"Fiala had contact with Wilson, and as he was heading to the ice, he suffered a lower-body injury, which appeared to be his ankle. Elliotte Friedman reported on the morning of Feb. 14 that Fiala was set to have surgery in Italy and would miss the rest of the season. A major part of why owners did not want players going to the Olympics was the injury risk."
"Heading into the Olympics, many were keeping a close eye on Team Canada's Tom Wilson and how his physical, and sometimes "dirty" play, would translate to the Olympics, which is often officiated differently than NHL games. By pure coincidence, the first major injury to come from the tournament was at the hands of a Wilson hit, but there is no argument that the injury was due to nothing short of an accident."
Kevin Fiala suffered a lower-body ankle injury after contact with Tom Wilson at the Olympics and is scheduled for surgery in Italy, forcing him to miss the rest of the NHL season. The injury occurred as Fiala was heading to the ice following the hit and was described as an accident. NHL owners had expressed concern about player participation in the Olympics due to injury risk. Attendance at the Olympics was a central issue for players and the NHLPA during bargaining, and the league secured concessions such as shorter maximum-term contracts as part of the agreement covering Olympic participation.
Read at The Hockey Writers
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