Swedish ice hockey player Markus Naslund, captain of Vancouver Canucks club, will miss the Winter Olympics in Turin this month because of a groin injury, Sweden coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson announced on Thursday.

"He said he could only give 80-85 percent," Gustafsson told Swedish television SVT. "I'm going to have to re-think things a little."

The Sweden forward has been one of the leading NHL goal scorers over the last few years and had been expected to form a top line with Philadelphia Flyers centre Peter Forsberg in Turin.

Naslund will be replaced by Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom.

(Xinhua News Agency Feb.3, 2006)