Penguins forward Sidney Crosby selected to All-Star Game event
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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby has lost a weekend off.
On Thursday, the NHL announced Crosby was selected as his team’s representative to the league’s All-Star Game event on Feb. 4 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., home of the Florida Panthers.
In 37 games this season, Crosby is the team’s leading scorer with 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists).
This marks the ninth time Crosby has been selected to the game, which, in reality, is a three-on-three tournament between teams composed of players from the league’s four divisions.
Crosby will be a member of the Metropolitan Division. He could be joined by other teammates as fan voting will determine two more skaters and one more goaltender per division.
Only the first 32 All-Stars were named Thursday.
Enthusiasm for the event has waned over the past decade among players as it largely deprives players selected of a long weekend off during the grind of the regular season. A lack of participation grew so concerning for the league and its advertising interests that NHL introduced a “suspension” of sorts for players who do not participate despite being selected.
Crosby, while injured, served a one-game “suspension” — the league does not formally identify the practice as an official suspension — in January 2015 for not participating in that year’s game. In total, Crosby has not played in four of the eight events he has selected for due to medical reasons.