Three Swedish NHLers suspended from national team

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Sweden's ice hockey federation banned three national team players for the remainder of the season on Saturday, two days after being accused of rape by a 22-year-old woman.

Kristian Huselius, 26, and Andreas Lilja, 27, teammates on the Florida Panthers, and Henrik Tallinder, 26, of the Buffalo Sabres, reportedly told police they had sex with the woman in their hotel room after meeting her in a downtown bar early Wednesday, but that it was consensual.

Authorities released the three after questioning Thursday -- hours before the team played the Czech Republic, and said Friday they did not have enough evidence to charge them.

"By their actions, these players have damaged Swedish hockey, other players, officials and this girl," Swedish Ice Hockey Association chairman Christer Englund said. "They went out during a national team gathering and they brought the girl to the room. We can't accept what happened."

After being examined Thursday at the Huddinge University Hospital in Stockholm, the woman told police she had been raped in the same hotel the players were staying at in the Swedish capital.

The players quit the team Friday morning in the midst of the Sweden Hockey Games, the last event on the European Hockey Tour.

With the NHL idled by a lockout, Huselius and Tallinder are playing in Sweden's Elite League for Linkoping, while Lilja is playing for Mora. Huselius leads the Swedish Elite League in scoring.

Huselius and Tallinder were banned from Linkoping's activities until Monday, when the club's board will meet again and decide if they have a future with the club or not.

"Until then we'll collect as much information as possible," said club director Mike Helber. "We'll also talk to the players. But it's clear that they have showed bad judgment just by staying out late. What has happened is really, really bad."