Final - 2OT
Four Canadiens highlight 57th NHL All-Star Game
Jan 24, 2009 - 11:28 AM West All-Stars at East All-Stars, 6:00 p.m. ESTMONTREAL (Ticker) -- A handful of representatives from the Montreal Canadiens will give fans a reason to exclaim, "Ce soir, nous faisons la fete" - in English, "Tonight, we celebrate" - when the widely acclaimed All-Star Weekend is punctuated on Sunday.
Four Canadiens will try to help the Eastern Conference All-Stars best the Western Conference for the second straight year in the NHL's 57th midseason gala at the Bell Centre.
Defensemen Mike Komisarek and Andrei Markov, East captain Alex Kovalev and goaltender Carey Price collected more than 5.675 million votes combined in the fan balloting, and will be in their conference's starting lineup on their own home ice.
"To be representing the Montreal Canadiens in the centennial season, this is a dream come true," Komisarek said. "To be here this weekend in Montreal, everyone knows how passionate this city is about hockey, so there's no better stage for people to come in and see some of the best players in the world."
Three natives of Montreal - Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning), and goaltenders Jean-Sebastien Giguere (Anaheim Ducks) and Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks) - will serve as attractions in the event, which is one of many the league has scheduled to honor the 100th anniversary of the Canadiens' franchise.
The Bell Centre also housed the number retirement of Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy in November and is slated to host the NHL draft in June.
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, who snapped Jaromir Jagr's record of 1,020,736 votes set in 2000, will miss the All-Star Game because of a left knee injury. Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis was elected to fill the vacant roster spot.
However, fellow Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin, the NHL's leader with 70 points, will also be a starter for the East.
Price, who is 16-5-5 with a 2.35 goals-against average this season, will have plenty of offensive support thanks to a list of snipers, including reigning Hart Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia's Jeff Carter and Atlanta captain Ilya Kovalchuk.
"I'm really excited, having the fans behind me, pushing me into that No. 1 spot, I really appreciate what the fans did for me," said Price, who earned 1,515,885 votes to edge fellow netminders Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist.
"They really beared down when the voting was pretty close and got me to where I am now."
The East's offensive unit also boasts New Jersey's Zach Parise, Buffalo's Thomas Vanek, Boston's Marc Savard, Ottawa's Dany Heatley and last season's All-Star Game MVP, Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Florida's Jay Bouwmeester, Boston's Zdeno Chara, New York Islanders' Mark Streit and Toronto's Tomas Kaberle will join Komisarek and Markov on the blue line.
"It's in Canada and Montreal is a huge hockey town - and it's the 100th anniversary, so it couldn't be in a better place," Chara said. "The fans will make it exciting because they will be very loud and that will make it a lot of fun."
In last season's contest, Staal scored two goals and set up another as the East rallied for an 8-7 triumph in Atlanta, but the West has plenty of fuel to avenge that setback.
The trio of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and defenseman Brian Campbell of the Chicago Blackhawks will anchor a first line also consisting Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf and blue-liner Scott Niedermayer.
Giguere will be in goal for the West despite his struggles this season. The 31-year-old is just 12-12-4 with a 3.08 GAA, but a strong following in his native city enabled him to receive 617,241 votes and get the nod over fellow All-Stars Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild and Luongo. The Canucks captain returned to the ice last week after being sidelined for more than seven weeks with a groin injury.
"We all know Montreal is a great city to play in and to come in to," Giguere said. "The guys were really excited to come and not only experience the All-Star Game but the city as well."
Los Angeles' Dustin Brown, Phoenix's Shane Doan, Colorado's Milan Hejduk and Calgary's Jarome Iginla also headline the West's offense while Dallas' Mike Modano, Columbus' Rick Nash, San Jose's Joe Thornton and St. Louis' Keith Tkachuk will also provide plenty of punch.
"It is special," "Thornton said. "This is going to be a great event; Montreal is perhaps the best hockey city in the world, so it's going to be a lot of fun. The All-Star Game is here, everybody's here, all the best players in the world are here - it's going to be a great, great weekend."
A pair of injured Detroit Red Wings stars, Pavel Datsyuk and veteran defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, each missed the All-Star Weekend festivities, triggering a league-issued suspension for Tuesday's regular-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Sharks captain Patrick Marleau was inserted into the West's lineup as a replacement for Datsyuk while Stars blue-liner Stephane Robidas will fill in for Lidstrom, a 10-time All-Star.
Veteran Dan Boyle, San Jose's third representative, joins Edmonton's Sheldon Souray and Nashville's Shea Weber on the defensive line.
In 2003, the game reverted back to its classic East versus West format and the two conferences have notched a pair of wins apiece since then.
After the All-Star Game was canceled in 2005 due to the lockout, the 2006 showcase was eliminated due to the Winter Olympic Games as part of the collective bargaining agreement. There will be no game in 2010, when Vancouver will host the World's Games.
- ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL FINAL IN 2ND OT 1ST 2ND 3RD OT 2OT TOTAL
--- --- --- --- --- -----
WESTERN CONF 2 6 3 0 0 11
EASTERN CONF 4 4 3 0 1 12 FINAL IN 2ND OT
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WES - KEITH TKACHUK 1 (RICK NASH, MILAN HEJDUK) 1:16
EAS - ALEX OVECHKIN 1 (MARC SAVARD) 6:26
EAS - ERIC STAAL 1 (JAY BOUWMEESTER, ALEXEI KOV
Western 11, Eastern 12 Final - 2OTJan 25 9:11 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL END OF 1ST OT 1ST 2ND 3RD OT TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
WESTERN CONF 2 6 3 0 11
EASTERN CONF 4 4 3 0 11 END OF THE 1ST OT
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WES - KEITH TKACHUK 1 (RICK NASH, MILAN HEJDUK) 1:16
EAS - ALEX OVECHKIN 1 (MARC SAVARD) 6:26
EAS - ERIC STAAL 1 (JAY BOUWMEESTER, ALEXEI K
Jan 25 9:05 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL END OF THE 3RD GOING INTO OT
1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
WESTERN CONF 2 6 3 11
EASTERN CONF 4 4 3 11 GOING INTO OT
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WES - KEITH TKACHUK 1 (RICK NASH, MILAN HEJDUK) 1:16
EAS - ALEX OVECHKIN 1 (MARC SAVARD) 6:26
EAS - ERIC STAAL 1 (JAY BOUWMEESTER, ALEXEI KOVALEV) 9:30
EAS - ILYA KOVALCHUK 1
Jan 25 8:58 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 11
EASTERN CONF 11
3RD PRD: EAS - JAY BOUWMEESTER 1 (ALEX OVECHKIN) 16:21
Western 11, Eastern 11 3rd - 3:39Jan 25 8:54 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 11
EASTERN CONF 10
3RD PRD: WES - PATRICK KANE 1 (RYAN GETZLAF) 15:19
Western 11, Eastern 10 3rd - 4:41Jan 25 8:53 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 10
EASTERN CONF 10
3RD PRD: EAS - MARTIN ST. LOUIS 2 (MARK STREIT, JAY BOUWMEESTER) 13:19
Western 10, Eastern 10 3rd - 6:41Jan 25 8:48 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 10
EASTERN CONF 9
3RD PRD: WES - JONATHAN TOEWS 1 (PATRICK KANE, SHELDON SOURAY) 2:32
Western 10, Eastern 9 3rd - 17:28Jan 25 8:31 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 9
EASTERN CONF 9
3RD PRD: EAS - DANY HEATLEY 1 (MARC SAVARD) 2:17
Western 9, Eastern 9 3rd - 17:43Jan 25 8:30 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 9
EASTERN CONF 8
3RD PRD: WES - SHANE DOAN 1 (MIKE MODANO, DUSTIN BROWN) 0:32
Western 9, Eastern 8 3rd - 19:28Jan 25 8:28 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
WESTERN CONF 2 6 8
EASTERN CONF 4 4 8 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WES - KEITH TKACHUK 1 (RICK NASH, MILAN HEJDUK) 1:16
EAS - ALEX OVECHKIN 1 (MARC SAVARD) 6:26
EAS - ERIC STAAL 1 (JAY BOUWMEESTER, ALEXEI KOVALEV) 9:30
EAS - ILYA KOVALCHUK 1 (
Jan 25 8:08 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 8
EASTERN CONF 8
2ND PRD: WES - JAROME IGINLA 1 (JOE THORNTON, PATRICK MARLEAU) 16:48
Western 8, Eastern 8 2nd - 3:12Jan 25 8:04 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 7
EASTERN CONF 8
2ND PRD: EAS - ALEXEI KOVALEV 1 (UNASSISTED) 13:36
Western 7, Eastern 8 2nd - 6:24Jan 25 7:55 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 7
EASTERN CONF 7
2ND PRD: WES - SHELDON SOURAY 2 (JOE THORNTON, PATRICK MARLEAU) 10:34
Western 7, Eastern 7 2nd - 9:26Jan 25 7:51 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 6
EASTERN CONF 7
2ND PRD: WES - MILAN HEJDUK 1 (DAN BOYLE, RICK NASH) 9:02
Western 6, Eastern 7 2nd - 10:58Jan 25 7:46 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 5
EASTERN CONF 7
2ND PRD: WES - RICK NASH 1 (UNASSISTED) 8:27
Western 5, Eastern 7 2nd - 11:33Jan 25 7:45 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 4
EASTERN CONF 7
2ND PRD: EAS - EVGENI MALKIN 1 (ERIC STAAL) 7:45
Western 4, Eastern 7 2nd - 12:15Jan 25 7:43 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 4
EASTERN CONF 6
2ND PRD: WES - DAN BOYLE 1 (SHANE DOAN, BRIAN CAMPBELL) 5:14
Western 4, Eastern 6 2nd - 14:46Jan 25 7:38 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 3
EASTERN CONF 6
2ND PRD: WES - SHELDON SOURAY 1 (MILAN HEJDUK) 3:49
Western 3, Eastern 6 2nd - 16:11Jan 25 7:34 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 2
EASTERN CONF 6
2ND PRD: EAS - ZACH PARISE 1 (MARTIN ST. LOUIS, MARK STREIT) 2:11
Western 2, Eastern 6 2nd - 17:49Jan 25 7:34 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 2
EASTERN CONF 5
2ND PRD: EAS - MARTIN ST. LOUIS 1 (TOMAS KABERLE) 1:21
Western 2, Eastern 5 2nd - 18:39Jan 25 7:33 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
WESTERN CONF 2 2
EASTERN CONF 4 4 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WES - KEITH TKACHUK 1 (RICK NASH, MILAN HEJDUK) 1:16
EAS - ALEX OVECHKIN 1 (MARC SAVARD) 6:26
EAS - ERIC STAAL 1 (JAY BOUWMEESTER, ALEXEI KOVALEV) 9:30
EAS - ILYA KOVALCHUK 1 (
Jan 25 7:10 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 2
EASTERN CONF 4
1ST PRD: WES - PATRICK MARLEAU 1 (JOE THORNTON, SCOTT NIEDERMAYER)
19:48
Western 2, Eastern 4 1st - 0:12Jan 25 7:09 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 1
EASTERN CONF 4
1ST PRD: EAS - ANDREI MARKOV 1 (ALEX OVECHKIN, MARC SAVARD) 19:23
Western 1, Eastern 4 1st - 0:37Jan 25 7:08 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 1
EASTERN CONF 3
1ST PRD: EAS - ILYA KOVALCHUK 1 (TOMAS KABERLE) 16:34
Western 1, Eastern 3 1st - 3:26Jan 25 7:02 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 1
EASTERN CONF 2
1ST PRD: EAS - ERIC STAAL 1 (JAY BOUWMEESTER, ALEXEI KOVALEV) 9:30
Western 1, Eastern 2 1st - 10:30Jan 25 6:50 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 1
EASTERN CONF 1
1ST PRD: EAS - ALEX OVECHKIN 1 (MARC SAVARD) 6:26
Western 1, Eastern 1 1st - 13:34Jan 25 6:43 PM - ALL STAR GAME
AT MONTREAL
NHL WESTERN CONF 1
EASTERN CONF 0
1ST PRD: WES - KEITH TKACHUK 1 (RICK NASH, MILAN HEJDUK) 1:16
Western 1, Eastern 0 1st - 18:44Jan 25 6:38 PM - Hellsage Forget about the 4 Canadiens in the game! It's in Montreal already. The Bruins, on the other hand, have 6 players. Nobody seems to shut up about the stupid Canadiens. Right now, Montreal (27-13-6, 60 pts) is in 2nd in the Northeast Division behind Boston (34-8-5, 73 pts). Hell, the B's are first in their division, conference, and even the entire NHL (although for the league, they're tied with the San Jose Sharks)! BRUINS WILL WIN THE STANLEY CUP!
Western vs. EasternJan 24 1:21 PM