Players from Canada and Switzerland left the bench to tap their sticks as Swiss star Kevin Fiala left the final moments of their round-robin game on a stretcher with what appeared to be a lower-body injury.
The final minutes of Switzerland's Olympic round-robin game against Canada took a turn for the worse when Kevin Fiala left the game on a stretcher.
With less than three minutes left in the game, Team Canada right winger Tom Wilson appeared to fall onto Fiala's left leg as the two got tangled along the boards. Fiala stayed down, with team staff calling for a stretcher not long after.
As Fiala went off on the stretcher, lying on his stomach, players from both teams got off the bench and tapped their sticks in support.
Fiala, a 29-year-old left winger for the Los Angeles Kings, has one assist in two games at these Olympics but has 40 points in 56 NHL games this season, the second-most among Swiss players.
Players on both teams expressed their disappointment at seeing Fiala having to leave the game.
"Obviously hurts," Swiss teammate Timo Meier said post-game. "Let's hope it's nothing too bad. Didn't look great. Yeah, it sucks."
Added Swiss center Nico Hischier: "Stuff like that is hard to watch, honestly. Kevin's a big part of our group, and in hockey, stuff like that happens... I hope it's better than it looked like, but we wish Kevin the best."
Fiala was hurt with less than three minutes left in the game, which Switzerland lost 5-1. (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)It was tough finish the game like that after seeing Fiala in pain, Hischier added. But he didn't see any intent to injure from Wilson on that play.
"It's an unfortunate play," said Hischier. "He got tangled up there and fell, twisted his leg, but there's no intention for sure. It's just an unfortuante play."
Hischier added it's clear both teams are wishing Fiala the best after seeing the Canadians leave the bench to tap their sticks.
"That's sportsmanlike and that's respect, and yeah, props to them, but for us, tough to watch, lose the game and finish the game like that and probably losing Kevin."
Wilson, a 31-year-old right winger for the Washington Capitals, is known for playing a punishing style of hockey. He leads the Capitals in hits, with 132, and ranks tied for 32nd in the NHL in that category. He's also been suspended six times in his career, with the last one coming in the 2023-24 season.
But Wilson has said before he's made it a focus to play the game hard and honestly without crossing the line.
In this case, Wilson described what happened as "kind of a nothing play," but still unlucky.
"At this point, it's the Olympic games, and I feel terribly," Wilson said. "He may not be able to keep playing. Just sending his family and him my best. You never want to see a guy go down in a tournament like this, especially. It sucks for the country and their team. I'm just wishing him a quick recovery."
Wilson added that he wasn't sure how serious the injury was right away.
"He's a tough kid. He didn't say anything. He didn't scream, he didn't really (show) any emotion at all," Wilson said. "So I didn't know how serious it was, and then I saw the replay, and his foot kind of got caught in the ice, and I fell on that leg. We get tangled up so much, and unfortunately on that one, his leg got caught underneath."
Fiala is also at risk of missing some time when the NHL season resumes in about two weeks.
With the Kings sitting three points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, any game Fiala is forced to miss will make it tougher for the squad to reach the playoffs.
And Fiala's Kings teammate, Drew Doughty, was on the ice for Canada when the injury happened. He was asked about the risk of NHL players getting hurt at the Olympics.
"I think every single player is going to tell you that they want to come still," Doughty said. "Unfortunately, that happened, but hopefully he recovers quick."
Canada won the game 5-1. Both teams have Saturday off.
Switzerland play Czechia at 6:10 a.m. ET on Sunday, while Canada play France at 10:40 a.m. ET.
With files from Michael Traikos
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