When the 2009 Eastern Conference All-Star reserve players were announced, many thought Washington Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom should have been on the list. When the roster was released, the 21-year-old was top five in National Hockey League scoring and lead the League in power play points. Backstrom admitted that it didn’t matter to him that he was not selected for the All-Star Weekend celebration, which is being held in Montreal, to commemorate their 100th year in the League.
When the YoungStars roster was released, Backstrom’s name appeared on that list, for the second time in two seasons. This year, a change to the format of the game will have a rookie squad take on sophomore players, which made the 6’0”, 183 lb. Swede eligible to play in his second consecutive contest. When Backstrom played in last year’s edition of the Young Stars game in Atlanta—which featured a 3-on-3 format, and two 12-minute periods—he netted a pair of goals in a 7-6 Eastern Conference win.
Today, Backstrom has withdrawn from All-Star Weekend in Montreal. In a press release issued by the Washington Capitals, Backstrom said, “I am grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in the YoungStars Game last year. This year I felt like it made more sense for me to give someone else that opportunity and use this time to rest and prepare for the second half of the season with the Washington Capitals.”
To avoid speculation of injury, Backstrom went on to say, “I can assure Caps fans that I’m not injured and will be ready to go Tuesday in Boston.”
Backstrom joins a couple of others who will miss the festivities; Columbus rookie goaltender Steve Mason, and Boston ‘s Milan Lucic have both opted out due to injury.
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