Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby played in just the second NHL All-Star Game of his career last year and said Sunday he doesn't expect to play in his third later this month.

The 30-year-old told The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette he doesn't feel he's earned an All-Star nod despite posting 15 goals and 43 points in 44 games this season.

“I don’t expect to be there, to be honest with you,” Crosby said. “I haven’t even thought about it. I don’t feel like I’ve had an all-star first half.”

Crosby sits 18th in the NHL points this season, while six players (Claude Giroux, John Tavares, Jakub Voracek, Josh Bailey, Phil Kessel and Alex Ovechkin) in the Metropolitan Division rank ahead of him.

The All-Star rosters will be announced Wednesday night, with six forwards, three defencemen and two goaltenders named to each division's roster with one player from every team represented. Ovechkin has already been named as the division's captain, an honour Crosby held last year as the Metropolitan won the $1 million prize.

“I mean … Phil’s had a really good first half,” Crosby said. “There’s been a lot of guys within our division that have had some great first halves here so far: Tavares, Bailey and Ovechkin. These guys are all right at the top of the scoring race. I haven’t given it any thought, only because of that. I just don’t expect to be going.”

Crosby has missed the game 10 times in his career due to injury (five times), because of a work stoppage or the league’s participation in the Winter Olympics meant no game was held. Prior playing last season's contest, Crosby had only appeared in the 2007 All-Star Game in Dallas.

 

Sidney Crosby - Two Time All-Star

Year Host Played Details
2006 Olympics - No All-Star Game
2007 Dallas Yes Held pointless
2008 Atlanta No High ankle sprain
2009 Montreal No Knee injury
2010 Olympics - No All-Star Game
2011 Raleigh No Concussion
2012 Ottawa No Concussion
2013 Cancelled - Lockout - No All-Star Game
2014 Olympics - No All-Star Game
2015 Columbus No Undisclosed injury
2016 Nashville No Not selected
2017 Los Angeles Yes Won $1M prize with Metropolitan Division team

Crosby received a one-game suspension in 2015 for skipping the all-star game with an undisclosed injury despite playing in Pittsburgh's final game before the break. 

He told the Post-Gazette he has not considered it, but would not have a problem with players skipping this year's three-on-three tournament as a form of protest for the league holding its players out of the Pyeongchang Olympics.

“It’s up to every guy,” Crosby said. “If that’s a stance they want to take, I don’t have a problem with that. They’re entitled to that. I wasn’t aware of that or didn’t know that was something being talked about, but every guy is entitled that. I don’t have a problem with that.”

The NHL All-Star Game will take place on Jan. 28 in Tampa Bay.