Another NHLer will miss significant time due to an injury suffered in Sochi.
Penguins defenseman Paul Martin, who missed the U.S.'s final two games of the tournament, suffered a broken hand and will miss the next 4-6 weeks of action, according to head coach Dan Bylsma.
Martin, 32, has had a miserable year in terms of health. He missed two games early in the season with a lower-body issue, then another 23 after fracturing his tibia in late November. The veteran rearguard was able to return to the Pittsburgh lineup in late January and play a handful of games before heading to the Olympics, only to see his Sochi experience end on a sour note (this coming after he failed to get a game at Turin ’06, and missed the ’10 Games in Vancouver because of a broken left forearm.)
As mentioned above, Martin is just the latest to suffer a significant injury at the Winter Olympics:
-- Islanders captain John Tavares tore his MCL playing for Canada, and will miss the remainder of the season.
-- Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg re-injured his back in Sweden’s tournament opener, underwent surgery and will be out eight weeks.
-- Rangers leading scorer Mats Zuccarello broke his hand in the Norway’s final group game, and will be out 3-4 weeks.
-- Florida rookie Aleksander Barkov hurt his knee playing for Finland, and will be out indefinitely.
-- Florida forward Tomas Kopecky suffered a concussion playing for Slovakia, and is also out indefinitely.
-- Columbus defenseman Fedor Tyutin suffered an ankle sprain playing for Russia, and is out 2-3 weeks.
For the Penguins, losing Martin is doubly tough given fellow defenseman Kris Letang is out indefinitely after suffering a stroke in January.
Related: Injuries and Impact: How will Sochi affect the NHL trade deadline?
