Why I'll be watching the 2015 NHL All-Star game
- Lauren Lapka
- Jan 23, 2015
- 4 min read
Aside from hockey being one of the most entertaining sports to watch, there are a handful of other reasons you should tune in to the NHL All-Star game on Sunday. For one, being a chicago fan makes this argument easier. Five of the six All-Star players voted in by fans are some of Chicagos finest players. Also, the All-Star game gives you a chance to check out some of the leagues greatest players. Playing a team only twice a season can make it difficult to scope out some of the leagues top talent, so why not use this opportunity to check out the enemy. (For more on the scheduling matrix: Click here)
The overall vote winner (1,574,896) was Buffalo Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons. Blackhawks Jonathan Toews (1,217,210), Patrick Kane (1,232,201), Duncan Keith (1,198,173), Brent Seabrook (1,016,992), and Corey Crawford (1,099,504) round out the first six all-star players voted in by fans.
Captain serious was chosen to be an all-star captain alongside Columbus Blue Jackets winger Nick Foligno. Toews will be assisted by Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf and New York Rangers winger Rick Nash. Their team will be coached by Peter Laviolette of the Nashville Predators and wearing white (away). Foligno will be assisted by LA Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and Chicagos very own Patrick Kane. Their team will be coached by Darryl Sutter of the LA Kings and be wearing black (home).
Kane and Toews have played each other a few times in the olympic games, but it'll be interesting to see how they face each other in a leadership standpoint. The two sides will select their teams today at the 2015 NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft presented by DraftKings.
Here's a list of the players they will be chosing from:
FORWARDS
Patrice Bergeron- Boston Bruins center
Bobby Ryan- Ottawa Senators right wing
Claude Giroux- Philadelphia Flyers center
Ryan Johansen- Columbus Blue Jackets center
Jakub Voracek- Philadelphia Flyers right wing
Tyler Seguin- Dallas Stars center
Vladimir Tarasenko- St. Louis Blues right wing
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins- Edmonton Oilers center
Steven Stamkos- Tampa Bay Lightning center
Anze Kopitar- LA Kings center
Tyler Johnson- Tampa Bay Lightning center
Filip Forsberg- Nashville Predators center (rookie)
Phil Kessel- Toronto Maple Leafs right wing
Patrik Elias- New Jersey Devils center
Radim Vrbata- Vancouver Canucks right wing
John Tavares- New York Islanders center
Alex Ovechkin- Washington Capitals left wing
DEFENSEMEN
Oliver Ekman-Larsson- Arizona Coyotes
Shea Weber- Nashville Predators
Mark Giordano- Calgary Flames
Brent Burns- San Jose Sharks
Justin Faulk- Carolina Hurricanes
Kevin Shattenkirk- St. Louis Blues
Dustin Byfuglien- Winnipeg Jets
Ryan Suter- Minnesota Wild
GOALIES
Roberto Luongo- Florida Panthers
Marc-Andre Fleury- Pittsburgh Penguins
Carey Price- Montreal Canadiens
Brian Elliott- St. Louis Blues
Jaroslav Halak- New York Islanders
Unfortunately some big name players will not be participating. Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin are both suffering lower body injuries. This marks the fifth consecutive time Crosby will miss the all-star game because of a lower body injury. Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard is nursing a groin injury he suffered back on January 10. Kings rookie Tanner Pearson, Predators Pekke Rinne, Blue Jackets Sergei Bobrovsky, and Avalanches Erik Johnson will also miss the game due to injuries.
Not only do you get to enjoy some of the best hockey on sunday, BUT on Saturday.. the players will compete in the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition. You thought the NBA dunk contest was fun? Well in this skills competition you get to see star players go head to head in six different events. In the Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater event, four players from each team will race on a track that sits on the outside border of the ice. It's a two-skater race that awards the winner a point and the overall fastest skater an extra point. In the Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge players will show off their of puck handling with a touch of style. Each shooter will have 3 attempts. Following each turn, fans can vote via twitter for their favorite using a hashtag that corresponds to their choice. Four players from each team will participate in the DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting. They'll need to hit four 15-inch diameter targets inside the net. First to hit all four is the winner. There's even a good old fashioned relay! The Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay ia a timed event that will test a players one timers, passing, puck control, stick-handling, and goalie goals. The AMP NHL Hardest shot will measure slap shots in miles per hour to determine which player puts the most "oomf" in their shot. Finally, the Discover NHL Shootout will include all 48 players. Each player is given 10 seconds to take their shot which is officiated by NHL shootout rules.
The 2015 All-Star Draft starts tonight at 7pm central on NBCSN. The 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Competition is tomorrow at 6pm central on NBCSN. The2015 Honda NHL All-Star game is Sunday January 25 at 4pm on NBCSN.
For more information on the NHL All-Star Game visit http://www.nhl.com/ice/eventhome.htm?location=/allstar/2015
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