Alex Ovechkin was named the captain of the Metropolitan Division team for the All-Star Game, the league announced on Saturday.
The Washington Capitals’ left wing earned the most votes from fans among all players in the division, giving him that honor. The Florida Panthers’ Jaromir Jagr, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane and the Arizona Coyotes’ John Scott also were named captains through fan voting.
Ovechkin, selected to an all-star team for the sixth time, entered Saturday with 21 goals, the fifth-most in the league, and 13 assists through 36 games. He has 496 goals, leaving him four shy of being the fifth-fastest player to reach that milestone.
The NHL has again has modified the format of the game for this season. Instead of a traditional game, the event will feature the four divisions taking part in a three-on-three tournament, with each game set to last 20 minutes and the winners of the first two games to meet in a final.
The rest of the rosters will be announced on Wednesday, with six forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders selected to represent each division.
Capitals coach Barry Trotz appears likely to join Ovechkin for the game, which will be hosted by Nashville. The coaches of the teams with the highest percentage of points earned through Jan. 9, the midpoint of the season, will be selected as coaches for the event.
As the Capitals had 58 points entering Saturday’s game against the Blue Jackets, no other Metropolitan Division team can earn enough points through their games in the next week to surpass Washington’s 1.57 points per game.
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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