Nicklas Backstrom Finally Named To The All Star Team, Holtby, Ovi, And Trotz Going As Well

At long last, Nick Backstrom is getting his due by earning his first trip to the All Star Game. We’re talking about a guy who is now in his 9th NHL season and through his first full 8 seasons, 5 of them he had 50+ assists (including 30 in 42 games in the lockout year). He’s defensively sound, doesn’t take bad penalties, and is all around one of the best centers in the NHL. He flies so far under the radar 1) because I think he’s a mute. He legitimately doesn’t talk. He doesn’t care about accolades or All Star games. But he puts up monster numbers year in and year out. According to the Caps press release, the only players to enter the NHL since 1990 and earn more assists in their first 600 games are Peter Forsberg (555), Sidney Crosby (534) and Jaromir Jagr (457).

Joining Backstrom is of course Braden Holtby, the best goaltender in the league. He’s 25-4-2, and his play on the ice has earned each of those 25 wins. He makes ridiculous save after ridiculous save, keeping the Caps in games where the scoring isn’t there. He hasn’t lost in regulation since November 10th…yes, November. I can’t even remember that far back, before Thanksgiving.

And Ovi is making his 7th trip to the game. Kind of a down year for the Great 8, as he only has 21 goals so far. So many other weapons are out there scoring, as the Caps already have 7 guys in double digit scoring.

Trotz will be joining them on the trip, manning the bench. Well earned by him and his 3 guys. The big snub, however, is Evgeny Kuznetsov, who leads the Caps with 37 points, including this dandy from last night:

Not that the ASG matters, but it’s of course always fun to see your guys get honored. Plus this new tournament format should be lots of fun.