Rangers Roundup: Zibanejad will not be suspended for All-Star opt-out, FOCO releases new Gretzky bobblehead, and more

Mika Zibanejad
May 6, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) during the first period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

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Mika Zibanejad was named the NHL’s All-Star Game by the fans via the Last Men In voting on the league’s website.

“Thank you to all of the fans who voted for me to play in the 2022 NHL All-Star Game. Unfortunately, due to a personal situation in Sweden, I will be unable to attend this year,” he wrote.

“Being an NHL All-Star, and representing the Rangers with Kreids and Foxy, would have been an absolute thrill. Thank you to everyone for understanding.”

Zibanejad will not be suspended

Soon after Mika opted out, there was chatter that he will face a similar suspension like others performance. One prominent name is Alex Ovechkin, who opted out to rest his body in 2019.

“Thanks, first of all, fans for voting me (as captain),” Ovechkin said at the time. “It’s a hard decision, but I have to listen to my body. I have to get ready for the second half of the year. I have to be healthy and focus on different things. It’s a hard decision, obviously, being the captain and missing the All-Star Game, but have to do [what’s] best for me and for my team.”

The NHL has a rule about skipping the All-Star Game which led to a one game suspension that had to be served either game before or game after All-Star weekend.

I reached out to the Rangers and confirmed that Zibanejad will not be facing suspension for not attending due to family matters back home in Sweden.

FOCO releases Wayne Gretzky Bobblehead

Wayne Gretzky Bobblehead
Wayne Gretzky (FOCO)

Of all the players who laced up their skates in the National Hockey League, few are as iconic as The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky. Number 99 holds almost every record in the books and retired as one of the biggest stars in league history.

Over the course of a 20-year NHL career, Gretzky had 2,857 career points, as well as four championships, 15 all star selections, nine league MVP selections, and a stop in Toronto for enshrinement at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Now, hockey fans have a chance to commemorate his legacy with the Wayne Gretzky Legacy Collection from FOCO, showing off all four of his career stops. Whether you were a fan during his time in Edmonton, Los Angeles, St. Louis, or New York, there’s a bobblehead for every fan.

Limited to 499 individually umbered units for each of the four bobbleheads, the Gretzky legacy series displays Wayne Gretzky in lifelike detail, wearing one of the four uniforms he played in throughout his career. Each bobblehead retails for $60.

Head online to FOCO to purchase an individual bobblehead or to complete your set today. And while you’re buying, take a look at the rest of the NHL bobbleheads for sale on the site.

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Anthony Scultore is the founder of Forever Blueshirts and has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL... More about Anthony Scultore

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