Calgary Flames star forward Jarome Iginla will miss next Sunday's All-Star Game to be with his ailing grandmother.
"I just lost my grandfather in the spring and I have learned that my grandmother is not doing very well," Iginla said Wednesday in a statement.
"With the way the season goes I don't get too many opportunities to see her, and as much as I was looking forward to being in North Carolina for the All Star Game, I just know that my mind will be elsewhere."
Iginla, 33, was set to appear in his sixth All-Star Game in Raleigh, N.C. The right-winger has tallied 19 goals and 23 assists this season for the Flames, who sit ahead of only the Oilers in the Western Conference standings.
This year's NHL All-Star Game will not be played in the traditional conference-against-conference format. Instead, a fantasy-style draft will be held Jan. 28 to determine the rosters. Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom and Carolina's Eric Staal have been selected as the two captains for the contest.
