Photo: Capitals

The NHL released their All-Star rosters for the 2018 NHL All-Star Game. The Tampa Bay Lightning are hosting All-Star weekend from January 26-28 at Amalie Arena. The Super Skills Competition will be televised on Saturday, January 27 at 7 PM on NBCSN and the All-Star Game will be on Sunday, January 28 at 4 PM on NBC. 

Nashville Predators’ defenseman P.K. Subban, Edmonton Oilers’ center Connor McDavid, Lightning center Steven Stamkos, and our very own captain, Alex Ovechkin are the four captains for the All-Star Game. The four divisions will compete against each other in a 3-on-3 tournament. Each game is 20 minutes. The two winners from each game will face off in the final. The winner of the tournament will get a check and a new Honda Civic RV.

Ovechkin will be joined by goaltender Braden Holtby as the Capitals’ representatives in Tampa Bay. In addition, Barry Trotz will coach the Metropolitan Divison.

Host Tampa Bay has the most representatives as head coach Jon Cooper, forwards Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, goaltender Andrei Vasielevskiy, and defenseman Victor Hedman got named for the league-leading Lightning.

Former Capital defenseman Mike Green got named as the Detroit Red Wings’ representative. Green, 32, has four goals and 24 points in 41 games with the Red Wings. In 575 career games with the Capitals, Green tallied 113 goals and 360 points. He also had a +58 +/- rating.

Last year, the Metropolitan Division won with Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds winning All-Star Game MVP.

Each division needed at least one player from each team so there will be players who may be more deserving than other players.

Below are the 2018 NHL All-Star Rosters:

Atlantic Division (All-Star appearance)
F Aleksander Barkov, FLA (1st)
F Jack Eichel, BUF (1st)
F Nikita Kucherov, TBL (2nd)
F Brad Marchand, BOS (2nd)
F Auston Matthews, TOR (2nd)
F Steven Stamkos, TBL* (5th)
D Mike Green, DET (2nd)
D Victor Hedman, TBL (2nd)
D Erik Karlsson, OTT (5th)
G Carey Price, MTL (6th)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (1st)
Head Coach: Jon Cooper, TBL (1st)

Metropolitan Division (All-Star appearance)
F Josh Bailey, NYI (1st)
F Sidney Crosby, PIT (3rd)
F Claude Giroux, PHI (5th)
F Taylor Hall, NJD (3rd)
F Alex Ovechkin, WSH* (7th)
F John Tavares, NYI (5th)
D Noah Hanifin, CAR (1st)
D Seth Jones, CBJ (2nd)
D Kris Letang, PIT (4th)
G Braden Holtby, WSH (3rd)
G Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (4th)
Head Coach: Barry Trotz, WSH (3rd)

Central Division (All-Star appearance)
F Patrick Kane, CHI (7th)
F Nathan MacKinnon, COL (2nd)
F Brayden Schenn, STL (1st)
F Tyler Seguin, DAL (5th)
F Eric Staal, MIN (5th)
F Blake Wheeler, WPG (1st)
D John Klingberg, DAL (1st)
D Alex Pietrangelo, STL (1st)
D P.K. Subban, NSH* (3rd)
G Connor Hellebuyck, WPG (1st)
G Pekka Rinne, NSH (2nd)
Head Coach: Peter Laviolette, NSH (3rd)

Pacific Division (All-Star appearance)
F Brock Boeser, VAN (1st)
F Johnny Gaudreau, CGY (4th)
F Anze Kopitar, LAK (4th)
F Connor McDavid, EDM* (2nd)
F James Neal, VGK (3rd)
F Rickard Rakell, ANA (1st)
D Brent Burns, SJS (5th)
D Drew Doughty, LAK (4th)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI (2nd)
G Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK (3rd)
G Jonathan Quick, LAK (3rd)
Head Coach: Gerard Gallant, VGK (2nd)

By Harrison Brown