Columbus Blue Jackets forward Sergei Fedorov will not play for Russia in the Turin Olympics. Fedorov, a six-time NHL All-Star who turned 36 on Tuesday, said he needed the time to recuperate from a nagging injury and to adapt to his new team.
"I don't think it is appropriate to delay my decision about the Olympics any further," Fedorov said in a statement released through IMG, which handles his business affairs. "As much as I would enjoy representing my country in Italy, I'm afraid that at this point in the season my focus has to remain with the Columbus Blue Jackets."
Vancouver Canucks goalie Dan Cloutier will miss at least the rest of the regular season because of a knee injury that will require surgery. Cloutier partially tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when Anaheim forward Rob Niedermayer ran into him in the crease during the first period of a Nov. 20 game. Cloutier finished that game and even dressed as Alex Auld's backup two days later against Chicago.
New York Islanders forward Jason Blake was taken off the ice on a stretcher after crashing headfirst into the boards against Minnesota. Blake, New York's second-leading scorer with 24 points on 13 goals and 11 assists, was taken to a hospital. The severity of the injury was not known.
Sabres defenseman Dmitri Kalinin has a hairline fracture in his finger and will miss the next week to 10 days. Kalinin was injured after blocking a shot in Buffalo's win over Minnesota on Sunday. "He finished the game with it, but after the game it started to swell up, and yesterday it got even worse," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said after practice yesterday.
