MONDAY, 11.29.2010 / 5:51 PM / 2011 NHL ALL-STAR GAME – By Adam Kimelman – NHL.com Staff Writer
If popularity can be judged solely by the All-Star voting totals, there might not be a more beloved player in the League than Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
Crosby, who entered the week with a League-best 40 points, is the runaway leader in the 2011 All-Star Fan Balloting, presented by XM, with 218,791 votes. He’s the first player in the League with more than 200,000 votes.
The 2011 NHL All-Star Game Presented by Discover will feature the Ultimate Fantasy Draft this year, where the All-Stars will pick their own teams from a pool of 42 players. Fans can vote six players into that pool: The top three forwards, two defenseman and goaltender from fan balloting will be guaranteed a roster spot at this year’s game, which will be hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Currently leading the forward race are Crosby, the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos and the Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith and the Flyers’ Chris Pronger are the top two defensemen, and the Canadiens’ Carey Price leads all goaltenders in voting that runs until Jan. 3, 2011.
While Crosby leading the forward race is no surprise, that Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has slipped out of the top three certainly raises some eyebrows.
NEW NHL ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT
* Fans will continue to play the lead role in the selection of All-Stars when 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting presented by XM launches on Monday, Nov. 15. The All-Star Balloting process, which is entirely digital for the fourth consecutive game, runs through Jan. 3.
* From a group of 100 players on the ballot, fans will vote for their top six All-Stars by position without regard to the Conference in which the player plays. Fans will also have the ability to write-in a player of their choice.
* The three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie receiving the most votes will be named NHL All-Stars.
* As with previous All-Star games, the remaining 36 All-Stars will be named by the NHL Hockey Operations Dept. for a total of 42 All-Star players (3 goalies, 6 defensemen and 12 forwards per team).
* Following the selection of All-Stars, NHL Hockey Operations will designate 12 NHL rookies to participate in the Honda NHL SuperSkills® on Saturday, January 29 for a total of 54 NHL players taking part in All-Star weekend.
* After the 42 NHL All-Stars have been selected, two captains will be chosen per team by the players.
* On Friday, January 28, 2011, a fantasy draft event will be held in Raleigh with all 54 NHL players (42 All-Stars and 12 rookies) during which the captains will draft the remaining members of their respective teams.
* First selection in the draft will be determined by coin flip and selections will continue on an alternating basis.
* Each team will be required to select three goalies, six defensemen and 12 forwards in any order they choose.
* After the selection of the All-Star game rosters, the captains will select among the 12 rookies to fill out the rosters for the Honda NHL SuperSkills.
* Each team will feature six rookies participating in various skills competitions.
* Teams will participate in six different skills, including NHL Fastest Skater, NHL Breakaway Challenge, Accuracy Shooting, Skills Challenge Relay, NHL Hardest shot and the NHL Elimination Shoot Out.
The Russian scoring sensation is one of the most dynamic goal-scorers of his generation. He has 10 goals in 25 games this season. However, he’s tied for second in the League with 22 assists and is third with 32 points as the Capitals once again have taken up residence at the top of the League’s standings.
With more than five weeks of voting to go, there’s ample opportunity for Ovechkin to state his case and make up the 21,000 votes that separate him from Stamkos.
Stamkos, who leads Toews for the second spot by just over 2,000 votes, arguably has been the best player in the League for the first quarter of the season. He leads the League with 21 goals and is second to Crosby with 39 points, despite playing one fewer game than Crosby.
The Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane is fifth among forwards, followed by the Canadiens Michael Cammalleri, the Flyers’ Mike Richards, the Penguins Evgeni Malkin, the Flyers’ Claude Giroux and the Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk.
While the names in play for the top three forward spots are among the younger players in the League, the battle for the top defense spots includes a pair of veterans.
Keith, the 2010 Norris Trophy winner, holds a slim lead on Pronger and the Red Wings’ Nicklas Lidstrom.
Keith has been better recently after a rough start, and has 15 points in 26 games while leading all players in ice time with an average of 27:35 per game. Only a scant 93 votes separate him from Pronger. The 36-year-old Philadelphia stalwart is going strong despite missing all of training camp and the first two games of the regular season following late-summer knee surgery. Since his return, he’s assumed the mantle of No. 1 defenseman in Philadelphia, and has 12 points and a plus-3 rating. Despite his knee issues, he’s second on the team at 22:24 of ice time per game.
Fewer than 3,000 votes behind Pronger is Lidstrom, the six-time Norris winner who at age 40 seems like he’s ready to add another trophy to his overflowing case. His 17 assists and 20 points are tied for fourth among all defensemen, and his 24:12 average ice time per game is a team-high.
The Penguins’ Kris Letang is fourth, followed by the Flyers’ Kimmo Timonen, the Kings’ Drew Doughty, the Blackhawks’ Brent Seabrook and Canadiens rookie P.K. Subban.
Price, who is having a comeback season for the Canadiens, has been rewarded with 145,726 votes, second only to Crosby among all players. It’s even more impressive when you realize he’s a write-in candidate.
Second to Price is Flyers Russian rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, another write-in candidate who trails Price by more than 29,000 votes.
The Penguins’ Marc-Andre Fleury is third, followed by the Blues’ Jaroslav Halak and the Bruins’ Tim Thomas.
(Photo by Shaun Best/Reuters)