who cares..all star games are a joke...end of story!

SID THE KID IS SURE MILKING HIS INJURY - HOW IS IT THAT MANY PLAYERS COME BACK AFTER A SHORT TIME WHILE HE STRETCHES HIS OUT FOR ALL ITS WORTH. PHONY AS A THREE DOLLAR BILL

AS FOR OVIE - HE IS SULKING BECAUSE OF HIS SUSPENSION, THERE IS A TIME TO PLAY AND A TIME TO PAY, CANNOT GO AROUND WITH DIRTY HITS , NOT HIS FIRST SUSPENSION I AM SURE.

THERE WERE OTHER GREAT PLAYERS, KESSEL, LUPUL CHARO, ALFIE, SEDIN TWINS ETC. IT WAS AN ENTERTAINING SHOW FOR THE SKILLS COMPETITION, NICE TO SEE THEM ALL GET ALONG SO WELL, NO FIGHT, NO BAD FEELINGS, A REAL FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE.

Hey Joan you Know how to read might have had a serious neck injury as well.You sure think you know everything but his life health is more important than you you dumb a@@.

Jeez scott. I wasnt going to comment but your an idiot. you have the worst english i have ever seen.

Joan- Joan you are not being nice. Would you like for someone to say that about your "son" if he were injured?? I don't think so. Follow your heart not your head girl.Sidney Crosby has a bad injury & I am sure when the Drs. give him the okay he will be in the "line - light". He's one of the best.

Actually koodo's to you Alex. Missing the all stud weekend sends a clear message to the National Bettman League. "When is the NHL going to grow up and get rid of this idiot?"

jeez A$$... You may not want to cast any stones... You have 7 mistakes in your two sentences.
1- 'Scott' is a name, capitalize it.
2-'wasnt'... try wasn't.
3-'Your'... try 'you're' next time.
4- Comma after 'but'.
5-'you' begins a sentence, capitalize it.
6-'english' gets capitalized.
7-'i'- also... gets capitalized.

Now, who was the idiot?
5-

Who cares,, all Professional sports are Fixed anyways ,, playing a game and being paid outrageous money , while real people have to struggle through, Life , working at a JOB ,, Ha ha

You are an Idiot if you think the NHL has no star power without the two diaper wearing babies Crosby and Ovechkin. Besides does anyone - besides you, really care.

@Joan Hancock - Crosby has two fractured vertebrae in his neck so I hardly think he's milking anything.

Why is it just now that the "so called" experts after numerous MRI's, have just finally seen these damaged vertabrae (sp?) 12 months later?

A lot of jealous people out there SYD. is a great young man on and off the ice. dont bother correcting my english .It is Syd. we are talking about here

Ovechkin wants the NHL to support the Olympics in Russia but he will not support the NHL. Hmmmmm, I wonder if he really thought this one through??

I wish they would just can the whole Allstar crap. Nothing more disgusting than watching about $200,000,000. worth of players playing a game of pond hockey. The goons aren't in these games, so you shouldn't have to worry about cheap shots. Make the game worth something like baseball does. Do like they did years ago, and have an allstar team play the defending Cup champs. They won't even take a slap shot unless it's a breakaway. The skills competition is usually fun to watch, the the game itself is like watching soccer, or worse, basketball. When you are getting paid that much money, you should put on a show, and not glide around on 3 minute shifts. Have the winning team get about $100,000 per player that they each donate to a charity of their choice. I hate the game. It is 4 days with no hockey, the greatest sport in the world. I don't know what it is that they are playing.Did you see Drake? I cannot for the life of me figure out how somebody who sings that bad can be so popular. Thay should have had Rush play. It is the only allstar game in sports where neither team try. Then the MVP ( that's a joke) gets a car. What in the world does a guy who makes 4 to 10 million a year need a free car? How can the suspend Lidstrom a couple years ago, and not suspend Ovie? I lost a lot of respect for him after that and the rap video he made. Maybe he should concentrate of elevating his game. Just an immature spoiled brat. He deserved the 3 games he got, and that should not have given him a free pass on the allstar game. They should tack 1 more game on his suspension. Better yet, send all the Russian players back to the KHL.

Don't worry about these guys folks. They're paid handsomely for playing a game at a higher level. If they loose sight of who actually pays their salaries it will be their loss in the end. Question to all do any of them really stand out over the rest of the league?

Um, I'm sorry but you forgot someone in your "memorable moments". Carey Price was the only thing entertaining about the Breakaway challenge (just because Kane put on a cape and slid across the ice, it didn't impress me as much) Price making a save standing backwards with his ass was pretty amusing, as well as the "Tebowing", but you'd only understand that if you were a fan of the NFL.

@Chris, Pacioretty had the same injury from being pushed face first into a stanchion, and he is having an amazing year and is fully recoved, so hopefully Crosby's recovery goes well also.

Ottawa fans didn't really care that Crosby or Ovechkin weren't there because the spotlight was on a true hockey star who is everything an NHL player should be - Daniel Alfredsson. There is nothing wrong with having a game purely for entertainment and the good-naturedness of all of the players was apparent. It's nice to see them have fun on the ice too and not worry about the outcome for once. The weekend was a great celebration of the game of hockey.

First and foremost I'm an Ottawa Senators fan. However, I was ashamed of the fans who booed the Leafs' players; that was not called for ! They all said( Leafs players) how much fun they were having and what a professional job Ottawa did !

Come on people, Crosby And Ovie should of been there. Ovie for the fans and Crosby, just for the fact that this is getting ridiculous. He has a concussion, oh right! but now its a neck injury? this guy just don't want to play hockey anymore..Zero Commitment ! Look at Alfie, he came back from a concussion and was the Star of the show!! Crosby is Milking his Injury cause he don't care about hockey and the fans !! You people must see that !!

ME THINKS THAT THE WRITER IS A CLOSET HOMOSEXUAL WHOSE LIFE LONG DREAM IS TO HAVE A THREE-WAY WITH CROSBY AND OVIE!!

BEING AN OTTAWA FAN, I WAS THRILLED THAT THERE WERE 4 SENATORS, BUT ALSO, THE TRUE STARS OF THE GAME (AND NOT THE ONES EVERYONE PUTS ON A PEDESTAL ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE) WERE PRESENT AND HAD FUN. GABORIK HAD A HELL OF A GAME AND DESERVED THE MVP (EVEN THOUGH NO ONE WOULD HAVE COMPLAINED IF ALFIE WON IT...I THINK.)

TO THE AUTHOR, STOP BEING CYNICAL AND APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF HOCKEY. IF NOT, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY CONTRACT SOME STD'S FROM YOUR GODS (OVIE AND CROSBY)

To knock sid or ovie is a act of hate and should be punished,these people hate the milk man because he did not place the milk in the right spot,Or the paper boy who did not put the paper close enough to the door,On one day of the year these people should be put in a room together for 24 hours to try and resolve their problems,(wouldn't that be a show).

Why does every journalist or tv host think that ovi actually skipped on the all-star game because of his supension, a very lame excuse. I personally think its because of the music video he was in where he embarrassed himself claiming that all the attention of the all-star game was on him (Made before he opted out). People realized how much of a tool he was saying that and only being a mere 57th in points. There really was no attention on him until he opted out in the first place.

Absolutely idiotic statement that the all star game had no star power . The best goalies in the league the best D men in the league and the best forwards all were there except for a few out injured and a not so great 8 that was sulking on a beach . Ovetchkin is a clown and his star power is dimming by the minute as he alienates the fans and the league with his antics . Crosby is still out aparently with a neck injury causing problems .

If you think for one minute that these guys that didn't or couldn't show up made or broke the All star game your way off base just like all the other reporters that want to write the darker side to every story instead of focusing on the event itself .
There are plenty of other star players to focus on so what the hell is your problem ?

Ovechkin has hardly played well enough to be called an all-star this year anyways.

The mediocrity of the all-star has nothing to do with a couple of players missing out. This article is just looking for something to whine about.

what a moronic sport

what a moronic sport.

Wrong again Jeff, lots of stars, lots of talent, Ovie finally did something right by declining something he didn't deserve even if that may not have been his reason. Kids loved it and they are the future fans. Lets have hardest shot by a Goalie and after watching Price and Eliot maybe a dancing competition. :-)

The all star game had a great beginning as a game to help out one Ace Bailey when he was injured after taking a stick to his head and ending his career. The game was played to help him with medical bills, and to help him financially. Now the game is no more than a show me type of game, where there is no real competition any more. What ever happened to playing the game as it was supposed to be played? I (myself), think that the all star game should be shelved until some real guys want to play the game as it was meant to be played.

paul, can you skate ???? or even hold a stick, other than your own...

Why is it that the first comment is always an idiot!!!

What the hell do we need your pesonality on here any way...

Brainless by his own doing!!!

Ovechkin had every right to not show up! The NHL is becoming a joke, soon there will be no checking in it. (junior levels are already implementing no checking) These players can't get away with keeping there head down and staring at the puck, they know better. I want some OLD TIME HOCKEY!

I have probably the best idea ever conceived for the NHL all star break ; but I'd like compensation for my idea ... (this is copied of course ) The four top teams at mid-break have a playoff for let's say a "mini Stanely Cup" of sorts (and bonuses for the players of course ..lol to give them added incentive ) and this would increase the intensity of play from the players from the start of the season to the very end of the season & create alot more fan awareness and excitement. I could go on, but if this idea is used I expect to hear from Gary Bettman ... Jim Plamondon (613) 668-2311

Jim,,You're an idiot. I don't think you need to wait for Bettmans' call.

To Jeff Mackie....this is why news is going down because of people like you that 'create' news and do not 'report' the news. It is your own opinion that the weekend 'lacked' star power. All star weekend never has been much but don't insult the players that were there. As for the rest of you mentioning that Crosby is 'milking' this..get a grip you morons. He still has his whole life ahead of him to play and he is being careful. Heck if the doctors had actually diagnosed him properly in the first place then maybe he would have been playing steady lately