In a world where we as sports fans often criticize athletes for their selfishness and reckless behavior on and off the field/court/ice, I cannot help but question the public’s views on Alexander Ovechkin’s choice to skip out on the NHL’s 2012 All-Star game in Ottawa this weekend.

I personally do not see what is wrong with Ovechkin pulling out for the reason he has stated. He is serving a 3-game suspension for his hit on Penguins defensemen Zbynek Michalek. The suspension runs through the All-Star game and Ovechkin feels he does not “deserve” to be a part of the game.

I am hearing a lot of people, in and out of the media, saying that this is wrong and that he should not be skipping out. That players that are voted in should be going, apart from injuries, no ifs, ands or buts.

From my point of view, this seems like a very responsible move by a top player in the league that does in fact have a history of “dirty” hits. Yes, this could be a perfect opportunity for Ovechkin to take the easy way out and avoid having to participate but, conspiracies aside, I have no problem with this move from Ovechkin.

TRADE OF THE WEEK

***Tim Thomas for Cam Ward***

I am not going to get much into the whole Tim Thomas political fiasco, but I will make the assumption that the fact that it is so intensely involved in the media that it very well could affect his play down the road for the Bruins.

Thomas already has been slumping for the month of January, whereas Cam Ward has put his early season ugly play in the past and has been outstanding for the Canes lately. (Do I sense a “Trending Up” contender?) It’s safe to assume that Boston will remain a strong contender heading into the playoffs and that the Hurricanes are in rebuilding mode. But does that translate to these two goalies swapping roles and statistics for the second half of the season?

What do you the readers think? Be sure to let us know on Twitter @2ForBoarding or @DBraemer, on our Facebook page or in the comments section below.

TRENDING UP

I will be completely honest here, earlier this season, I never would have thought I would be choosing the likes of Cam Ward and Jonas Hiller for the “Trending Up” section but, the day has come.

Continuing on with the Hurricanes, goaltender Cam Ward has been extremely impressive lately for his team between the pipes. Ward was nothing more than an average goaltender for most of the season, not something you would expect from a Conn Smythe Stanley Cup champion goalie.

However, dating back to December 23rd, Ward has turned his game around tremendously and is helping the Hurricanes make an attempt at a playoff push. Since December 23rd Ward is 8-3-3 with a 1.96 GAA, .936 SV% and 1 shut-out. To further explain his excellence, since January 6th, he is 5-2-2 with a 1.55 GAA, .953 SV% and 1 shut-out. Ward is turning it on at the right time and hopefully those of you that drafted him did not unload him too soon and for those the capitalized on Ward’s poor play and buy-low status, good for you. Right now Cam Ward is a definite Sell-High candidate.

Jonas Hiller. Wow, what a long way he has come (Refer to HERE and HERE for some really bad Hiller statistics). As you can see Hiller’s season has been quite the forgettable one but the Ducks netminder is doing everything in his power to salvage what he can out of this season and help his team do what they need to to sneak in the backdoor of the playoffs.

The month of January sure has been a kind one to those who struggled in the beginning of the 2011-2012 season and Hiller further backs this claim. In the 10 games Hiller has started in January he his 6-2-1 with a 1.73 GAA, .942 SV% and 1 shut-out. This is exactly what Ducks have been lacking and Hiller very could be the spark to help ignite the turnaround in their season. Hiller is on a roll right now and if the team can score the way we know they are capable of, Hiller could be in line for many more wins. Buy Responsibly.

TRENDING DOWN

At some point in time, Patrick Marleau will go through a stretch of games where he is abysmal. It seems as if this fact has just come to be accepted by the public. And for the benefit of this fantasy rundown, it could not of come at a better time.

Marleau has been the furthest thing from elite as of late. He is pointless in his last 6 games and has only 1 (G) point in his last 8 games. And as far as fantasy related terms go, that’s just about all Marleau has done for his owners. In those 8 games he has 2 PIMs and a +1 plus/minus rating. Normally when the Sharks struggle, they struggle as a team. But when they decide to be the scoring machine they are very capable above, having a slew of Sharks players on your team is not a bad idea.

That being said, I suggest going out and Buying Low on Marleau and any other Sharks players for that matter that are in a mid-season slump. Times like these may be hard to tread through but more often than not you can expect guys like Marleau to come out lighting the scoreboard up and making his owners very pleased.

SLEEPER ALERT

Andrew Shaw could easily become the automatic beneficiary of Jonathan Toews winding up on the IR.

Shaw will definitely be in line for one much more playing time. It also helps his cause greatly considering how well he had been playing as of late. In Shaw’s 11 career games played in the NHL, all this year, he has 7 (5-2) points, 9 PIMs, 1 PPP and a +1 plus/minus rating. These are great well-rounded statistics if you are looking to make a name for yourself in the fantasy world. Shaw is certainly not any form of replacement for Jonathan Toews, but with the way he has been playing for the Blackhawks, he could very quickly make his name relevant in the big leagues.

I cannot speak for everyone on the 2FB team but I am incredibly excited for tonight’s all-star draft. Fantasy Sports brought into reality, it cannot get much better.

A lot of the initial stars have pulled out due to personal reasons or injuries but that still does not for one second take away the excitement of this live draft for myself. Anyone have any predictions?

Share your thoughts with the 2FB team here on our website, on our Facebook page or send us a tweet. Enjoy the draft and All-Star weekend and as always…

Don’t forget to set your lineups!