Team USA defenseman Mike Komisarek will not play in Olympics
The U.S. men's ice hockey team suffered another blow to its blueline Thursday when Mike Komisarek said he will not play in the Winter Olympics because of shoulder surgery.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman had not played since Jan. 2, and a decision was made to operate following two weeks of rehabilitation.
He is the second American to pull out of the Olympic Games because of injury. New Jersey Devils defenseman Paul Martin will not play because of a broken arm.
There was a chance Komisarek would have been able to play in the Games, allowing him to have surgery after the Olympics.
"Having a chance to represent your country in the Olympics is a huge honor, and you want to be a part of that," Komisarek said. "But I knew that it wouldn't be fair to go and play in the Olympics and have to shut my season down after I come back from Vancouver and miss the rest of the year."
-- Austin Knoblauch
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Photo: Mike Komisarek. Credit: Dave Sandford / Getty Images
