Brace for impact: Kevin Fiala’s Olympic dream is on hold after a disturbing collision. Switzerland’s forward, who also plays for the Los Angeles Kings, was stretchered off late in the third period against Canada following an awkward hit from Tom Wilson.
Switzerland announced that Fiala will miss the remainder of the Olympic tournament due to a lower-body injury.
The incident appeared to involve Wilson landing on Fiala’s leg during the collision. No penalty was assessed on the play.
“We haven’t seen him yet. I think he went to the hospital,” Switzerland head coach Patrick Fischer told NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika. “Obviously, it doesn’t look very good. Tough, tough moment for Kevin and the whole team, obviously.”
Fiala is one of Switzerland’s top contributors, tallying 18 goals and 40 points in 56 games for the Kings this season, and he’s one of ten NHL players on the Swiss roster.
Doughty, Fiala’s teammate with Los Angeles, was on the ice for Canada’s run of action at the moment of impact.
“I wanted to go over there when he was lying on the ground,” Doughty said, per Cotsonika. “I just said something to him as he left the ice, and I’m going to find him as fast as I can right now.”
Meanwhile, the Kings have had reasons to smile recently, after acquiring star forward Artemi Panarin before the Olympic break. Los Angeles sits one point shy of the Western Conference’s second wild card.
On a historical note, Fiala previously endured a broken femur in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a reminder of the fragility players face on every big stage.
