Despite having numbers somewhat similar to Sidney Crosby, Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom will not be an NHL All-Star this season. Shocking, I know.
According to the NHL, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was voted the Metropolitan Division’s “Last Man In.” Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (Atlantic), Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (Central), and Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (Pacific) also made their respective All-Star Game rosters.
Backstrom, 31, is having one of his best seasons as a pro, despite spending a majority of his time centering the team’s second line and defending the opposing teams’ best players. The Stanley Cup champion has 45 points in 42 games, including 11 goals and 34 assists.
How do we think Backstrom is handling the news? During the 2016 season, Backstrom was named to his first ever All-Star Game. Here was how he reacted then.
“It’s nice to kind of get appreciated, maybe?” Backstrom said. “But at the same time, it’s not that I haven’t gotten any recognition at all. I’m happy with the way it was or is.
“I told myself a couple years ago that if you make the All-Star Game, it would be great,” Backstrom continued. “It’s fun, I’m sure. It would be a fun experience. But, if not, I’m not going to waste any energy on it.
“I’m just going to go on vacation instead,” he concluded.
Make sure to pack the sunscreen, Backy!
More from the NHL:
NEW YORK (Jan. 11, 2019) – Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (Atlantic), Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (Central), Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (Metropolitan) and Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (Pacific) have been awarded the final roster spots for the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend as a result of voting in the 2019 NHL All-Star Last Men In presented by adidas.
More than 11.5-million votes were cast over the seven-day period (Jan. 3-10) for the newly created 2019 NHL All-Star Last Men In presented by adidas. That included a single-day high of more than 2‑million votes on Thursday, Jan. 10 – the final day of balloting.
Fans worldwide were able to cast their votes at NHL.com/Vote and via the NHL App from a group of 31 All-Star caliber players (determined by the League’s Hockey Operations Department). Fans were permitted to select as few as one player and a maximum of four players per ballot. The maximum number of ballots cast per day for each user was 10.
Skinner will be making his second All-Star Game appearance and first since his Calder Trophy-winning season of 2010-11 (w/ CAR). Letang will be playing in his fifth All-Star Game, adding to selections in 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2018. Landeskog and Draisaitl both will be making their All-Star Game debuts.
See below for the full rosters for the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, which will once again consist of a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format, featuring four teams – one for each NHL division.
The Sharks and city of San Jose will host the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, from Jan. 25‑26, including the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills on Friday, Jan. 25 (6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS) and the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, Jan. 26 (5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET, NBC, SN, CBC, TVAS). The 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend marks the second time NHL All-Star activities will take place in San Jose. The Sharks previously hosted the event in 1997.
Fans can join the conversation by using the official hashtag #NHLAllStar. For more information on the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, visit NHL.com/Fans/All-Star.
2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend Rosters
Atlantic Division (All-Star Appearance)
F Jack Eichel, BUF (2nd)
F Nikita Kucherov, TBL (3rd)
F * Auston Matthews, TOR (3rd)
F David Pastrnak, BOS (1st)
F ^ Jeff Skinner, BUF (2nd)
F Steven Stamkos, TBL (6th)
F John Tavares, TOR (6th)
D Thomas Chabot, OTT (1st)
D Keith Yandle, FLA (3rd)
G Jimmy Howard, DET (2nd)
G ¥ Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (2nd)Central Division (All-Star Appearance)
F Patrick Kane, CHI (8th)
F ^ Gabriel Landeskog, COL (1st)
F * Nathan MacKinnon, COL (3rd)
F Ryan O’Reilly, STL (2nd)
F Mikko Rantanen, COL (1st)
F Mark Scheifele, WPG (1st)
F Blake Wheeler, WPG (2nd)
D Miro Heiskanen, DAL (1st)
D Roman Josi, NSH (2nd)
G Devan Dubnyk, MIN (3rd)
G Pekka Rinne, NSH (3rd)Metropolitan Division (All-Star Appearance)
F Sebastian Aho, CAR (1st)
F Cam Atkinson, CBJ (2nd)
F Mathew Barzal, NYI (1st)
F Sidney Crosby, PIT (4th)
F Claude Giroux, PHI (6th)
F Taylor Hall, NJD (3rd)
D John Carlson, WSH (1st)
D Seth Jones, CBJ (2nd)
D ^ Kris Letang, PIT (5th)
G Braden Holtby, WSH (4th)
G Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (5th)Pacific Division (All-Star Appearance)
F ^ Leon Draisaitl, EDM (1st)
F Johnny Gaudreau, CGY (5th)
F Clayton Keller, ARI (1st)
F * Connor McDavid, EDM (3rd)
F Joe Pavelski, SJS (3rd)\
F Elias Pettersson, VAN (1st)
D Brent Burns, SJS (6th)
D Drew Doughty, LAK (5th)
D Erik Karlsson, SJS (6th)
G Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK (4th)
G John Gibson, ANA (2nd)* Fan-elected captain
^ Fan-voted Last Men In
¥ Replacement for Carey Price (MTL)
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong
