Three NHL players were added to Germany's Olympic team on Thursday -- Marco Sturm of the San Jose Sharks, Washington goaltender Olaf Kolzig and Edmonton forward Jochen Hecht.

The San Jose Sharks will allow Sturm, a forward, to play for Germany in two Olympic qualifying matches in February, forcing him to miss one game for the Sharks.

After speaking with Sturm earlier this week, San Jose general manager Dean Lombardi decided he couldn't stop his young wing from skating for his country.

"If we didn't let him play, would we be denying him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?" Lombardi asked. "I don't think we could have looked ourselves in the mirror."

Other teams haven't yet seen it that way. Though most haven't officially decided whether to release their highly paid players for the preliminary round, it's generally thought most will deny permission. Last month, the Buffalo Sabres angered Slovakian forward Miroslav Satan by saying he couldn't participate.

The NHL will shut down from Feb. 14-25 during the final rounds of competition in Salt Lake City. That's perfect for players from the United States, Canada or other countries already qualified.

But for players from Slovakia, Austria, Belarus, France, Germany, Latvia and Ukraine, the league's schedule makes it difficult. Those nations must compete for two spots in the preliminary round during the six days prior to the shutdown.

Each NHL general manager must decide whether to release his players for the preliminary round. Before the decisions involving the German players, only Phoenix had agreed to release players -- center Michal Handzus, left wing Ladislav Nagy and defenseman Radoslav Suchy of Slovakia, for one game Feb. 9 against Germany.

Last month, Sturm said he didn't want to miss any of San Jose's games, but the Sharks encouraged him to play for his country.

"I told him to put aside his obligation to the team and then asked him if he wanted to play," Lombardi said. "The obvious answer was yes. There's no right or wrong in this choice."

The Olympic qualifying round begins on Feb. 8 in Utah. Sturm will play for the Sharks against Chicago that day before flying to Salt Lake City in time for Germany's matches against Slovakia on Feb. 9 and Austria on Feb. 10, missing the Sharks' home game against Carolina on Feb. 10.

Sturm will return to the Sharks for a game in Edmonton on Feb. 12 -- the team's final game before the NHL shuts down for the Olympics. He will miss Germany's meeting with Latvia on Feb. 12.

Sturm, a defensive-minded left wing who has never scored more than 16 goals in an NHL season, is enjoying a breakout season with the Sharks. He has 11 goals and 17 points in 33 games while playing on the team's top line with Vincent Damphousse and Teemu Selanne.

He played an important role for Germany in the World Championships, leading the team in goals and points. Sturm traveled to Nagano, Japan, in 1998 to participate in the qualifying rounds, but by the time he arrived, Germany already had lost its first game and fallen behind in the competition.