MILAN, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Canada were left fretting over their captain Marie-Philip Poulin after she took a heavy hit in the first period of her side's game with the Czech Republic in the women's Olympic ice hockey tournament on Monday.
Poulin, appearing in her fifth Games, was smashed into the boards by Kristyna Kaltounkova in the ninth minute and struggled to get back on her feet. Canada were 1-0 up at the time.
After returning to the action shortly afterwards with Kaltounkova in the penalty box for the illegal hit, Poulin left the ice with her side still on the power play and was led down the tunnel by one of the medical staff.
There were loud cheers from the large Canadian support in the crowd when Poulin returned to the bench in time to see her teammates score the fourth goal before the end of the period, with Kaltounkova one of two Czech players in the penalty box when Julia Gosling scored.
When the buzzer went at the end of the first period and the players headed down the tunnel, Poulin appeared to be testing herself briefly on the ice but she did not return to the bench after the interval.
Poulin was not on the bench for the second period, and with her side 5-0 up going into the final period, a spokesperson for Team Canada told Reuters that the 34-year-old would not be returning, but gave no update on her condition.
(Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Christian Radnedge)
