Lubomir Visnovsky's relationship with the New York Islanders took another nasty turn on Friday when the general manager of the Slovakian Olympics team blasted Islanders general manager Garth Snow for not allowing the veteran to play in Sochi.
Slovakia GM angry at Islanders for keeping Lubomir Visnovsky out of Olympics
Visnovsky has missed most of the season with a concussion.
USA TODAY Sports
Visnovsky recently returned to the Islanders’ lineup after missing the last few months to a concussion. Throughout his recovery, Snow insisted the team wouldn’t allow Visnovsky to play in Russia. Although he’s played five games since getting the green light to play again, Snow’s stance has not changed.
Predictably, Slovakian general manager Otto Sykora isn’t happy about the decision.
"If it's possible he can play and he says he's okay, he can play, I really don't understand why he not can play," Sykora said at Slovak Point in the Adler train station following a media conference with Slovakian defenceman Zdeno Chara.
"If he is injured, we accept this. If he say he's not injured and he can play and (Snow) say we don't let him go, we don't understand this."
Sykora's argument is this is Visnovsky's final chance to play in the Olympics. The veteran is 37-years-old and, according to Sykora, as "big in Slovakia" as Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara.
This dispute is just the latest chapter in a rocky relationship between the Islanders and Visnovsky. When the Anaheim Ducks traded him to New York in 2012, Visnovsky went to arbitration to try and get the trade overturned. A year later, Visnovsky considered remaining in Russia after spending the NHL lockout playing in the KHL.
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