Despite being fan favorite, and possibly the face of the NHL, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was not chosen to play in the 2016 All-Star Game. Having played 39 games so far this season, Crosby currently has 31 points, falling behind Evgeni Malkin who is leading the team with 38 overall points.
Playing in the 2007 All-Star Game, Crosby ended the game with zero points. Playing alongside Alex Ovechkin, the young duo only scored one goal between the two of them.
Despite being invited to the last eight All-Star Games, Crosby only participated in the 2007 game, allotting the seven absences to either injury or the Olympics.
In their current season, the Penguins have had a rough start, switching head coaches halfway through the season; a change that has affected the player’s performance. Under coach Mike Johnston, the offensive line slowly suffered, losing 16 games out of 28 played under Johnston. During this time Crosby’s performance dropped, leaving him with those unsatisfactory statistics so far this season.
The implication of the new head coach Mike Sullivan seems to be a highlight so far this season, especially for Crosby. Despite his inconsistent playing, he has definitely begun to improve in his performance for the season, giving fans hope that their captain is back.
This is not to say that Crosby is not a talented player. The All-Star Game is simply a representation of how a player has performed so far in the season. Unfortunately for Crosby, his performance this season should not have landed him a spot in the game. The NHL had no reason to pass up Malkin, currently leading in points on the Penguins team as the better offensive player at this time.
Looking at the statistics it is obvious that the choice of Malkin and Letang as All-Star players was not a bad one at all.
However, Crosby does act as one of the faces of the NHL. Despite this, the All-Star Game is not meant to represent the players that are well-known throughout the league. The game is meant to highlight the players who have achieved the most in their performance and in overall points, which is represented in the NHL’s decisions to pass Crosby up this year.
Despite these reasons, Crosby is a talented player who is beginning to once again show his potential as the Stanley Cup Playoffs loom on the horizon.
