John Tavares out of Olympic tournament after suffering leg injury versus Latvia

Team Canada may have won their quarterfinal matchup with Latvia, but it was a battle, and like most battles, it was not without its casualties.

Shortly after the win, coach Mike Babcock announced that Canada had lost John Tavares to a leg injury.

"He's out for the tournament," Babcock said. "He'll be re-examined by the New York Islanders people and I'm sure they'll have an announcement."

Tavares suffered the injury on a collision with Latvian defenseman Arturs Kulda. The two came together along the side boards, and Tavares's left knee appeared to take the brunt of the contact.

It's disappointing for Team Canada, who is already struggling to score. They should be able to overcome losing Tavares, but contrary to expectations going into this tournament, it would appear they need all the help generating goals they can get.

It's also disappointing for Tavares, who wasn't in Vancouver, and will now miss out on the chase for Canada's second consecutive Olympic gold.

"He seemed to be in a fine mood, obviously disappointed he's injured," Babcock said.

Whether or not he'll go home right away remains to be seen. No doubt he doesn't want to. But the Islanders doctors will want to take a look at him.

Islanders fans have to be concerned about the swiftness with which Tavares was pronounced done for the tournament. Hopefully, shutting Tavares down is just a cautionary move, as the Islanders have yet to rule out a second consecutive playoff berth. If Tavares is out for an extended period of time, that might be it for the already slim postseason hopes on Long Island.