The NHL All-Star Game will take place Jan. 31 in Nashville and as usual, it will include many of the biggest names in the league today. Theres Alex Ovechkin and and and and rising stars like and . There wont be , though.The captain, who has surprisingly enough been to only one All-Star Game in his career, will not be among those honored in Nashville. Only this time, it wasnt because he wasnt available due to injury or because the Olympics or lockout cancelled the game.With 31 points this season, he ranks 36th in NHL scoring. His production hasn't been bad and he's heated up of late, but it hasn't been what we expect from the player widely considered still to be among the games best. Perhaps his production should have been just enough for him to make the team that will represent the Metropolitan Division in the 3-on-3 tournament format the league will use. If not that, maybe reputation would have gotten him in.However, the new All-Star Game format for this year made for tough decisions. Each team had to have a representative and the four rosters divided by division would only allow for six forwards. The fact is, there were more deserving players this year, which still feels weird to say. For instance, New Jersey Devils forward might have a bigger gripe than Crosby at this point. His 35 points, tied for third most in the division, were not enough for him to make it this year. , whose 37 points is tied for the division lead, also didnt make it beaten out by teammate for a spot. , despite a similar-to-Crosby struggle with 29 points in 37 games also made the team over perhaps more-deserving teammate , likely on name recognition.The Penguins, who have struggled collectively as a team this year, will send two all-stars. has risen above Pittsburghs struggles to pot 37 points so far this season to lead the team. has fought through injuries to put up an impre sive 24 points in 30 games. Both belong there.But if theres one thing this indicates, it's that the NHL maybe doesnt feel the need to force Crosby and his star power into one of their big events, unlike in years past. There's a reason he's already played in three outdoor games, including the first ever Winter Cla sic. Think about it. If Crosby had the kind of season he is having now, or at least was having before he started to heat up in December, just a few years ago, would the NHL have tried to force Josh Okogie Jersey him in? Youd have to think yes, even under the new format. Thats where this decision becomes a little more interesting.From a marketing perspective, seeing Crosby skating alongside , who will captain the Metropolitan team, would have made for some fun television and a marketing angle featuring the leagues biggest stars. Any chance the league had to put those two center stage for the better part of the last decade was exploited. It had to be. They were the name guys in the league.Not now, though.Suddenly, new stars are emerging. More names are becoming known. Crosby remains the most marketable player in the league, bar none. But hes not the only one, or one of two, anymore. That actually may say more about the league and where its headed than it does Crosby. Had the fans wanted to see him badly enough, they could have voted him in as one of the four captains. Ovechkin won the vote for the division, however. Unfortunately, the NHL scrubbed the results page from the internet to see where Crosby finished.We know he's still probably the most famous player the league has on the national sports scene. Everything Crosby does is news, big news.He still had the second highest-selling jersey in the 2014 the 2015 numbers arent public yet. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, however, were No. 1 and No. 3 respectively, as the Blackhawks popularity continues to soar. Ovechkin was fifth, by the way, trailing New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. There's a growing crowd at the top of the league when it comes to national notoriety now. Undoubtedly, Crosby is still one of the most important stars in the league. Fans either love him or hate him. Its a LeBron James-type effect, though on a much smaller scale. That polarizing existence is what makes Crosby such an attention-grabbing athlete on top of his excellence through his first 11 seasons in the league.If youre a Penguins fan, this is probably a ble sing in disguise. Crosby has been on fire of late and avoiding any unnece sary risk of injury or fatigue is a very good thing. The captain has to be on his game and ready for Dario Saric Jersey a playoff push as the Pens recover from their sluggish start.If youre a fan of the NHL, its probably going to be a little disappointing not to see him there (unle s youre among the many Crosby haters out there who are loving this right now). Hes still important, but maybe this is a small indication that hes not as important as the league needed him to be over the previous 10 years.
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