Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Sleepless nights for John Muckler

The Olympic hockey tournament is only 24 hours old and already John Muckler has probably seen enough. Muckler was waiting for more details from Italy as the Sens star goaltender headed for hospital and an MRI. Hasek needed the hospital visit to determine the nature of an injury that took him out of the Czech Republic’s opening game after only nine minutes.

Those nine minutes may be costly not only for the Czech hopes of an Olympic medal but of the Sens hopes for a Stanley Cup. It’s suspected that Hasek has suffered a hamstring injury, which will not only take him out of the Czech lineup, but leave Muckler scrambling for a goaltender for his Senators.

The Sens club doctor is working for the IOC at the games, so he’ll be able to give John Muckler a detailed description of the Hasek injury and any rehabilitation time expected. While Muckler awaits his phone call from Torino, he’ll be busy scouring the lists of goaltenders on the bubble or on the market.

The fear of injury is the one thing that makes NHL GM‘s nervous about the Olympic break, an event thousands of miles away from an NHL arena could very well determine how the season will proceed for the club team. In the case of Hasek, that sharp pain between his legs felt in Torino, has traveled to Prague and across to Ottawa. Growing in intensity with each mile logged.

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