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Wednesday, February 18, 1998 Sakic out with knee injuryNAGANO (CP) -- Joe Sakic said his new role on Canada's Olympic hockey team is "cheerleader," after learning a strained left knee ligament will keep him off the ice for the rest of the Winter Games."Its frustrating,' said Sakic, who strained a medial collateral ligament in a collision late in Canada's 4-1 quarter-final victory over Kazakhstan on Wednesday. "You come all this way to play for a gold medal and then find out for the last two games you're not going to be part of it." Canada meets the Czech Republic in the semifinals Friday morning, with the winner advancing to the gold medal match on Saturday night. The losing team plays for the bronze medal on Saturday morning. Sakic, a fast, playmaking centre from the Colorado Avalanche, said he would dress and watch the game from the bench if Canada makes the final, but he was told he'd be out of game action for at least two weeks by the team doctor. He said a Kazakh player fell on him after running into defenceman Rob Blake. "It's just a bad break," said Sakic, who had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 round-robin victory over the United States, his only points in four Olympic matches thus far. "It was an innocent play. It's not swollen, so that's the good news. I can walk OK. It feels like there's nothing there until I try to turn." The Vancouver native is to remain in Nagano until the end of the games and begin rehabilitation when he returns to Denver next week. Coach Marc Crawford, who also coaches Sakic in Colorado, said centre Trevor Linden of the Vancouver Canucks, who has been used as the team's 13th forward, would move into Sakic's spot on a line with Mark Recchi and Keith Primeau. The other three lines would remain unchanged. "'I don't think it'll change much," said Crawford. "Trevor has played well in this tournament and he's always played well in big games." Sakic's spot on the point alongside Al MacInnis on the power play will likely be filled by Recchi, or perhaps Chris Pronger, Crawford said. Canada lost Anaheim winger Paul Kariya to a concussion before the Games, but were able to replace him with Recchi. They cannot replace Sakic now that the Team Canada started its tournament. "You deal with what's there and find a way to persevere," said Crawford. "We're not the only team that lost guys to injuries. "You deal with all sorts of adversity in a tournament like this." "I think it will be good for him to get some rest when he goes back, but it will hurt us here," said goaltender Patrick Roy, Sakic's teammate in Denver. "It's adversity and you always have to rise to that kind of challenge." Crawford also has to make a new list of five shooters who would be chosen if a game is tied after an overtime period and has to be settled by a shootout. "Joe Sakic was on that list," said Crawford, who would not name his other shooters. |