Alex Ovechkin demanded to be out of the All-Star Game

According to team insider Tarik El-Bashir, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has demanded to skip this year’s All-Star Game in order to rest up and prepare himself for the second half of the season.

We all remember when, back in 2020 just before the COVID pandemic breakout, had served a one-game suspension for not attending the All-Star weekend, preferring to rest and stay ready for the second half of the season and the playoffs. He therefore had to serve the ban, with the option that the player and team could choose whether he missed the game preceding or following the All-Star break.

Ovechkin did attend the 2023 NHL All-Star Game with his son, Sergei, but he has missed out on the event a few times in the past (like in 2022 when Wilson replaced his captain in Las Vegas, attending the games with Evgeny Kuznetsov) in order to take advantage of the break.

However, I can’t say if the ban will be given to Ovi again this season, since Tom Wilson was selected on Thursday to represent his team among the league’s top players in Toronto at the start of February.

Washington can still have another representative make it through the NHL All-Star fan vote, and the Capitals are encouraging fans to vote for Dylan Strome, Anthony Mantha and John Carlson for one of the final 12 spots available for the festivities.

To be quite honest, Ovechkin does not deserve to be voted in as he’s struggled to find the back of the net this season. He does still however lead the Capitals in scoring this season with 24 points in 36 games. As for Wilson, in the same number of games, has put up 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points, and he is on pace for 43 points.

Back in 2022, Wilson hit 100 miles per hour in the hardest shot competition and also scoring a goal in the 3-on-3 tournament in Vegas. He will be quite entertaining to watch in his hometown of Toronto as the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend will take place at Scotiabank Arena from Feb. 1-3.

Ovechkin will probably benefit from the break as his Capitals need to make a big push for the postseason to secure a spot in a tight Eastern Conference.

You can’t blame him…

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