Report: Players out of all-star game

MONTREAL, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Detroit Red Wings teammates Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Lidstrom will not play in Sunday's NHL all-star game, USA Today reported late Friday.

Both players decided Friday to miss the contest at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Under a policy announced at a general managers meeting by Commissioner Gary Bettman last February, a player has to miss either the game before the all-star game or the one immediately following if he elects not participate in the contest.

"This is a policy that everyone is aware of, including all (general) managers and teams," the NHL's senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell told the newspaper. "Unfortunately, it got to the point it and we needed to put some policy in place cover everything."

The decision leaves Detroit without a representative on the Western Conference team.