News/views: Crosby, Malkin named All-Stars

BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC

News: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were named the Penguins’ representatives to the NHL All-Star Game Jan. 25 in Columbus, each selected for the fifth time.

Views: We take this stuff with a yawn, but it’s still praiseworthy.

A strong argument could have been made for Marc-Andre Fleury, with five goaltenders chosen, especially ahead of the Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky, but the league is trying to promote the game in Ohio, and it’s pretty predictable that would happen. And hardly the end of the world. If I’m the Penguins, actually, I’m delighted he’s not going. A break would be far more beneficial than all that groin-stretching in the Skills Competition.