Photo: Patrick Smith
Thursday morning, the NHL announced one-game suspensions for Alex Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews for withdrawing from this year’s All-Star Game in Nashville. Ovechkin, who played the entirety of last night’s game against the Flyers, says he is suffering from a nagging lower-body injury that he suffered in mid-November. Meanwhile, Toews suffered an illness against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and did not finish the game.
Via Wikipedia, it’s Ovechkin’s fourth suspension of his career. In 2009, Ovechkin was suspended for two games after a knee-on-knee hit to Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason. Later that season, Ovechkin was suspended for another two games after a dangerous hit to Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell in March. On January 23, 2012, Ovechkin also received a three-game suspension for a hit on Zbyněk Michálek of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The following day, Ovechkin announced he would skip the 2012 NHL All-Star Game due to the suspension.
Evgeny Kuznetsov will replace Ovechkin at the All-Star Game. John Tavares will replace Ovechkin as the captain of the Metropolitan Division all stars.
More from the NHL:
NEW YORK (Jan. 28, 2016) – Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nashville Predators forward James Neal have been added to the roster for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game in Nashville, the National Hockey League announced today.
Kuznetsov replaces Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin on the Metropolitan Division roster, while Neal replaces Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews on the Central Division roster. New York Islanders forward John Tavares replaces Ovechkin as the captain of the Metropolitan Division team.
Per League rules, a player who is named to the NHL All-Star Game and does not participate shall be suspended for one regular-season game – either the game immediately preceding or following the NHL All-Star Game. Ovechkin will miss the Capitals’ game on Feb. 2 against the Florida Panthers, while Toews will miss the Blackhawks’ game on Feb. 2 at the Colorado Avalanche.
The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star celebration will mark the first time Nashville has hosted the NHL All-Star festivities, which will take place at Bridgestone Arena. Live television coverage of the League’s midseason showcase during the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition and 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game will be broadcast by NBCSN in the U.S. and CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition will begin at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 30, and the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game will start at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 31. NHL Network and NHL.com will provide comprehensive coverage of 2016 Honda NHL All-Star festivities.
