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.

There Should Be No Fan Violence

Well, it's been a great 2011, puckheads. There's been ups-and-downs, clever trick plays, and winning shots. This'll be the last post before 2012 starts and I hope that it goes out with a bang, so today's article is going to be about fan violence and how it affects others.

I want to talk about this issue because very recently, a Canucks fan attending a Sharks game, says a woman attacked her and left her in bad condition. The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that the woman was drunk during the second period of action Wednesday night when both teams were playing at HP Pavilion.

The young woman, Maggie Herger, suffered an concussion and was taken away on an ambulance, but not before passing a Sharks fan who said to "suck it up."

"I just wanted to cry," Herger told the newspaper Thursday. "Who does that?"

I feel sorry for Ms. Herger. She was just trying to attend a game and now she's feeling this kind of hurt from another opposing fan. I understand that Sharks fans can sometimes be rowdy and I understand their frustration that they have not had a championship in their lifetime, but hitting an opposing fan over the head currently derails the spirit of sportsmanship in this league.

We should respect other fans. They are human beings who are trying to attend a game and there's some idiots out there who feel the need to ultimately come down on other people just because there are fans of different teams. This is wrong and it should be corrected. I hope Maggie recovers fully and she has the strength to move on in her life. I know she'll pull through, but this is a lesson to idiots out there: anyone who tries to hurt another player or another fan should be put in a room and screamed at or at least taken out of the arena, because I certainly don't want fans disrespecting other fans just because they root for another team. It is wrong, it should not be tolerated, and it should be more recognized in all of sports nowadays.

Again, Maggie, I hope you recover fully and are able to get back to rooting for the Canucks as you do. As for the rest of people out there, there's a lesson to be learned: treat others the way you want to be treated. That means not going after opposing fans. As for the rest of hockey, it goes on, puckheads, and another year is upon us.

2011 is over, puckheads, and that means more hockey news to come in 2012. I will continue doing this as I always do and bringing more hockey news and opinions when it comes through. Enjoy your festive New Year's Eve and I'll see you all next year.

Did the Kings Make a Mistake In Naming Sutter Coach?

Here's a name I haven't heard of in such a while: Darryl Sutter. The former GM and coach of the Calgary Flames has a new gig and it's with one of his old friends named Dean Lombardi.

Sutter was officially announced as the new LA Kings head coach and will take over the team at Wednesday morning practice. He replaces Terry Murray, who was fired on Dec. 12 and John Stevens, who was the interim coach for a short period of time.

The Kings are in fourth place in the division and 10th in the conference, so they're looking for a spark in the offense and Dean Lombardi believes that Sutter is the type of guy who can spark that offense and make it what it was seasons ago.

ESPN's Scott Burnside believes that the Kings are maving the wrong move in hiring Sutter and that they are misguided with this move. Honestly, I don't think they are. Both Lombardi and Sutter had a great tenure with each other in San Jose so I'm guessing Lombardi believes that magic can happen again with the Kings. This is what Dean Lombardi needed. That offense had gone dormant under Terry Murray and Lombardi knows that he needs to bring in someone who can regenerate that offense and honestly, I believe that Lombardi is a smart guy who is making the right moves in bringing back Darryl Sutter.

The question is, Will it last? Can Sutter bring that high-potential offense that he had in both Calgary and San Jose? We don't know but we'll find out when the Kings play the Ducks on Thursday night. But here's the thing. They're having problems in their offense and they're 10th in the West. They needed to do something to help them get back to the playoff picture and hopefully win it.

I still think that Lombardi had a chance with John Stevens. After all, he surprised everyone when he took the Flyers on a surprise run to the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, so there's something the Kings could've had a chance to build under. But this is the GM's choice and we'll see whether or not it plays out in LA. Right now, they need offense and they need that spark to get themselves somewhere.

To read Scott Burnside's opinion on the matter, click this link:
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7370718/hiring-darryl-sutter-coach-los-angeles-kings-looks-misguided-calculation