Did Ovechkin Need to Pull Out of the All-Star Game?

Alex Ovechkin received a three-game suspension against the Penguins a few nights ago. Today, he took it to the extreme when he announced that he will not be present for the All-Star Game on January 29th.

He said, "My heart is not there. I got suspended, so why (do) I have to go there?"

The Capitals general manager George McPhee supported Ovechkin's decision to back out of the All-Star Game.

"He really doesn't feel like he deserves to be there and doesn't want to be a distraction," McPhee told ESPN.com earlier today. "When he came in this morning, he said, 'I'm a suspended player and I don't deserve to be there.'"

Excuse me, but there are several problems with Ovechkin not being there and I'll just give you a few right here. 1) He's the biggest star in the league. 2) He puts his team on his back when they are down and 3) He is one of the reasons people watch the All-Star Game.

So I'm sorry, but I don't support this decision. It looks dumb and it sounds dumb. You need to be out there in the All-Star Game and playing. I don't agree with the NHL either on why they won't give Ovechkin a suspension for not participating. Back in 2009, Red Wings players Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk were suspended one game for not participating in the All-Star Game. This time, they chose not to go on with this matter.

They should tack on another suspension. Add a couple games in his suspension or at least fine him a whole lot of money. I don't like why players keep trying to get out of the All-Star Game. One of the main reasons people watch this game is so they can watch their favorite players and favorite all-stars perform on the ice. Is this Ovechkin's way of saying "You did something to me, I'm going to do something back to you?" Is this what this is about? This sounds really dumb and Ovechkin knows he is a big star in the league and that if you miss the All-Star Game, you are letting a lot of your fans down. That's what he's not getting at and I hope that he learns this down the road.

Ben Blood Needs to Learn Captaincy

It's been a full week and a half since the last post and I'm sorry I didn't post anything up sooner, like my thoughts on the Cammalleri trade and such, but I'm busy with school and well my teachers like to give a lot of work. But that's all done now as we head back into the frame and I'd like to talk about something outside the realm of the NHL and that's about the game between North Dakota and Minnesota and a brawl that happened after the game.

Ben Blood, an assistant captain for the North Dakota men's hockey team and a fourth-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, got into an altercation with a Minnesota player after the game. He was mad after an opposing player who came off the bench, slashed at his legs. Later, North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol stripped Blood of his assistant captaincy, meaning that to earn it back, he has to prove himself as a leader on the ice in a positive aspect.

I never followed the kid that much because I was too busy covering the NHL and the MLS but I hear from people who knew and wrote about him, that he was a very good assistant captain and a good draft pick for the Ottawa Senators. But this altercation might change some minds. In fact, Bob's Blitz, a local blog that covered the game, says that Blood should not play another game for the Fighting Sioux.

Whoa, whoa. Calm down a little bit. Just because he got into a scrum with a Minnesota player doesn't mean that he should be kicked off the team. He's young and he needs time to develop his attitude and his respects for the opposing team, even if they did something that might seem a little over-the-top or edgy. But let's look at something much better than just a kick-off.

I think stripping the captaincy is a great idea for now because it'll teach him that being a leader means not getting in over yourself all the time and going after an opposing player, even in the handshake line. The thing he needs to work on is biting his tongue. As team captains or an assistant captain, you're supposed to find some peace between the two players and provide leadership without physically engaging the other players because of something you believe is wrong. A captain should make wise decisions and make those decisions that are not based on personal vendetta but on a career and the great choices you have when you make the right decision. And certainly, fighting another player was not the right decision.

Ben Blood might never get his assistant captaincy back, but he is a good player. He just needs to learn how to control his attitude and his temper and just play hockey. After all, it's just a game and a game should be fair and not full of this kind of a mess. Let's just hope he is able to control his temper by the time he gets to be an Ottawa Senator or whatever team he gets traded to (if Ottawa decides to trade him away.)

Should Brad Marchand Have Been Suspended?

Welcome to 2012, puckheads! Okay, I know this seems a bit late and such, but I was a little too busy recently with my classwork, especially since it's Jan Term and it seems like it's becoming a living nightmare of some sorts. But I hope you can forgive me now as we discuss another big hit problem that occurred in last Saturday's game between the Bruins and the Canucks.

Bruins forward Brad Marchand was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for clipping Canucks defenseman Sami Salo in last Saturday's game. Later on, he was given a five-game suspension and will forfeit approximately $152,000. As every player generally is, Brad Marchand was disappointed with the suspension.

"I'm obviously a little disappointed, but I wasn't expecting as many games as I got," Marchand said. "That's the decision, and we have to move on."

But like other players in the league, he says he will not change his style of play. As many of you remember, Alex Ovechkin and Matt Cooke previously had statements that they would not change their style of play. But will Marchand hold up his word? Or do we sense a change? And should he have been suspended?

Once again, the popular issue of head shots comes to play. Of course, it did give Sami Salo a concussion so I believe there is some justice behind this ruling. But just like many other players and team personnel from around the league, there are going to be multiple stories. I personally believe that if you cause a player to get a concussion, there should be justice. So I'm going to believe the stories about Salo getting a concussion for right now. If there's more developing stories in the future, that might change.

Bruins President Cam Neely believes that the suspension is too long because he believes there was no malice behind that hit.

"I personally believe with Brad that it was more of an instinctual move." Neely said.

Okay, so let me get this straight. Marchand used his instinct and because of that, he landed one player with a concussion and landed himself with a five-game suspension. I personally believe that you should use your instinct if it helps your team. But if it involves a certain player getting injured and such, then I probably wouldn't use my instinct and instead I would use my brain and find the most probable outcome that wouldn't affect the player or myself in any way. Obviously, that is not what Brad Marchand did.

The suspension is fair because it shows the justice behind giving other players serious concussions. We don't need any more good players out of the game and I believe that Marchand should not be disappointed because this is exactly what people around the league are trying to get rid of. The dirty hits need to stop and if it's for personal vendetta, then it definitely warrants a lot more. So listen, puckheads, we don't need our good players out of the game. So Marchand definitely got the justice that he most righteously deserved.