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From stretcher to surgery: Kevin Fiala’s season-ending update hits hard
![[US, Mexico Canada customers only] Feb 13, 2026; Milan, Italy; Kevin Fiala of Switzerland is taken off the ice by medical staff on a stretcher after sustaining an injury against Canada in men's ice hockey group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marton Monus/Reuters via Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/642161.webp "[US, Mexico Canada customers only] Feb 13, 2026; Milan, Italy; Kevin Fiala of Switzerland is taken off the ice by medical staff on a stretcher after sustaining an injury against Canada in men's ice hockey group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marton Monus/Reuters via Imagn Images")
Photo credit: Marton Monus/Reuters via Imagn Images
Kevin Fiala got stretchered off, and the update hurts, season-ending surgery in Italy.
Friday in Milano, Switzerland’s star winger went down late against Team Canada after a board battle with Tom Wilson.
He stayed facedown, not moving much, and the building went quiet fast.
Sidney Crosby even led his teammates out on the ice in support.
Medical staff rushed out, stabilized him, and loaded him onto a stretcher with real urgency.
The only thing that matters in that moment is the person, not the score.
Afterward, word was he was taken to a hospital for evaluation, and everyone waited on the bad-news shoe to drop.
Saturday morning delivered it.
Elliotte Friedman reported Fiala is having surgery in Italy, with no exact injury revealed yet, but it is season-ending.
Kevin Fiala loss stings Team Switzerland and the Kings
You could feel fans everywhere hoping for “just” a scare, and then realizing it was not that.
For Switzerland, it rips out their most dangerous finisher in this tournament.
For Team Canada, it also changes the mood, because nobody wants a win wrapped around an ambulance ride.
For the Los Angeles Kings, it is a brutal domino, because their top-six takes a direct hit.
Fiala’s 2025-26 line sits at 18-22-40 in 56 NHL games, and that production is not easily replaced.
His man advantage touches, his controlled entries, his one-touch release, all of it drives offense.
Now the Kings have to fill those minutes, and they have to do it without the luxury of time.
The biggest thing, though, is simple, get healthy, get right, and get back for next camp.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
“Captain moment”: Sidney Crosby sparks Team Canada stick tap as Kevin Fiala is stretchered off
“Captain moment”: Sidney Crosby sparks Team Canada stick tap as Kevin Fiala is stretchered off