Written by Adam Gretz at CBSsports.com
Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin and Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews are two of the biggest stars in the NHL and were selected to play in the 2016 All-Star game in Nashville this weekend.
Both players have decided to opt out of the game (Ovechkin to injury; Toews to illness) and as a result will have to miss their team’s first game back after the All-Star break.
The league not only announced on Thursday they will be replaced on the roster by Evgeny Kuznetsov and James Neal, but that Ovechkin and Toews have also been suspended for one game for missing the All-Star game.
Per league rules, any player that is voted into the game or named to the roster and does not play in the game for any reason receives a mandatory one-game suspension that must be served their team’s game immediately preceding or following the All-Star game.
Ovechkin will miss the Capitals’ Feb. 2 game against the Florida Panthers, while Toews will miss the Blackhawks’ game against the Colorado Avalanche the same night.
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