Controversial Washington Capitals tough guy Tom Wilson will replace Alex Ovechkin at the NHL All-Star Game this weekend.
A replacement for Ovechkin was necessitated by his being placed into COVID-19 protocol after testing positive on Wednesday. Ovechkin is expected to miss the entire weekend.
As a result of the test and being placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, Ovechkin will also miss Wednesday night's game against the Edmonton Oilers. The team did not immediately provide further details on his condition.
Ovechkin, who has a shot of becoming the top goal-scorer in NHL history, is a 12-time All-Star and was poised to be one of the marquee names attending this year's event.
Wilson, 27, is having a good season offensively for the Capitals, scoring 13 goals and adding 18 assists for 31 points to go along with 56 minutes in penalties in 42 games. Often a player who gets under the skin of the opposition, he has been suspended five times for 37 games – including 20 games for blindsiding St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist in 2018 (which was eventually cut to 14 by an arbitrator) – in addition to numerous fines and questionable incidents that did not result in a fine or suspension but raised the ire of opponents.
Also added to the All-Star Game roster on Wednesday was Vegas Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault. Both Wilson and Marchessault will be making their All-Star Game debuts. Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers will replace Ovechkin as captain of the Metropolitan Division.
The Golden Knights and city of Las Vegas will host the 2022 NHL All-Star weekend, Friday and Saturday. The All-Star Skills competition is Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet) and the NHL All-Star Game is Saturday (3 p.m. ET, Sportsnet).
