Tuesday, 12.28.2010 / 1:00 PM
2011 NHL All-Star Game
By Adam Kimelman – NHL.com Staff Writer
The march of the Penguins has reached the top of the fan balloting mountain for the 2011 All-Star Game presented by Discover.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury added 52,027 votes to his total, pushing him past the Canadiens’ Carey Price and into the lead among goaltenders and third in the overall voting, behind teammates Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang.
The top goalie, along with the top three forwards and top two defensemen in fan voting will guarantee themselves spots in the 42-player pool for the Ultimate Fantasy Draft. New for this year’s All-Star Game, the players themselves will draft their own teams for the midseason classic, which will be hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Sidney Crosby continues to hold the top spot among forwards, as well as among all players, with 523,822 votes. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is No. 2 among forwards, with Evgeni Malkin third. Letang and the Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith lead all defensemen.
Fleury’s big week saw him open a 2,025-vote lead Price. Part of Fleury’s big week were 8,930 text votes — more than seven times the 1,268 Price received.