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Lidstrom & Datsyuk Out Of ASG - Replacements Announced
by Paul on 01/21/09 at 08:42 AM ET
Comments (7)
ROBIDAS GOES HOME; PRICE BACKSTOPS HIS CLASSMATES; MARLEAU’S FABULOUS FIRST HALF NETS ALL-STAR NOD
NEW YORK (Jan. 21, 2009) – Having produced a marvelous first half of the 2008-09 season that has him fifth in the League with 24 goals, San Jose center Patrick Marleau now has a spot in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game to show for it. Having been named to the 2008 All-Rookie Team, Montreal goaltender Carey Price has chosen to do double-duty by coming to the aid of his class and will play goal for the sophomores in the 2009 NHL YoungStars Game presented by Upper Deck in addition to starting for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game.
Marleau and Dallas Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas have been named to the Western Conference team to replace injured Detroit Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom, respectively, in the 57th NHL All-Star Game in Montreal’s Bell Centre on Sunday.
Price received more votes than any goaltender in history in being chosen an All-Star starter by fans and will work the first period for the Eastern Conference Sunday evening. With the sophomores left without a goalie because of an injury to Los Angeles’ Erik Ersberg, Price will jump between the pipes for his classmates in their match against the League’s rookies during the 2009 Honda/NHL SuperSkills® on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, RDS, CBC, VERSUS, NHL Radio).
This will be the third All-Star Game appearance for Marleau, who also played in the 2004 and 2007 mid-winter classics. Robidas, a native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, will be making his NHL All-Star debut while returning home to the city where he broke into the league with the Canadiens.
“To be an All-Star anywhere would be great,” Robidas said. “But to play in Montreal, that will be something very special.”
Sophomores Dave Bolland of Chicago and David Perron of St. Louis and rookie goaltender Pekka Rinne of Nashville will experience how special an All-Star Weekend in Montreal can be when they join their respective YoungStars lineups Saturday night.
Bolland, who has scored eight goals with 17 assists and played to a plus-14 rating for the Blackhawks, will take the place of Boston’s Milan Lucic. Blues winger Perron, who has racked up 25 assists to go with five goals, will step in for Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom.
The place of Columbus’ Steve Mason in the rookies’ net will be taken by Nashville’s Rinne, who is 10-7 with a 2.33 goals against average and .916 save percentage.
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Tags: All-Star+Game,
Comments
Do remember, the NHL may have asked a few Wings if they wanted to participate but they could have declines like Rafalski did last season.
As a Wings fan, I look at this as a nice break for the whole team, allowing them to spend some down-time and re-charge their batteries.
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 01/21/09 at 09:11 AM ET
With the way players are picked right now, there should be another Wing on the team although I love the fact Marleau got in. Hossa would probably have been a good choice.
Good for Marleau though. He does deserve it
Posted by Matt Fry from Winnipeg on 01/21/09 at 09:13 AM ET
I’m fine with no Wings at the joke posing as an ASG. Let them rest. It’s not like I was going to watch the ASG with them there anyways. I may still watch the Skills Comp.
Posted by Primis on 01/21/09 at 12:54 PM ET
Yeah, no slack to Marleau, he truly deserves it.
Paul, you are probably right. And I agree, I think the whole team needs a little mental R&R if they are going to find the work ethic and concentration that can make them champions. The talent is as good as ever, but thus far, they have lacked the focus and determination in most games.
Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 01/21/09 at 01:18 PM ET
As a Wings fan, I look at this as a nice break for the whole team, allowing them to spend some down-time and re-charge their batteries.
That’s exactly what I was hoping for. Good news!
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/21/09 at 01:49 PM ET
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So much for the league trying to get a rep from each team. I think Hossa or Zetterberg deserve to replace Pav, and Rafalski DEFINITELY deserves an all-star nod regardless of Nick having to take the game off.
Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 01/21/09 at 08:48 AM ET