Entries with the tag: all+star+game

Final Words on the ASG

by Alanah on 01/28/08 at 11:07 AM
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From Ray Slover at the Sporting News,

Young talent is, like cream, rising to the top. And like cream, it’s pretty sweet. They may struggle a bit with English, but Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Evgeni Malkin, Anze Kopitar and other 20-something foreign-born players have a language all their own. Better yet, it’s a common language, one shared by Eric Staal, Rick Nash and the cast of characters who have something to say. And it comes across loud and clear, even without poster-boy Sidney Crosby on the scene.

We saw plenty of the NHL’s future here and it, like the Georgia morning sun, is bright.

From Ken Campbell at The Hockey News,

It has been very easy and convenient to rip the NHL All-Star Game for, oh, the past 20 years or so, but for at least one night, the league and its players seemed to grasp the importance of showcasing its stars by actually staging a competitive game.

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Update 9:04pm ET: The THN story above was changed since I originally linked it.  An important feature near the top of the piece was Campbell’s concern about access to Eric Staal after the game.  There has been some suggestion that the original article was altered. Perhaps not a big deal, but it’s worth mentioning now because the allegations prompted this official response from Mike Sundheim of the Carolina Hurricanes later in the day.
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Finally, below is a transcript from post-game Q&A’s with All Star MVP Eric Staal and goalie Tim Thomas.

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ASG Memories: 1983 New York

by Alanah on 01/26/08 at 08:26 PM
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1983 All-Star Game – February 8, 1983, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY: Wayne Gretzky set an All-Star record with four goals in the third period.

Happy Birthday to Wayne today, on his 47th birthday.

All Star Fights

by Alanah on 01/26/08 at 05:09 PM
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From HockeyFights.com

With All-Star weekend upon us, we here at hockeyfights.com thought it would be pretty sweet if we took a glance at some of the notable scraps this seasons’s participants have been in. We know that not every All-Star has been in a fight over the course of their career so we’ve done our homework and singled out the players that have received a fighting major.

Today we take a look at some of those representing the Western Conference. Each player is listed in alphabetical order.

check it out... with links to video of their All Star Scraps. The Eastern Conference will be posted Sunday.

Alfredsson Having Fun

by Alanah on 01/26/08 at 03:51 PM
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From David Shoalts in the Globe & Mail blog,

“The game itself is the most fun,” he said on Friday. “Skills competition, I can’t say that I enjoy too much because I’m not really good at anything. The game is the most fun.”

Even more fun, Alfredsson said on Saturday, is just being at the game.

“It’s an ego trip, to be honest” he said. “Everyone tells you how great you are.”

more... on the skills event and thoughts on showboating.

note: a reminder that Steve will be hosting a LiveChat when the skills competition starts.

The Afternoon Line

by Alanah on 01/26/08 at 02:03 PM
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From Alyssa Milano at her NHL.com blog,

I actually bumped into Luc Robataille last night, and I haven’t seen Luc in probably 15 years. When he saw me, he said to me “I used to carry you around on my back!” because when I met him I was so little. When we spoke last night, I said “you know what? You were like my only high school friend. I never got to go to high school, so you’re like my only high school buddy!” He laughed.

note: more on Alyssa yesterday, as she promotes her line of NHL fashions at the ASG.

ASG Memories: 1991 Chicago

by Alanah on 01/26/08 at 01:50 PM
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1991 All-Star Game – January 19, 1991, Chicago Stadium: Just days into the Persian Gulf war, the Chicago faithful saluted their country during the U.S. anthem.

Tim Thomas Conference Call Transcript

by Alanah on 01/23/08 at 04:22 PM
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Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas participated in a NHL conference call with the media today.  His current record is 15-11-3 with one shutout, and his 2.38 GAA and .927 save percentage leads all NHL goaltenders.

Here is the transcript of the Q & A session.

Q.  I think for a lot of us, you’re sort of the poster boy for determined belief in yourself.  It’s been a long haul, and at one point there wasn’t room in the National Hockey League for you and now they have to make room for you in the All-Star Game.  Can you talk about this whole long experience that you’ve gone through?

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Jazzing Up the All Star Game

by Alanah on 01/21/08 at 12:27 PM
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From Scott Morrison at CBC,

A big part of it will be what they are calling a creative shootout, where players will be asked to perform wild and crazy shootout techniques and will be judged by a panel of celebrities, including Wilkins and Glavine, as well as some retired NHL stars. The idea is similar to a slam-dunk contest in basketball and, if it is done well, should be fun.

Yes, it is hokey and it isn’t purebred hockey, but what the hell? The whole idea of the skills night is about entertainment and in recent years, well, it hasn’t been very entertaining. So give the league, which has been working closely with the players’ association, credit for trying.

more... covering the various changes to the game this year

ASG Captains—Iginla and Lecavalier

by Alanah on 01/17/08 at 03:41 PM
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NEW YORK (Jan. 17, 2008)—Right wing Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and center Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning have been named team captains for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, Sunday, Jan. 27 at Philips Arena in Atlanta (6 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL Radio), the National Hockey League announced today.

Iginla, making his fourth career All-Star game appearance, will lead the Western Conference. Lecavalier, skating in his third All-Star Game, will represent the East. Each player, on-pace to record a career-high scoring total this season, was voted to the starting lineups in All-Star fan balloting.

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YoungStars Roster Announced

by Alanah on 01/15/08 at 12:43 PM
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NEW YORK (Jan. 15, 2008)— Rookie scoring leader Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and first-year defenseman Tobias Enstrom of the All-Star host Atlanta Thrashers headline the 16 ‘NHL YoungStars’ invited to the 2008 NHL All-Star Weekend, the National Hockey League announced today.

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Luongo Says “No” to All Star Game

by Alanah on 01/09/08 at 03:40 PM
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Update 9:15am PT, January 10th: Henrik Sedin makes the All Star team.  Nifty.

From TSN,

With travel demands and his wife expecting a baby, the Vancouver Canucks have allowed netminder Roberto Luongo to skip the NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 26 and miss the team’s first game back after the break.

Luongo’s wife Gina is expecting their first child later in the spring and the couple plans to spend their time off at their offseason home in Fort Lauderdale.

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Buying Votes

by Paul on 11/29/07 at 09:55 AM
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from NHL Digest,

If a fan feels that a player deserves to be in the All-Star Game, the fans should vote accordingly. Fans should not be influenced by the lure of autographed merchandise, tickets and/or other prizes.

It is one thing for creative fans to try to hustle votes, but an entirely different thing for an organization to attempt to essentially buy votes for its players.

What do you think?

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Gonchar Plays Like an All Star, but…

by Alanah on 11/20/07 at 12:43 AM
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From Rob Rossi at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

Gonchar is not listed on its All-Star ballot.  According to a league spokesperson, the hockey operations department has the final decision on the All-Star ballot, which was finalized at the end of October and based on performance from previous seasons.

Gonchar ranked second, eighth, first and second (tied) in scoring by defensemen after each of the past four seasons.

“And I would still definitely say he is underrated,” defenseman Ryan Whitney said. “But players know how good he is, and that is what is important to him.”

Gonchar is the only current defenseman to record at least 50 points in each of the past seven seasons.  He has scored more goals (104) than any defenseman dating to 2000, and his 385 points during that span are second to only Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom, who has 391.

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Rossi also notes that Gonchar currently has 19 points through 20 games this season—tied for first among all NHL defensemen.

All Star Campaigns

by Alanah on 11/19/07 at 06:02 PM
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Behind the scenes as the Boston Bruins prepare their All Star Campaign, with comedian Lenny Clarke. (The Bruins are also starting to build a collection of photos on Flickr dedicated to getting the fans out voting.)

More Youtube video campaigns for other teams and players can be seen here, with more to come, no doubt.  To vote for your favorite players be sure to cast your ballot soon.

Who Is On The ASG Ballot

by Paul on 11/06/07 at 12:05 PM
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from NHL.com,

A League-high six players from the defending Eastern Conference champion and 2007-08 top-ranked Ottawa Senators have been named to the ballot in XM/NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports, which opens Nov. 13.

The Senators, off to the League’s best start with a 12-1-0 record, are represented by forwards Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, the League’s top-scoring trio in both the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs in 2006-07; defensemen Chris Phillips and Wade Redden, teammates on the Senators blueline since 1997-98; and goaltender Ray Emery, who is making his first appearance on the All-Star ballot after backstopping the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

continued & uh-oh, no Homer Detroit fans....