(Refiles to add (Reuters) to dateline)
By Amy Tennery
MILAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Switzerland forward Kevin Fiala is out of the Olympic tournament with a lower leg injury after being taken off on a stretcher during Friday's game against Canada, his country's ice hockey federation said.
The winger for the Los Angeles Kings left the game with less than three minutes on the clock after Canadian forward Tom Wilson collided with him near the boards in the Swiss team's second group game of the men's ice hockey
tournament in Milan.
The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation did not elaborate on the nature of his injury. Fiala is an alternate captain for the Swiss national team. They lost the game 5-1.
The National Hockey League allowed its players to compete in the Games this year after a 12-year absence, but Fiala's injury could be a major hit to his professional club, where he was second in goals and assists behind team mate Adrian Kempe heading into the Olympic break.
"Hope it's a speedy recovery for Kevin. He's an unbelievable player, great teammate and obviously it sucks to see something happen like that, especially when you come to a tournament, been waiting for all your life in a tournament like this," said Kempe, who scored in Sweden's 5-3 win over Slovakia on Saturday.
"Really sad and really tough to see him go down like that."
The men's ice hockey tournament has been one of the main attractions in Milan, where NHL rivals-turned-teammates have brought a bigger spotlight to the event, for which the sport's global governing body applies stricter rules regarding hits and physical play.
"It's just a hockey play. I don't think there's anything dirty. Probably the hockey might be a little cleaner here," said Latvian Zemgus Girgensons, who plays on the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.
"So I don't think that's anything to do with the Olympic tournament. It's just the way the hockey is, and I feel bad for him."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery, Janina Nuno Rios and Trevor Stynes in Milan; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
