Nash's knee injury may keep him off Olympic team

	Nash played well for Team Canada at this year's World Championships. AP
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It looks as though Rick Nash will have to say ciao, baby to his Olympic dream.

The hard-luck season of the Columbus right winger took another turn for the worse on Friday when it was announced he'd miss 4-6 weeks with a left knee injury. This after he'd lost 11 of the first 13 games with a high right ankle sprain.

Heading into the season, the 21-year-old was regarded as a lock for Team Canada. His NHL-leading 41 goals in 2003-04, his dominance of the Swiss league during the lockout, and especially his performance at the 2005 World Championships, established Nash as a top-six forward for the defending gold medalists in Turin.

His slot is now up for grabs. Leg injuries have a way of making a player tentative, and two in such quick succession have moved Nash from go-to guy to bubble boy.

Canadian GM Wayne Gretzky has said Canada will announce its roster on Dec. 21, one day before the official deadline. That will allow Nash, under the best-case scenario, a little more than two weeks to prove that he's healthy, in shape and ready to perform at a world-class level. That's a lot to ask, even for a young player.

Gretzky trusts veterans such as Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux to assess their health and availability with the good of the team as their primary concern. He may not be able to count on Nash, who desperately wants to be a part of this club, to make a similarly clear-headed call.

And with so much talent from which to choose, Gretzky has the luxury of looking past Nash and finding another superstar who can fill his role. Players who were regarded as borderline (Dany Heatley) or long shots (Jason Spezza and Eric Staal) at the beginning of the season are demanding serious consideration with their impressive starts, as are 2004 World Cup contributors  Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Shane Doan and Martin St. Louis.

Being passed over will be heartbreaking for Nash, but he'll have other chances in the future. With so much on the line, Team Canada can only worry about right now.

Successful closers

Multiple lead changes are almost as ubiquitous in the new NHL as those painfully bad, Sun Tzu-quoting league promos, but the ability to put the boot to an opponent's throat hasn't gone completely out of style.

If you want to know why Detroit and Ottawa stand atop their respective conferences, look at their records with a lead after two periods. Through Tuesday, the Wings were a perfect 9-0, while the Sens were 8-0.