The NHL will be without one of it’s biggest and most enigmatic stars on All Star-Weekend. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is deciding to sit out the showcase event. Ovechkin has been named to the team 11 times in his 13-year career. Ovi was voted Metropolitan division captain by the fans. The Capitals currently sit first in their Division and third in the Eastern Conference with 51 points. By choosing to sit out the all-star game, Ovechkin must also sit one regular season game, either the game before or after the all-star game.
#Caps captain Alex Ovechkin has informed the NHL that he will miss the 2019 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose, preferring to take full advantage of the adjoining bye week to recuperate and get ready for the second half of the season and the playoff push.
— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) January 2, 2019
Alex Ovechkin to Sit Out 2019 NHL All-Star Game
Ovechkin started 2018-19 on a blazing pace racking up 29 goals in his first 32 games. Since then, he has gone goalless in his past six games but has still chipped in with three assists. The sniper’s 45 points on the season rank 19th in the league while totalling the ninth most shots overall.
These numbers alongside his stellar career resume made him an easy choice to represent the Metropolitan Division as captain despite sharing a division great players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Taylor Hall (IR). One of these players will likely replace Ovechkin as captain. Ovechkin will certainly not the only Capital to be named an All-Star as a number of his Washington teammates are also having standout seasons. The All-Star rosters are set to be announced January second. Last season, Braden Holtby was the lone Captial alongside Ovechkin at the All-Star game.
Ovechkin won his whopping seventh Rocket Richard Trophy in 2018 and will be using this rest to try and capture his eighth in 2019.
Last Word
After so many years at the IIHF World Hockey Championship and previous All-Star events, it’s interesting to see Ovechkin sitting out a marquee event he was invited to. He won his first Stanley Cup back in June and has perhaps realized he does not want to be in any way fatigued for the remainder of the season. Ovechkin said he is skipping the event because his body needs a rest. The reigning Conn Smythe winner is perhaps looking to rest his body for another Stanley Cup run.
The Stanley Cup playoffs can take a lot out of a player but Ovechkin is never one to shy away from friendly competition. However, at age 33, constantly trying to overcome fatigue is catching up with the Russian born forward.
All-Star Weekend will be held in San Jose from the 25th of January to the 26th.
