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.''
It is the latest blow to the U.S. team that already lost New Jersey Devils defenseman Paul Martin to a broken left forearm. Both players can be replaced before the games begin later this month.
Potential Olympic replacements for Martin and Komisarek include Atlanta's Ron Hainsey, Los Angeles' Rob Scuderi, Ryan Whitney of the Anaheim Ducks, and Carolina's Tim Gleason. Final rosters are due on Feb. 15, one day before the United States opens play with a game against Switzerland.
The 28-year-old Komisarek, a Long Island native, was chosen for the Olympic team on Jan. 1 and was injured one day later at Calgary. Signed by the Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent last summer, Komisarek had four assists in 34 games this season.
