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Report: Tomas Hertl (knee) won’t play in Olympics

tomasgettyhertl

James OBrien

There’s still no timeline for Tomas Hertl’s return from a knee injury (and upcoming surgery), but the San Jose Sharks rookie is already being ruled out for the 2014 Winter Olympics. That’s the word from Czech national coach Alois Hadamczik by way of TV Nova Sports’ Roman Jedlicka.

This news isn’t that stunning considering the fact that there’s significant doubt he’ll play again in 2013-14, period. That being said, it underscores the concern surrounding the 20-year-old’s health.

No doubt about it, this is a shame for the Czech Olympic team, the Sharks and hockey fans in general. For many, his sensational/controversial between-the-legs move overshadows his other accomplishments, but the forward was a consistent producer overall. He didn’t fall off from a hot start riding shotgun with Joe Thornton this season, collecting 25 points in 35 games.

His Calder Trophy dreams have probably been dashed already, but the Sharks likely just hope that he can recover from this knee injury, even if it means sitting out the rest of this season. At minimum, he won’t be in Sochi, according to this report.

(H/T to the Canadian Press’ Stephen Whyno.)

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins