The NHL announced today the list of players that will be available in the first ever All-Star team draft, and Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green of the Washington Capitals were both invited to participate.

In what has been a down year goal-scoring wise for Ovechkin, he is still tied for 11th in the league and leads the Caps in points (15-29-44, plus-10).  This is his fourth All-Star selection.

Green (8-12-20, plus-8) struggled early but has picked up the scoring pace lately, registering at least one point in each of the last six games for the Caps.  He is also fourth in the NHL in total ice time (26:10).  It is Green's first All-Star selection.

I have to admit, I am surprised by the Green selection.  He has had seasons where his points totals have been much more impressive, yet failed to earn a nod.  He ranks just 27th among defensemen in points this season.  One could argue that this has been his least impressive campaign on the offensive end until lately. 

His attention in the defensive zone has increased dramatically this season, but it's hard to imagine the justification of his All-Star selection based on what is undeniably the weakest part of his game, and the part which draws the most criticism and left him on the outside when the Canadian Olympic team was announced last season.

As for snubs, on the All-Star team it's hard to argue any Caps player that deserved got left behind.  But no Caps rookie was invited to the Rookie SuperSkills Competition.  It's fairly incredible that the NHL came up with a list of 12 rookeis to invite to its skills contest -- including three defenseman -- and left John Carlson off the list.

The rookie list does however include Florida forward Evgeni Dadonov, who has played a grand total of 14 games, and Phoenix defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, with a total of seven assists, and whose TOI is going down as the season progresses. Both players are their team's lone representitive.

A Lakeland, FL man and his wife were arrested yesterday for possession and intent to sell or deliver anabolic steroids, and the man implicated professional athletes as clients, including players on the Washington Capitals and Washington Nationals.

According to the Lakeland Ledger, Richard Thomas identified himself as "the largest anabolic steroids dealer in Central Florida," upon his arrest, and that he provided steroids to professional baseball, football and hockey players.

The Thomases failed to name any particular athletes during the warrant and seizure, where police collected an estimated $200,000 in illegal steroids and multiple weapons.

Richard and Sandra Thomas are each charged with 10 counts of possession of anabolic steroids with intention to sell and deliver; one count of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony; 10 counts of importation of anabolic steroids in Florida; and one count of maintaining a residence for selling drugs.

"This is beyond any doubt the largest seizure of anabolic steroids by the Polk County Sheriff's Office," a police spokesman said.

While the initial report is certainly troubling, from the tone of the initial reports, police seem to be skeptical as to whether Thomas is telling the truth in his claims. In a segment aired on WFLA-TV last night, the sheriff's office made a statement that they have no evidence of specific players involved in this investigation to this point.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, "The only thing [Thomas] said specifically was he sold to the Washington Capitals and the Washington Nationals. We asked him, because we knew that would create a firestorm, on two more occasions because we don't want to be quoted as saying that. Richard Thomas told us that he sold steroids to ballplayers on those teams. Now is that one ballplayer? Is that two ballplayers? We don't know."

We don't know. Yet. But if this guy's claims have any validity, we'll find out soon enough. Hopefully the investigation will be swift and whatever conclusions are drawn can be handled expeditiously.

It's a shame that after such a terrific season, this comes out. Hopefully this guy is filled with delusions of grandeur and the police don't find any evidence connecting the Capitals with the investigation.

Colin Campbell, NHL Director of Hockey Operations, has watched the video of Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz intentionally and viciously striking a two-handed cross-check to the head and neck of Capital goalie Semyon Varlamov in the final scramble around the Caps goal that resulted in Sidney Crosby's last goal on Monday night, and has decided, in his infinite wisdom, that Kunitz should be fined, but not suspended, for the hit.

If you haven't seen the hit yet, here it is. Ask yourself what's worse? A player charging a goalie who is already down on the ice looking for the puck and hitting him with a cross-check in the head and neck, or what Brashear did to Blair Betts?

As a goalie, I know what I think is worse.

Memo to Chris Kunitz: Keep your head up tomorrow night.