The number one goal scoring left winger in the NHL, James Neal is currently without a spot on the NHL All-Star Game roster and barring injury to a player currently on the roster he’ll be sitting at home watching the game on TV.
The NHL invites 24 total players who play offense onto their All-Star squad. Three of which are voted in by the NHL fans. Three players from Ottawa, the home of the All-Star game, were voted in by the fans. We should all be aware of how the voting works here in Pittsburgh. If you are not, reference how Kristopher Allen Letang landed an All-Star spot last year. Who doesn’t respect a good grass roots voting campaign especially in an election year.
The other 21 players are voted in by what is called the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department. Picking these players would be a seemingly easy task if it wasn’t for the fact that you want to include one player from every team. That starts to complicate things a tiny bit, but the NHL created the “Rookie” All-Star game to help alleviate that problem.
For reasons unknown Alexander Ovechkin is on the All-Star team. Ranked 43rd overall in the NHL in scoring you would think maybe he made it because of the 1 player per team rule. That is not the case, Washington defenseman Denis Wideman earned a spot on the team. So the next obvious reason would be that Ovechkin must be one of the best at the left wing position he plays.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. At the Left Wing position of which the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department only picked 4 players Ovechkin ranks 9th in goal scoring, 12th in overall scoring and tied for the 150th (yes 150th) in plus / minus. On the flipside, James Neal ranks #1 in goal scoring, #2 in overall scoring and is tied for 40th in plus/minus.
Stretching it out even further, maybe you’ve figured that the reason Ovechkin got picked is because he is a fan favorite. Not so, James Neal received almost 50 thousand more votes in the fan voting than did Alexander Ovechkin.
That leaves only two reasons I can think of that Ovechkin got the All-Star spot and not James Neal. Funny hats & rap videos. Yes, somehow Ovechkin must know that the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department loves funny hats and rap videos, there can be no other explanation.
Ovechkin is simply the least deserving player on the NHL All-Star roster and he just happens to play the same left wing postion James Neal plays. Ovechkin is the reason James Neal is not on the roster.
I’m sure Washington’s Nicolas Backstrom who truly deserves to be at the All-Star Game also would agree with this assessment. If anyone from Washington deserved a position it was Backstrom.
The NHL.com crew of Dave Lozo, Corey Masisak, Shawn Roarke and Dan Rosen nailed on the head who should be on the roster using hockey skill as a guide not funny hats. They even included the fan picks. The NHL may want to look into having these guys pick next year instead of the “NHL’s Hockey Operations Department”
Here is NHL.com’s All Star picks: “Filling NHL All-Star Game roster no easy task” Make sure to take notice that both Backstrom and Neal are on the list.
There is a silver lining to this nonsense. James Neal is in a contract year. Adding an All-Star Game to his resume would artificially inflate his worth. Maybe the Pens will be able to sign him for a few years.
*UPDATE: James Neal is headed to the All-Star Game in Ovechkin’s spot. Ovechkin declined his All-Star spot after he thought he was wrongly suspended by the NHL.
Actually ladies, Ovie doesn’t go after American women too much because there are so many gigantic fat ass women in our country to go along with uncreative, ufunny women who make up cheesey nicknames for athletes.
And I thought the reason girls didn’t date him was because of his ugly gap toothed face, greasy hair, he’s whiney, he’s washed up and the anger management problems from years of PED’s not to mention the shrunken willy he probably got from those. Sorry you think all American women have fat asses. You must be from the D.C. Area and not get out much.
Thanks to Steigy and Bob Errey for their pointing out, that in fact, James Neil should have been in the ASG from the Get Go.
Ovechkin best player in the league
I think the NHL purposely waited and picked Neal to be in Ovechkin’s spot because they are unhappy with the childish way Ovechkin tried to embarrass the NHL when he withdrew. I think this is going to end the golden boys reign as a face (albeit ugly) of the NHL.
Wow, you nailed it!
Ovechkin whined his way out of the all-star game and Neal is the prime candidate to replace him. Seriously Ovechkin sounded like a ten year old. He thinks he’s doing the NHL a favor showing up when he shouldn’t have been invited in the first place. irony at it’s best.
UPDATE: The Dallas Stars placed their All-Star selection LW Jamie Benn on long term I.R. last night. This would leave only 3 left wings selected. Most likely to replace Benn would be LW James Neal, LW Scotty Harnell or the obvious choice, they’ll replace him with another Dallas Star like Loui Eriksson. Wild’s Mikko Koivu if also sidelined and Neal does stand a better chance of replacing him. It’s all up to ex-NHLer Rob Blake who has been put in charge of filing nn replacements.
It’s sad that showmanship got him a spot in the All-Star game. I hope the other players don’t all start doing fake celebrations like Ovechprick and in football. Maybe someone will deck him at the game because of this.
LOL.
Carolyn, I call Ovechkin, Ovarie. Sorry, inside joke. He is spud ugly. I don’t even look at him. Cherry picker!
Joan- Women who follow hockey follow it because they love the sport not because of the players looks. And if what you said were true, I believe most women would vomit in their mouths at the sight of ovenchicken. 😉
Neal is way better then Obitchkin!
He’s such a fuckin joke!!! Score goals, then come see me. Bender.
Somebody get Neal a funny hat!
Ovie doean’t deserve a spot anymore than C Price or aAlfredson. The All Star game is a joke…
I’m glad Malkin doesn’t waste his time doing stupid ass videos and other crap. Let Ovechkin have the fame, Malkin will take the glory!
Amen to that. What impresses me about Malkin almost as much as his dazzling skill-set is his humbleness and passion for the game. While Ovechkin’s play has flat-lined the last couple of years (a crime when you consider his supreme abilities) “Geno” continues to work really hard to become the best player he can be. I’ll take him over “Ovy” any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I hope Geno adds a Hart Trophy to his display case (along with another Cup and Art Ross). He deserves it.
I think it was to get woman more interested in the game adding Ovarie!
they got one with obitchkin!
Would have been more interesting to see Neal. After all, we have all seen how Ovi behaved last year and this is not his best season…
they needed a circus monkey!
that bastard
Ovechkin Sucks!