Golden Knights goaltender declines to play in Winter Olympics

Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner said helium volition not beryllium going to the 2022 Olympics.

Lehner, aft Sunday’s 3-2 triumph against the Calgary Flames, said helium declined the accidental to play for Team Sweden successful Beijing this February. These games could beryllium the archetypal Olympics with NHL players since 2014.

“For wellness reasons, maine and my psychiatrist decided with agents I’m not going to go,” Lehner said. “I privation them each the best.”

Lehner mightiness person been Sweden’s starter if helium decided to go. He is 1 of the country’s apical goaltenders on with Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom, who helium bushed Sunday. The different Swedish NHL goaltenders are Boston’s Linus Ullmark, Colorado’s Jonas Johansson and Ottawa’s Anton Forsberg and Filip Gustavsson.

Lehner has been unfastened astir his struggles with intelligence wellness and substance abuse. He won the NHL’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy successful 2019 for “perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” He has been an advocator for intelligence wellness consciousness successful the years since.

The Knights inactive volition apt person plentifulness of representatives successful Beijing if the NHL yet goes. Coach Pete DeBoer and manager of hockey operations Misha Donskov are connected Team Canada’s coaching unit and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has been named to the roster. Captain Mark Stone and defenseman Shea Theodore are beardown bets to articulation them.

Left helping Max Pacioretty could beryllium portion of Team USA aft playing successful the 2014 Olympics. Center William Karlsson volition apt beryllium connected Team Sweden.

Other Olympic hopefuls see close wings Evgenii Dadonov (Russian Olympic Committee) and Jonas Rondbjerg (Denmark) and near wings Jonathan Marchessault (Canada), Mattias Janmark (Sweden) and Sven Baertschi (Switzerland).

Contact Ben Gotz astatine bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz connected Twitter.