As the NHL is on the Olympic break, some teams will have a different look when they return to the ice. One of those is the Los Angeles Kings, as Kevin Fiala is officially out for the season, after breaking his leg while representing Switzerland in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Now, Fiala is taking to social media with an emotional message after the injury, posting on his Instagram account.
“Not the ending I imagined for my first Olympics. Thank you everyone for reaching out. I truly appreciate the support. Biggest good luck to my team Switzerland, go get them!” Fiala wrote as a caption to a picture of him in a hospital bed, giving the camera a thumbs up.
Fiala was injured on a hit from Tom Wilson in the third period of the Swiss game with Canada. Fellow Swiss teammate Nico Hischier did not think Wilson was trying to hurt Fiala, per comments made to NHL.com.
“It seemed like an innocuous play. I don’t see any intention at all. It’s an unfortunate play and things like that happen. You get tangled up there and fell and twisted his leg,” Hischier said. “You saw [Canada] was all out there and they stick-tapped as well. Nobody likes to see that. I think both sides are wishing him the best.”
Switzerland went 1-1-1 in group play, earning them the fifth seed in the qualification round. They will face Italy on Tuesday in the qualification playoff. If they defeat Italy, it will be a date with Finland on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the Kings will need to figure out how to move forward without one of their top players. Fiala was second on the team in points with 40, after finding the back of the net 18 times and adding 22 assists so far this year. The Kings are 23-19-14 on the campaign, placing them in fifth in the Pacific Division. They are just three points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
