After losing Valtteri Filppula to a broken ankle earlier Friday morning, Finland was dealt yet another blow when Mikko Koivu announced that he wouldn't participate in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, via the Minnesota Wild.
Winter Olympics 2014: Mikko Koivu pulls out for Finland
The Minnesota Wild have announced that Koivu hasn’t recovered enough from his injury to participate in the Olympics.
Harry How
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Koivu described his injury as “a different type of pain. With this, it’s good for 10-15 minutes, then the pain builds up,” via the Wild’s official Twitter feed.
In other tweets, Koivu said that if he thought playing would help him feel better, he would go to Sochi, but he will be taking a break from skating and has to think of the Wild as well.
It will be the first time since 2002 that a Finnish Olympic men's hockey team will not have a Koivu on the roster, as Mikko's older brother Saku Koivu also dropped out, feeling he wasn't healthy enough to be deserving of a spot. The 2002 Olympics were the only time since professionals entered the Olympics that Finland failed to medal.
Replacements for Filppula and Koivu are not yet official.
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