PUBLICATION
Sam Walker
February 13, 2026 (6:34 PM)
Photo credit: Marton Monus/Reuters via Imagn Images
Kevin Fiala left Canada vs Switzerland on a stretcher Friday, and the Olympic tournament suddenly felt way bigger than the score.
It happened with 2:50 left in the third period at the Milano Cortina 2026 men’s tournament. The building went silent fast.
Fiala got tangled up with Tom Wilson along the end boards. Wilson came down on Fiala’s left leg in the collision.
Fiala stayed down and barely moved his lower body. Trainers rushed in while both benches watched, uneasy.
He was taken off on his stomach and transported to hospital. Switzerland coach Patrick Fischer admitted afterward it “didn’t look good.”
No penalty was called on the play, which will annoy fans who wanted any kind of answer in the moment. Mostly, it just felt sickening.
Canada finished the job anyway, rolling to a 5-1 win to clinch Group A at 2-0-0-0. Switzerland dropped to 1-0-1-0.
Kevin Fiala injury shakes Team Canada at Milano Cortina
If you’re a Swiss fan, it’s that familiar stomach-drop, like the whole tournament just tilted off its axis.
Fiala had an assist Thursday in Switzerland’s 4-0 opener against France. He was driving play again before the late chaos.
For the Los Angeles Kings this is nightmare fuel too. Fiala has 18-22-40 in 56 NHL games this season, and he’s a core piece of their top-six.
On the ice, Canada’s stars were doing star stuff.
Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon each put up 1-2-3, and Macklin Celebrini added a goal and an assist.
This should have been about power-play pace and line chemistry. Instead it ended with players tapping sticks and staring at the tunnel.
Switzerland plays Czechia on Sunday, and Canada closes the round against Italy. But everyone’s waiting on one thing now, real news on Fiala.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
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FEVRIER 13|70 ANSWERS
Unsettling scene between Canada and Switzerland as a star player is hospitalized
Will Kevin Fiala be held out for the rest of the Olympics?