Alexander Ovechkin's return to the all-star stage will have to wait.
The Washington Capitals announced Tuesday that their captain will have to skip the Las Vegas weekend after testing positive for COVID-19. Ovechkin will also miss Washington's final game before the all-star pause Tuesday versus the Edmonton Oilers.
Ovechkin was officially announced as an all-star for the 12th time in his career after winning the all-star captain fan vote for the Metropolitan Division. He has not, however, participated at the event since 2018 when it was held in Tampa Bay, accepting the one-game suspension tied to missing the event to tend to an injury or rest in lieu of attending on multiple occasions.