The injury sustained by Latvian hockey player Rodrigo Abols will require a long recovery period, acknowledged head coach of the Latvian men's hockey team Harijs Vitoliņš, reports LETA.
It was previously reported that Abols sustained a leg injury on Saturday during a National Hockey League (NHL) game with the Philadelphia Flyers and left the ice only with the support of his teammates. Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet assessed the injury as serious after the game.
"It’s serious. There’s some kind of bone fracture and an ankle sprain. It will take a long time. We started discussions yesterday, and today we will call all the coaches. We will either change our strategy with [Zemgus] Girgensons at center or look for a new center forward. A decision needs to be made quickly," the coach explained in a conversation with the portal lsm.lv.
Vitoliņš indicated that Denis Smirnov, who plays as a center forward, could replace Abols in the lineup, or Miks Indrašis, Rihards Bukarts, or Tom Andersons. He added that during the formation of the preliminary roster, Haralds Egle was also considered as one of the backup centers.
"We need to see who is good at face-offs. There are many factors. It’s clear that we will have to play a lot in defense. The center position is very important," the coach emphasized.
At the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Latvian hockey team will play in Group C against the teams of the USA, Germany, and Denmark. The Latvians will play their first match on February 12 against the USA, on February 14 against Germany, and on February 15 against Denmark.
There will be three groups in the Olympic hockey tournament. Group A will feature Canada, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and France, while Group B will include Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, and Italy.
The group winners and the best team among the second-placed teams will advance directly to the quarter-finals, while the remaining teams will compete in the round of 16.
The men's hockey tournament at the Olympics will take place from February 11 to 22.
