A lengthy quote from Artūrs Irbe, Latvian NT goalie coach; translation by me, so forgive a non-native speaker if something is off:
Artūrs is a person who likes to work and feel healthy amount of fatigue and therefore sleep well because he has done a good job. In the previous weeks, the soreness began to appear. Like any hockey player, the tried to get through it. At first he tried to rest, then rest for a little longer, getting to a point where he could think about returning to regular practice again.
His butterfly style and his size means is forced to go down on his knees all the time. Such style of play and such micro-injury does not allow him to perform all the necessary movement comfortably. It can be endured for a while, but over time it becomes a chronic problem.
During the training process, we tried to sense how things are going. We realized that he will not be able to return fully until these games. The schedule is very condensed. We cannot ice him in one period and then another goalkeeper for the next two. That's not how it works! A goalie has to be 100 percent ready in every situation. Moreover, this tournament is not end-all for him. If it was the ending stage of the World Championship, maybe he could risk it. However, at the moment, he could risk a chronic injury for months...
We were not entitled to gamble in this situation. Maybe it works out, maybe not, maybe it does - no one would forgive us, neither media, nor our fans, neither the management nor we ourselves. We have to put the most capable roster on the ice.
