Komisarek out, two U.S. Olympic 'D' spots open.
U.S. Olympic defenseman Mike Komisarek of the Toronto Maple Leafs will have shoulder surgery that will knock him out of the Vancouver Games and the rest of the NHL season. A date for the operation has not yet been set, the Maple Leafs said Wednesday.
"Our team doctors have recommended this after a determined effort to rehab the injury without surgery," Komisarek said in a statement. "Having this done immediately is the right thing to do for the Leafs. I am truly sorry that I will not be able to represent my country at the Olympics."
Team USA recently lost New Jersey Devils defenseman Paul Martin to a broken left forearm, leaving two openings on the blue line. The Ducks' Ryan Whitney and James Wisniewski are already among the names being bandied about as possible replacements. Others include Pittsburgh's Alex Goligoski and the Kings' Rob Scuderi.
Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres and Keith Yandle of the Phoenix Coyotes are the leading point producers among U.S.-born defensemen, but were not on the initial list of 60 players submitted to the IIHF as Olympic candidates by Brian Burke.
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About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
Tyler Myers became a Canadian citizen and is no longer eligible to play for the United States.
Tyler Myers became a Canadian citizen and is no longer eligible to play for the United States.