BOSTON (AP) – Boston Bruins forward Marco Sturm will skip the Olympics due to injury, the team said Sunday.

Sturm had been slated to play for Germany at the Turin Games. He suffered an upper body injury during a Feb. 4 game and had not played since them.

Team spokeswoman Heidi Holland said Sturm decided not to go to Italy on Saturday night; the break should allow him to heal and be ready to play for the Bruins again once the NHL returns to action after the games, she said.

Sturm, a left winger, was one of 12 forwards on the German roster, three of them NHL players.

AP-ES-02-12-06 0840EST