WASHINGTON — Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin were among the first round of All-Star selections revealed by the NHL on Thursday night.
Crosby, the longtime captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, was selected for his ninth All-Star Game and Ovechkin his 13th, a Washington Capitals record.
The league’s hockey operations department picked the first 32 All-Stars, one from each team. Fans will choose the final 12 players who make it — three skaters and a goalie from each division — with a Twitter component involved for the first time.
Reigning Norris Trophy winner and playoff MVP Cale Makar from the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche was also among those chosen. Vegas' Logan Thompson was the first rookie goaltender to make an All-Star team since Anaheim's John Gibson in 2016.
All-Star Weekend is set for Feb. 3-4 in South Florida.
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
Ovechkin, Crosby, G Igor Shesterkin (N.Y. Rangers), F Brock Nelson (N.Y. Islanders), F Jack Hughes (New Jersey), F Andrei Svechnikov (Carolina), F Johnny Gaudreau (Columbus), F Kevin Hayes (Philadelphia)
ATLANTIC DIVISION
F Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), F Tage Thompson (Buffalo), G Linus Ullmark (Boston), F Dylan Larkin (Detroit), F Matthew Tkachuk (Florida), F Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa), F Mitch Marner (Toronto), F Nick Suzuki (Montreal)
CENTRAL DIVISION
Makar, F Jason Robertson (Dallas), F Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota), F Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis), F Clayton Keller (Arizona), D Seth Jones (Chicago), D Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg), G Juuse Saros (Nashville)
PACIFIC DIVISION
Thompson, F Connor McDavid (Edmonton), F Matty Beniers (Seattle), F Troy Terry (Anaheim), F Kevin Fiala (Los Angeles), F Nazem Kadri (Calgary), F Elias Pettersson (Vancouver), D Erik Karlsson (San Jose)
WATCH NEXT: Alex Ovechkin continues to chase history
He is just the third NHL player to score 800 career goals.