OTTAWA — National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman is ready to party in Ottawa, but yet another one of the game’s biggest stars has bowed out of all-star weekend.

Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, who was suspended for three games by the NHL on Monday, said “my heart is not there” in deciding to avoid all-star festivities.

“I am suspended, so why I have to go there?” Ovechkin told Washington reporters Tuesday. “I love the game. It’s a great event. I love to be there. I am suspended. I don’t want to be a target. I feel like I’m not deserving to be there right now because I am suspended.”

Ovechkin’s comments aside, it’s widely believed that Ovechkin is skipping the weekend in protest of a suspension he disagreed with. Bettman, who was a guest on an Ottawa radio show on Tuesday, said the league wanted him to come, but they opted not to suspend or punish him further.

“If he felt it was going to be a distraction, I’m not prepared to second-guess that,” Bettman said.

Bettman tried to deflect the conversation about missing players by focusing on the events. He even joked about the surprisingly warm conditions here, which could put a damper on some of the original plans.

“We’re looking forward to a fun, spectacular weekend, even if you have to swim, instead of skate, on the canal,” he said.

It’s the latest embarrassment for the league when it comes to drawing all-stars to the game. Every year, star players decide, at the last minute, to not attend the weekend, forcing the league to find alternative players.

Back in 2009, the NHL suspended Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk one regular-season game each for refusing to accept their invite.

Before the selections were announced this year, Lidstrom and Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne asked the league to not consider them because they would prefer to take the time off to rest and spend time with their families.

Ovechkin is the latest in a long line of original all-star selections who won’t be coming to Ottawa, but most of those were based on injuries.

Ottawa Citizen