The 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Hot-lanta.

It's midway through the season. Most players get a few days off to rest, heal, babysit the kids and prepare for the crazy playoff race. But for a select few players, this is not a holiday - it's work.

But fun work!

Tonight is the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills Competition (including the YoungStars Game).

Tomorrow night is the All-Star Game.

What it lacks in intensity, it makes up for in fun. I still remember last year's game, when the broadcasters talked to Marty Turco while he was playing. He would be talking to the guys upstairs about his job and what goes on in his head, and then he'd say something to the effect of "Wait a minute, gotta work for a sec." He'd make a save, then continue on as if nothing happened.

Or how about Lindy Ruff behind the bench for the East and how he'd bring one of his kids behind the bench and kick them out in favour of another kid because the team was losing (okay, so he 'rotated' his kids so that they could all have a turn with Dad).

There may be a lot of players missing from this year's edition of the All-Star weekend, but that doesn't mean that the remaining players are second string by any means. There's still Ovechkin, Lecavalier, Alfredsson, Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Iginla...lots of great players indeed.

This is definitely how you should spend your weekend. After all, you always watch hockey on the weekends, right?

Martha Stewart, this is NOT a good thing.

Right now, we're in the middle of the Pens/Lightning game, but the big headlines all over the place go something like this:

Crosby suffered high ankle sprain in the first period.

Oh crap.

"High ankle sprain"....seems like the Pens have been collecting this injury around the dressing room. In fact, they've been collecting injuries in general. High ankle sprains....broken fibulas....torn ACL's....you name it.

If this is, indeed, what Crosby has, then how long will he be out of the lineup? Talbot was out several weeks, Fleury's may be out another month. Granted, a butterfly goalie like MAF will have more pressure and strain on the ankle, so it takes a lot longer to come back from that kind of thing. And who knows, maybe Crosby's injury is more on the 'slight sprain' side of things, as opposed to a 'severe sprain'.

I'll refrain from being a Chicken Little. The Pens have played amazingly well for the last month and a half, despite missing a number of players for a significant stretch of games. Maybe the guys will keep rallying....

But, you have to admit...it doesn't look good, does it?

About the only good thing here is that the All-Star break is coming up, so that's one or two games that Crosby won't have to miss...but if he's out six weeks, then I guess that doesn't matter, eh?

Speaking of the All-Star Game...it's next weekend, and I'll be working on a package for Faceoff-Factor, similar to what I did for the WJC.

Anyone notice how the guys who were named to the All-Star teams are dropping like flies?

Maybe we'll have a whole new set of All-Star teams by the time the break rolls around.

Something tells me that Malkin will get the nod, but it's a really sucky way to get named to the All-Star team.
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By the way, did anyone see that Rick Nash goal last night?

Jaw-dropping awesomeness. Yep.

And here's some video evidence of said goal: