten a little easier for them too.
According to Elliotte Friedman, Team Czechia is going to be without defensive forward Radek Faksa after he was injured during their game vs. Switzerland and is unable to make the lineup on Wednesday:
Per @RampaRobert15
Czechia coach Radim Rulik said Radek Faksa (injured vs Switzlerand) won't be able to play against Canada.
Czechia coach Radim Rulik said Radek Faksa (injured vs Switzlerand) won't be able to play against Canada.
Faksa, a Dallas Stars player, seemed to have injured himself at some point in Czechia's 4-3 loss to the Swiss and for a team with hopes of gold -- it's a terrible sign.
Czechia's chances against Canada became that much slimmer
He was arguably their best center after Tomas Hertl and certainly one of their top defensive weapons. With him out and Pavel Zacha unable to suit up, it's going to be easy pickings especially when you see what they are up against.
You're going to have Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Bo Horvat, and Sam Bennett all able to play center at an elite level and now it will rely on someone like David Kampf to fill the spot in the top-six (no easy task).
It's unknown the extent of the injury, and how it will affect his season with Dallas though fans can only hope for something better than Kevin Fiala's result -- a season ending surgery.
He has 17 points in 56 games with the Stars this season, and has 232 points in 764 games with time spent mostly in Dallas with a one-year pit stop in St. Louis; Dallas drafted him 13th overall in 2012.
For a Canadian squad that is already so dominant, the last thing the Czech team needs is to be shorthanded one of their best players. There's always hope though, but at the end of the day -- that mountain to climb just got a whole lot steeper.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Brad Marchand sat out two Team Canada games, and we now know why
Brad Marchand sat out two Team Canada games, and we now know why
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 18|956 ANSWERS Key forward ruled out for Canada–Czechia quarterfinal Do you think Czechia has a genuine shot at beating Canada in the Olympic quarterfinals? | ||
| Yes | 342 | 35.8 % |
| No | 614 | 64.2 % |
| List of polls | ||