If you didn’t follow the IIHF World Championships over two months ago, let me refresh your memory. Sweden played Canada in the quarterfinals, and in that game Vancouver’s (and Sweden international) Alex Edler laid a knee-to-knee hit on Carolina (Canadian international) Eric Staal. Edler was suspended for the remainder of the tournament, which happened to be two games as the Swedes went on to win the gold medal over Switzerland.
According to Edler’s agent Mark Stowe, the two had meetings with the IIHF in Sweden over the weekend to discuss any additional suspension. Stowe told Vancouver’s News 1130 that he could be suspended two games in the Sochi Olympics for the hit on Staal.
And Stowe’s suspicions were confirmed as the IIHF ruled that Edler would indeed be suspended for two games. In the Olympics, Sweden’s first two games are against Czech Republic on February 12 and they take on Switzerland two days later. Edler will be eligible for the final group stage game on February 15 vs Latvia.
While this will be a blow to the Swedish defense, they still have many good players at the position. Last week they announced their Olympic camp invitees and it included 2010 Olympians Douglas Murray, Johnny Oduya, Henrik Tallinder, and Niklas Kronwall. New players who have potential to crack the final roster include Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Jonathan Ericsson, and Niklas Hjalmarsson. With names like that it isn’t a 100 percent lock that Edler will make the final roster. But one would expect him to make the team and watch the first two games from the bleachers.
