Another year, another All-Star Game, another round of no-shows. James Duthie of the Ottawa Citizen had something to say about that:
Strange, isn’t it, that every season, right before the All-Star game, a few stars suddenly pull groins or tweak knees or develop some other unknown “upper-body injury” (Loose eyelash? Pimple? Belly-button lint
accumulation?) Medical researchers really need to explore this
phenomenon, known as AllStaritis.No, I’m not talking about
Sidney Crosby, who may pull out of the game. Crosby wants to go, but
is being talked out of it by doctors and Penguins management.
Of course it’s not Crosby who is making the decision; it’s the team who are the bad guys and who are saying he shouldn’t go. Here’s what CBC Sports reported:
Team officials had said on Wednesday that Crosby would play despite a left knee injury suffered in a Jan. 14 game.
What say you now, Duthie?
But this isn’t about Crosby. Duthie’s real aim is to slam, among others, Nicklas Backstrom for bailing at the last minute:
But it is the last minute scratches which are a major headache for the
league. There is an unwritten rule from the NHL that if you pull out
of All-Star Weekend, you better miss at least the game before the
All-Star break, and the first game after it. Of course, this is
impossible to enforce…Washington sophomore Nicklas Backstrom looked fine against Ottawa Tuesday night, but he’s pulled out too.
And how is that enforced, exactly? Are the All-Star police going to show up and nab Backstrom? What’s his punishment- watching 24 straight hours of Carrot Top? Eating Spam? Getting his hair cut in the U.S.? Sheesh. Backstrom’s official statement was fair:
“This year I felt like it made more sense for me to give someone else
that opportunity and use this time to rest and prepare for the second
half of the season with the Washington Capitals.”
Doesn’t that go along with Duthie’s point, that the ASG is a tool to market the players? Backstrom’s replacement, David Perron of the Blues, is an up-and-comer who leads his team in assists. He was also in last year’s YoungStars game, and his addition to the roster is certainly a valid one. So what’s the problem if one player doesn’t go, and another one goes in his place? Give Backstrom a break- like Crosby, he deserves one too.
Update, 1/23/09: Looks like Gary Bettman has, in fact, put his tiny foot down and is penalizing players who bailed- which is why the Canadian Diving Team Captain is now in Montreal for the weekend. IwoCPO has a good perspective on the issue.
2 Comments
Come on, give it a rest. Backstrom didn’t make the line for the All-Star game, he was selected for the young star game which is nothing more than a glorified skills competition. I believe if he was selected as an All-Star he be there. As a caps fan, I rather have a rested Backstrom than watch him play in a meaningless game.
I guess this was written before the Commish started handing down suspensions for missing the game.
From what I understand from HNIC radio, there was a rule put in last year after so many people no-showed in Hot Lanta.
TO me, if you are hurt but able to travel, you should go. We all know this is a dog and pony show for the sponsors, but they are the ones who pay the freight.
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