Stamkos not going to Olympics for Canada

Steven Stamkos’ Olympic dream will not be realized in 2014.

The Tampa Bay Lightning forward was not given the clearance for game participation from his doctors after undergoing his Week 12 X-ray following his club team’s 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night.

Stamkos had targeted a return to action Saturday with the hope that he’d be on a plane to Sochi on Sunday.

“Today is obviously very disappointing for me,” Stamkos said via statement. “I honestly believe that we did everything possible in order to have my injured leg ready in time for the Olympics, but I realize you can’t force healing. I know, in the best interest of my long term health, I cannot represent Canada in Sochi, as much as I would like to. I would like to thank the training staff for their dedication and hard work and I look forward to returning to the Lightning once cleared by the medical team.”

Stamkos underwent a CT scan (which offers a three-dimensional view of the bone) Wednesday afternoon and then met with Lightning medical director Ira Gutentag, who was unable to clear Stamkos for game participation. Rehabilitation with the Lightning training staff will continue and the centreman will be reevaluated in two to three weeks.

“After reviewing the CT scan this afternoon, Dr. Gutentag made it clear to me and to Steven that the tibia is not completely healed and therefore he should not be participating in game action at any time in the near future,” Team Canada and Lightning GM Steve Yzerman said via press release. “Although the doctor was very pleased to this point with the healing process, he explained that the callus surrounding the fracture site is not 100 percent consolidated, and Steven will not be cleared to play in a game until that happens. It was a pretty clear-cut decision, no grey areas at all.”

Since breaking his right tibia when crashing into a goalpost in Boston on Nov. 11, the 23-year-old Stamkos has been out of the lineup but busying rehabbing his leg and maintaining his conditioning. He has been practising with full contact with the hope of being game-ready for the Olympics.

“It means everything,” Stamkos told sportnet.ca recently of representing his home country in the Winter Games. “I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen. If it doesn’t, then I can at least look myself in the mirror and say I did everything possible to give myself a chance.”

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