The audience in Madison Square Garden will not see the smoke from Mika Zibanejad when the New York Rangers host Anaheim tonight in NHL hockey.
The reason is that the Swedish star center missed a team meeting.
"This city comes with some logistical challenges. That being said, I think Mika understands the importance of the rules that we have and that we expect everyone to follow," said New York Rangers coach Mike Sullivan.
He feels very bad about this, of course. Because if there's one thing you can say about Mika, it's that he's an honest person. He's a fantastic person, and he takes responsibility for this.
Sullivan assumes that Mika Zibanejad will be back for the next game, at home against Vancouver on Wednesday night.
As one of the leaders on the team, Mika understands this. Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, and we will put this behind us and he will be available (against Vancouver) and then be the important player he has been for us all season.
The 32-year-old Zibanejad is in his tenth season with the Rangers. So far this season, he has scored 25 points (11+14).
