Sure, there are lots of NHL stars in Montreal this weekend for the All-Star game. It’s the “All” part that is a bit misleading.
Injuries, family matters, and the desire to get a few days of rest in the middle of a grueling ice hockey season are certainly legitimate reasons for some to stay home when the opportunity presents itself. However, if the All-Star game is going to remain a viable spectacle in most seasons, the biggest names in the game need to show up.
Sidney Crosby got it half right on Friday when he arrived in Montreal to meet the media.
PHOTO: AFP
It was announced on Thursday that a knee injury would keep the NHL’s most famous name and face out of today’s game — the second straight year he was forced to miss the contest — but in order to maintain his eligibility for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first game after the break, Crosby had to fulfill some in-person obligations during the weekend.
Sweden’s Nicklas Lidstrom and Russia’s Pavel Datsyuk of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings also turned down their All-Star invitations, citing injuries, but they didn’t make it to Montreal and will have to sit out their club’s next game on Tuesday.
Lidstrom, who was dealing with an ankle injury, and Datsyuk, bothered by a sore hip, were not suspended and will still be paid even though they will miss a game. Their absences leave Detroit with no representatives in Montreal as the host Canadiens continue to celebrate the franchise’s 100th anniversary.
“I want to be here,” said New York Islanders defenseman Mark Streit, a former Canadiens player. “Being an All-Star is something very special for me. I’m really proud of it and I am really enjoying it. It’s not a matter of having to go, I want to be here.”
The league’s general managers made the decision a year ago to issue a bit of a punishment to those who skip the weekend. It came to pass after several players pulled out of the festivities last year.
It was not that anyone was questioning whether these players are actually hurt, it’s a matter of justifying how they can play either right before the break or right after, but not be well enough to showcase their talents on this stage.
Lidstrom was being punished even though the 38-year-old Norris Trophy-winning defenseman has played in 10 All-Star games. Bettman wanted this rule enacted to protect the importance of the game.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS