Another One Bites the Dust

Another year, another All-Star Game, another round of no-shows.  James Duthie of the Ottawa Citizen had something to say about that:

Strange, isn't it, that every season, right before the All-Star game, a few stars suddenly pull groins or tweak knees or develop some other unknown "upper-body injury" (Loose eyelash? Pimple? Belly-button lint accumulation?)  Medical researchers really need to explore this phenomenon, known as AllStaritis.

No, I'm not talking about Sidney Crosby, who may pull out of the game.  Crosby wants to go, but is being talked out of it by doctors and Penguins management.

Of course it's not Crosby who is making the decision; it's the team who are the bad guys and who are saying he shouldn't go.  Here's what CBC Sports reported:

Team officials had said on Wednesday that Crosby would play despite a left knee injury suffered in a Jan. 14 game.

What say you now, Duthie?

But this isn't about Crosby.  Duthie's real aim is to slam, among others, Nicklas Backstrom for bailing at the last minute:

But it is the last minute scratches which are a major headache for the league.  There is an unwritten rule from the NHL that if you pull out of All-Star Weekend, you better miss at least the game before the All-Star break, and the first game after it.   Of course, this is impossible to enforce...Washington sophomore Nicklas Backstrom looked fine against Ottawa Tuesday night, but he's pulled out too.

And how is that enforced, exactly?  Are the All-Star police going to show up and nab Backstrom?  What's his punishment- watching 24 straight hours of Carrot Top?  Eating Spam?  Getting his hair cut in the U.S.?  Sheesh.  Backstrom's official statement was fair:

"This year I felt like it made more sense for me to give someone else that opportunity and use this time to rest and prepare for the second half of the season with the Washington Capitals."

Doesn't that go along with Duthie's point, that the ASG is a tool to market the players?  Backstrom's replacement, David Perron of the Blues, is an up-and-comer who leads his team in assists.  He was also in last year's YoungStars game, and his addition to the roster is certainly a valid one.  So what's the problem if one player doesn't go, and another one goes in his place?  Give Backstrom a break- like Crosby, he deserves one too.

Update, 1/23/09: Looks like Gary Bettman has, in fact, put his tiny foot down and is penalizing players who bailed- which is why the Canadian Diving Team Captain is now in Montreal for the weekend.  IwoCPO has a good perspective on the issue.