Kings' Kuemper returns from injury scare well ahead of Olympics

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper, one of three netminders on Canada’s upcoming Olympic hockey roster, has been cleared to return after suffering a neck injury against the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Kuemper said after returning to practice Thursday that he lost feeling in his arm when Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski ran into him in the first period of the game. He said he tried to shake it off, but had to be replaced by Anton Forsberg.

“Yeah, kind of got hit on the side of my neck, and it pinched my neck and pinched the nerves, and my arm went dead,” Kuemper said. “So, yeah, wasn’t allowed to come back in until we did some further testing yesterday.”

Kuemper felt better when he woke up Wednesday, and additional examinations confirmed he would be available for an upcoming road trip, which starts at the St. Louis Blues on Saturday and runs six games while the Grammy Awards are hosted at Crypto.com Arena.

Kuemper was named alongside St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington and Washington’s Logan Thompson to the 25-man squad for Canada that will play in the Milan Cortina Olympics next month.

The 35-year-old is a first-time Olympian for Canada, which has won the past two goal medals with NHL players participating. Kuemper is expected to be the third keeper behind Binnington and Thompson.

Kuemper, a 14-year NHL veteran from Saskatchewan and Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, is 12-9-9 with a 2.52 goals against average and .904 save percentage in 32 games for the Kings this season. He missed six games in December because of an upper-body injury sustained Dec. 15 when Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen hit him in the head.