John Tavares injured in Canada-Latvia game, ruled out for rest of Winter Olympics

John Tavares, star captain of the New York Islanders and 3rd in the NHL in points heading into the Sochi Winter Olympics, left Team Canada's game against Latvia in the second period and did not return for the third period. According to Islanders beat writer Arthur Staple, a source told him that Tavares is done for the Winter Olympics, but it's too early to determine a timeline on whether the injury will impact his NHL time.

Source says Tavares has a knee injury, done for Olympics. No word beyond that as of yet. #Isles
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) February 19, 2014

Canada's coach Mike Babcock confirmed in a post game injury that Tavares was out for the rest of the tournament with a "leg injury."

Babcock on Tavares: Leg injury, out of the Olympics
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) February 19, 2014

THE INJURY/HIT

Thanks to @myregularface on Twitter for a nice GIF of the hit Tavares took from Latvia's Arturs Kulda.

From the gif, you can see Kulda's right quad come into contact with Tavares' left knee from the side, swinging it around to where it is eventually stopped by the boards.You can see Tavares hold his left leg up in a bent position, not wanting it to hit the ice and bracing for impact. In my opinion, looks like his left knee moved laterally and may have torqued. Tavares immediately hit the ice following the hit and appeared in pain, having a hard time getting up and skating to the bench (which he eventually did without any help).

Another angle, courtesy of SBNation

Since the hit occurred to the outside of the knee, the first thought to my mind is a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury. The MCL is located on the inside of the knee and connects the femur (thighbone) to the tibia (shinbone) at the knee joint. As one of the four major ligaments in the knee, the MCL is one of the strongest ligaments in the body.

An MCL injury most commonly occurs when a skater sustains a blow to the outside of the knee which stresses and torques the joint, causing damage to the ligament. Depending on the severity of the injury (grade 1 strains and up), it can take between two weeks to several months. Tavares will undergo standard RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) protocol for a few days to minimize swelling in the knee, and then may undergo an MRI.

The fact that Tavares didn't return to the bench for the third period and was immediately ruled out for the rest of the tournament in post-game interviews is not a good sign for Islanders fans. The knee is a vulnerable area of the body for hockey players and severe injuries can occur, even on hits like the one Kulda applied to Tavares.

Not a good sign. Courtesy: Jim Young/Reuters

Nothing has been released regarding the severity of his injury but updates on his condition hopefully to come as all of Islanders nation holds their breath.