Chris Nichols

­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.

@Nichols_NHLPool on Twitter for timely NHL & poolie info, along with occasionally snarky comments.

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There are only four games tonight, so let's use today's Hockey Hearsay to go around the league and get some reaction to the naming of the All-Star roster.

Carey Price is on a pace to play more than 70 games this season, but he told The Montreal Gazette he was excited to add another 20 minutes of activity to his schedule.

The Canadiens' goaltender is one of 36 players selected to join the six starters for the National Hockey League All-Star Game to be played Jan. 30 in Raleigh, N.C.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Price, who had a rare break last night when Alex Auld was tabbed to face the Rangers. "It's kind of a fun event. I had fun at the last event in Montreal. It's a special time of the year. You get to spend some time with guys from other teams that normally you love to hate."

There have been some suggestions that Price had too good a time when the game was held in Montreal and his play suffered during the second half of the season. But Price rejected a suggestion that it might be better if he had a chance to take time off during the four-day all-star break.

"It's in Carolina, so I'm sure it's going to be a pretty relaxed atmosphere," Price said.

"It won't be as crazy as Montreal. While I'm there I'll try to get as much rest as possible and keep in mind that the season's still going."

On the new format: "It's an interesting format because you get the players involved. It's like shinny hockey out in your backyard. You just don't want to be the last guy picked."

The Vancouver Province had these reactions from Canucks Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler of their All-Star nods and from Roberto Luongo, who was not selected:

"It's fine," shrugged Luongo. "It gives me a chance to go home and tidy everything up and come back to Vancouver with the family," he said of heading to Florida for the all-star break to see his wife and two young children.

On the possibility of the twins being split up for the big game: "It could happen, but we're fine with it," said Henrik. "There are a lot of good players out there, so it's not a big deal."

But what if Daniel is on the other team and wants to take a run at his brother? Wayne and Keith Primeau once fought in an NHL All-Star Game.

"If it happens," I'll beat him up," chuckled Daniel.

And which twin should a captain choose first?

"I'd pick Henrik," said Daniel. "He was MVP, so I guess you have to go with him."

As for Kesler, The Province points out he's having a career season and has already registered the first two hat-tricks of his career. Being on the league's top-ranked power play has helped the centre amass 40 points in 41 games, including 23 goals.

"It's going to be fun," said Kesler. "I'm just going to take it all in and it's an experience I'm going to relish. When you have the twins and Louie, I wouldn't have imagined it in a million years that I would make it. To get the nod is pretty special."

The Toronto Sun writes that Leafs winger Phil Kessel does not think his 2010-11 season is as troubled as some have made it out to be and the National Hockey League agrees. Kessel rolled out of bed Tuesday to discover he’s the Maple Leafs’ lone representative for the all-star game.

He’s a bit of a surprise choice given all three members of the first line, Mikhail Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin had the same or more points than Kessel’s 30 before Tuesday’s game and all have out-played him. But Kessel is on fire of late and was Toronto’s leading scorer with 18 goals on Tuesday morning when NHL hockey operations made its final picks.

“It’s been hot and cold, but it’s not terrible right,” Kessel said of his season, the second straight where his progress is constantly measured against the expensive deal the Leafs made with Boston to acquire him.

“I’ve been scoring lately, but a lot of guys on our team have been. You don’t get here without your teammates. A lot of guys on our team are having big years and deserve this, too.”

The Sun notes that Kessel had seven goals in the Leafs’ first eight games, went south with a pair of 0-for-7 slumps, then had two in eight, but bagged four in three during the club’s three-game winning streak to Tuesday.

“You stick with what you know,” said Kessel, who scored last night and now has 115 goals in 334 games NHL games, 49 in 112 as a Leaf. “Goals will come in bunches if you keep getting chances.

On the subject of team captains picking sides: “I don’t think it really matters,” Kessel added. “Someone has to get picked last. What are you going to do? It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The Calgary Herald notes that as expected, Jarome Iginla got his annual nod.

And, as expected, he was mighty humble.

"Definitely an honour to be selected," said Iginla.

No member of the Calgary Flames has been tabbed more often for all-star appearances than the right-winger. With six notches (2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010), Iginla equals Al MacInnis and Theoren Fleury for the franchise lead.

Iginla agreed that the new format is intriguing, but acknowledges that the thrills are coming at the players' expense.

"You need thick skin if you're the last selected," said Iginla. "It should be fun for fans watching . . . curious to see what type of team each guy picks, the line combos, and how it's going to work. It's good they're trying something different. That way, things don't get old, too."

The Herald says that Iginla does appreciate the recognition of being named to the team.

Especially as the winters flip by.

"Careers go fast," said the 33-year-old. "It's something, looking back, I've been fortunate enough to be a part of. It's nice. You go to the game and there's no pressure. You want to play well, but it comes down to enjoying yourself. It's one of the rare times when it's just about having fun - or, at least, 99 per cent of it is, till the last five minutes . . . and you get pretty competitive."

According to The Edmonton Journal, Oilers winger Ales Hemsky didn’t like his odds of playing in the NHL all-star game in Raleigh, N.C., so he planned a trip to Las Vegas with his girlfriend. Instead, Hemsky will be in North Carolina after he was one of the 36 NHL head office selections after fans voted in the six starters.

“I don’t know how I got there, but I am happy to experience it for the first time,” said Hemsky, who has only played 28 games with the Edmonton Oilers this season, missing 13 with a groin muscle tear.

He was chosen once before for the YoungStars game, which has been scrapped because it was a useless exercise of four-on-four shinny, but he was hurt. He can’t remember where or when or what part of his anatomy was sore.

“I think it was my back,” he said.

The Journal points out that Oilers coach Tom Renney leans on Hemsky, playing him more than any other forward (an average of 18 minutes and 55 seconds). He is one of Renney’s few plus forwards (plus-two).

“I like Ales’s committment to 200 by 85, playing the whole ice,” said Renney. “You hope when there’s a bit of a change in a team and the team is trying to redefine itself, that players will step up and Ales certainly has.”

Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle figured to be part of the rookie skills contest along with 10 others.

“Our two young fellas have been everything we asked of them to this point of the season,” said Renney.

The Ottawa Citizen relays that when Erik Karlsson was told on Tuesday morning that coach Cory Clouston wanted to see him, the 20-year-old Swedish defenceman thought Clouston was going to tell him he wouldn't be playing against the Boston Bruins.

"Every time someone says they want to talk to you, you've got to expect the worst," said Karlsson.

"Then you're prepared for anything. You never know.

"Same thing when I was in school and the principal wanted to talk to you, you expected the worst. Sometimes you came out of there and you had it right, and sometimes you had it wrong."

On Tuesday, he had it very wrong.

He couldn't have even guessed, because he never expected that, in only his second season, he would be selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game. Daniel Alfredsson, the team's leading scorer, seemed to be the leading contender.

"I didn't see it coming at all," Karlsson admitted to The Citizen. "It didn't even cross my mind. I made other plans (for that weekend) some time back, but they don't matter much right now.

"Obviously, when I got the announcement, I was very, very happy. I mean, it's a great feeling to be selected, to play for an all-star team. It's something I never thought I would be a part of, especially this early in my career.

"Right now, I don't think I really understand that I'm going there."

Head coach Cory Clouston defended Karlsson's defence on Tuesday, saying he is getting a lot better at that part of his game.

"(Karlsson) is one of the best young skilled defencemen in the league," he said. "But right now we have no problem matching him up against the top lines, as well.

"He has had, for the most part, a real solid first part of the season. He has been a big part of our team, and credit to him for the strides he has made as a player."

“Enstrom has been great,” Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this season about the Thrashers’ top-scoring defencemen and alternate captains. “When Buff is up and gets caught Toby saves the day. They are a great pair together – the big guy and the little guy. Toby is so good without the puck, but he’s good when he gets it. He’s composed with it and he holds it and gives Buff a chance to wind up and get going. Together they have been wonderful. They are like Mutt and Jeff and it’s been wonderful to watch.”

The Boston Globe writes that Tim Thomas, who may be halfway to his second Vezina Trophy in three years, got the news yesterday that surprised nobody.

On Jan. 30 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., Thomas will participate in the All-Star Game for the third time in his career. He was the winning goalie in the last two All-Star Games, in 2008 and 2009. There was no game last season because of the NHL’s participation in the Winter Olympics.

After last night’s 6-0 shutout over Ottawa, Thomas has a 1.77 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage, setting the pace among all league goalies. Following his 31-stop performance, Thomas now has a league-best six shutouts, one better than the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist.

Zdeno Chara will accompany Thomas to Raleigh and this will be Chara’s fifth All-Star Game appearance.

“Those guys have done well in this league,’’ said coach Claude Julien. “They deserve it. Certainly Tim’s year is worthy of it. Zdeno, same thing. He’s a well-respected defenceman in this league and considered one of the best.’’

At the last three All-Star Games, Chara has won the hardest shot competition. In 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, he recorded a 105.4-m.p.h. cannon to win for the third straight time. By winning the competition, Chara also raised money for Right to Play, the Toronto-based charity he supports.

Tyler Seguin was one of 12 rookies selected to participate in the SuperSkills competition Jan. 29. Seguin will join Taylor Hall, selected by Edmonton one slot before him in the 2010 draft last June. Seguin showed off his hands last night with his under-the-bar snap shot at 15:26 of the second period to give the Bruins a 5-0 lead.

“Tyler, everybody knows his potential,’’ Julien said. “He’s a first-year player that has a nice future ahead of him. He’s going to have an opportunity to showcase his skills.’’

The Boston Herald looked at the possibility that Thomas and Chara could face each other on different teams with this year's format.

“I win, he loses,” dead-panned Thomas.

“It is fun and the way it’s worked out for me in both games I was in, it was the third period and they were tight games. It ends up getting competitive and this year with the new format it might get more competitive.”

The Raleigh News & Observer believes that everyone associated with the Hurricanes believed their star goaltender deserved to play in the Jan. 30 All-Star Game at the RBC Center. His numbers were up to snuff and it was his home arena. At the same time there was stiff competition at the position, and Ward's selection for his first All-Star Game appearance wasn't assured.

On Tuesday, the NHL announced the full 42-player pool of all-stars, and Ward was named. The guessing over and the tension eased a bit, Ward could joke about the often wide-open and high-scoring all-star games, saying they're not "goalie friendly" and letting Canes coach Paul Maurice add a punch line:

"It's a big honor for him and I'd be really happy if they decided not to play him. It'd be perfect: make the team and then sit on the bench and watch it."

Ward said: "Obviously, I'm pretty excited. You know it's pretty special to be recognized as an All-Star in this league. ... Being my first All-Star appearance, that's one thing. And to have it in your home building is going to be a special experience."

Eric Staal, the MVP of the 2008 All-Star Game, will be making his fourth straight appearance, a franchise record. Another all-star selection this year is brother Marc Staal, a Rangers defenceman, who will be playing in his first All-Star Game.

"It's an honour every time," Eric Staal said. "You want to be recognized among the elite of the league. For me to be a part of that this year is an incredible honor especially being in our home building in front of our fans and enjoy the experience."

The Honda SuperSkills competition will be held Jan. 29 at the RBC Center and Jeff Skinner said it was "pretty surreal" he would be a part of it and the All-Star Weekend festivities. Skinner, the youngest player in the league, leads NHL rookies in scoring this season but was stumped when asked what skill competition might be his best.

"I have to do a process of elimination of the skills I can't do," he said, smiling. "I don't have a really hard shot and I'm not an incredibly fast skater. Maybe it's accuracy shooting. I'm not sure."

The Chicago Tribune indicates that Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane were named NHL All-Stars on Tuesday, joining teammates Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews, who were among six players voted in by the fans. With Joel Quenneville and assistant Mike Haviland slated to coach one of the teams during the Jan. 30 game in Raleigh, N.C., the event will feature plenty of defending Stanley Cup champions.

"I'm proud to represent the Blackhawks," Sharp said. "If you look around our room, a lot of guys should be going, so it's an honor that I've been chosen. I've gotten better every year. It's always nice to be rewarded with this kind of individual accomplishment.

"I knew I had a chance to go, but you try not to concern yourself with that too much. You do what you can on the ice to help your team and if those perks come along, then it's a bonus."

As one of the faces of the NHL and one of its top players, Kane gained a selection despite a slow start offensively that was exacerbated by a left ankle injury that caused him to miss eight games. The winger finished fifth among forwards in fan voting.

"It has been an up-and-down season between not starting off real great and the injury," said Kane, who will make his second All-Star appearance. "I've proved before I can be an All-Star-caliber player and that was probably why I got selected.

"One of the things about us is we have a lot of skilled payers and a lot of players the fans like to watch play. It goes a long way in the type of selections for this kind of game."

The Tribune observes that the selection of Sharp, who wasn't on the fan's ballot of 100 players despite his past success and big start to this season, was received well in the Hawks dressing room.

"He's definitely as deserving as probably anyone who's going to the game," said Kane, who has 13 goals and 20 assists in 35 games. "He's been our go-to guy this year, a guy who's pretty much scoring game in and game out for us. I'm very happy for him."

Added Quenneville: "(Sharp is) very deserving. It's good to see him go and Kane go as well. Sharp has elevated his game to the point where he's getting some consideration to be among the best in the league."

The Denver Post passes on that Avs centre Matt Duchene professed to be surprised — at least by the timing.

"I didn't know they were naming it today, so it was a great surprise to come into this morning," the Avalanche second-year pivot said Tuesday after getting word that he was selected for the Jan. 30 NHL All-Star Game at the Carolina Hurricanes' RBC Center at Raleigh, N.C.

Duchene, who turns 20 on Sunday, leads the Avalanche in scoring, with 43 points, on a team-high 18 goals and 25 assists. He had acknowledged making the All-Star Game was one of his goals this season. "It's a great honor, and it's always nice to meet your goals," he said. "Of course, you make new ones too. This is a great little thing here, but I just want to push it aside for a little while and focus on the task at hand here."

Duchene will be the youngest Avalanche representative ever in the All-Star Game. But when the franchise was the Quebec Nordiques, Owen Nolan was in the 1992 game at 19 years, 340 days, and Joe Sakic was in the 1990 game at 20 years, 198 days.

The Columbus Dispatch notes that this will be Rick Nash's fifth consecutive selection.

"It's fun to go represent the city, the organization, ownership and mainly the players," the Jackets captain said. "They're the ones who got me here."

First-year coach Scott Arniel offered this: "I saw him on highlights in years past. It's different live. He's better live. To me, he's one of the top 10 forwards in the league."

Nash is reserved. He is measured. He is not demonstrative. For this, he has been criticized as an ineffectual captain. If the room needs a shake, why doesn't Nash grab some collars?

To this, Arniel said, "He's evolving into the leader we want. He is becoming more vocal. Most important, he wants to make a difference. He's not just scoring in 3-1 losses, he's scoring when it's 2-2 in the third period. He wants to win. He wants to win here. And if he was gone, people would miss him. Oh, they would miss him."

The Dallas Morning News reports that while Brad Richards won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs for Tampa Bay back in 2004, he has struggled at times to get the big honours. This is his first All-Star Game and he was not invited to Team Canada's Olympic camp last season. Now, he's mentioned among the top centres in the NHL who was a slam dunk for the All-Star Game. Loui Eriksson, meanwhile, has gone from an inconsistent forward who was afraid to shoot the puck to the eighth leading scorer in the NHL.

"They are very deserving,'' said Stars coach Marc Crawford. "They've played very well all year, they've been consistent all year, they've scored well all year, they've been plus players, which is a huge improvement over last year. So it's' hard to find any faults from those players.''

Combined with James Neal, Richards and Eriksson have been the Stars' top offensive line for the past two seasons plus. Richards ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring with 49 points, while Eriksson is eighth at 45. That's a combination that has some comparing their chemistry to best duos in the league.

"He's a great player, and we have just learned to play well together,'' Richards said. "For some reason, it works on the ice and we've become good friends. He's grown up a lot and learned this style. This year, he's really found his shot and we just keep feeding him.''

Eriksson had this to say to The Morning News: "It's going to be my first time to go there, and I'm going there with Richie, so it's going to be awesome. I've been playing with him for two years, and it has worked out well. When you give it to him, you try to get open and get some space, because you know he will give it back.''

Crawford said Eriksson has done a great job of learning from Richards.

"Loui is really an intelligent, smart player, and he's underrated maybe because he's like a lot of the Swedish players who push off any notoriety and are very team oriented,'' Crawford said. "We're really pleased to have him here, and he also recognizes the situation. He's playing with a great giving centreman, and not only in puck distribution. Brad is phenomenal in sharing information and schooling both of the young wingers that he's playing with.''

Michigan Live says that off to one of the best starts of his 19-year career, Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom was selected Tuesday for the NHL All-Star Game, to nobody’s surprise. He's a strong candidate to be named a captain.

“I think it will be some tough decisions, but on the other side it will be fun, too, to do something different,” Lidstrom said. “I like the way they changed things up from what we’ve seen in the past.”

He added: “It’s always an honour to be part of something like that. I’ve had a chance to do it a lot of times in the past, so it’s fun.”

The article notes that Henrik Zetterberg was not picked due to the sore back he has been nursing for two weeks, which will benefit with rest during the break. The ailment hasn’t prevented Zetterberg from elevating his play in the absence of injured teammates Pavel Datsyuk and Danny Cleary. Zetterberg has an 11-game points streak (six goals, 10 assists) that coincides with Datsyuk’s absence.

Coach Mike Babcock said Zetterberg has taken it upon himself to step up.

“It’s called will, just determination,” Babcock said. “To me, he’s always a determined guy. He’s been really determined now.

“He’s had a few games where his back was sore, but he seems to be healthy, and when he’s healthy, he’s a good player. If you can keep the games close, like we’ve done on the road ... the determined guys’ wills really come out when the game’s on the line.”

LA Kings Insider notes that Anze Kopitar previously played in the 2008 All-Star Game in Atlanta. Kopitar, the Kings’ leading scorer this season, ranks in the top 10 in the NHL in points and assists and was the Kings’ lone selection for the game.

KOPITAR: “It’s definitely an honor, being selected to that group of players that is going to be there. You don’t really have to explain it. You just have to look at the guys who are on the roster. It’s a big honor for me, and I’m going to have some fun there.”

The All-Star experience goes by quickly. The Kings play on Jan. 26, a Wednesday, and then Kopitar will fly to North Carolina for the weekend festivities before preparing to resume his season with the Kings when they play on Feb. 1, a Tuesday.

KOPITAR: “It goes quick. This time around, I think I’m going to enjoy it a little more than I did the first time. Obviously I enjoyed it the first time too, but I really want to soak it in as much as I can, because you never know when it’s going to happen again. You just want to make the most of it.”

Kopitar also got the strong endorsement of Kings coach Terry Murray…

MURRAY: “Kopi making the All-Star team, I think that’s well-earned. He’s had a great start to the year. In particular, in the last 20 games he has really come alive, but up big numbers. He’s the kind of player that we, as a franchise, identify with. We’re hitching our wagons, as they say, to him, and he’s not shy to shoulder the responsibility and take on the workload every day in practice, every day in the game. I’m real happy for him. It’s recognition well earned.”

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune says All-Star Games are typically not fun for defencemen, not when there's a wave of superstars like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos just salivating to take the puck and barrel down the ice.

"I'll probably try to keep my jock on for the weekend," joked the happy-go-lucky Brent Burns, who was "superexcited" and "pretty nervous" to be selected Tuesday to play in his first All-Star Game on Jan. 30 in Raleigh, N.C.

"It'll be tough. I won't have 'Hammer' [defense partner Nick Schultz] to bail me out all the time."

Burns' real reason for nerves? Instead of East vs. West, the NHL will simulate a backyard game by having captains pick their teams during a live draft Jan. 28 on Vs.

"Little British Bulldog [like as a kid]," said Burns, 25. "That won't be that fun. We'll see how it goes. It'll be interesting, I guess. Good for the fans and stuff, but probably not for a couple guys waiting."

The Star-Tribune believes it's obvious every day that Burns is happy and healthy again. Not only is he playing well, but he's back to his old jovial self, hooting and hollering, keeping the locker room and practices loose.

Last year, he looked miserable.

"Brent is a big part of the atmosphere in the room," General Manager Chuck Fletcher said. "He loves to practice, loves to play, loves to travel, he loves everything about professional hockey. Over a long season, that helps the energy level of our group. He's got a passion for the game that separates him from a lot of people."

Burns originally planned to take his wife, Susan, to Cancun for All-Star Weekend, and on Tuesday morning he had to break the news to her that trip was canceled.

"She doesn't really get it. She wanted to go to Mexico," Burns said, laughing.

The Nashville Tennessean says that Shea Weber was named Nashville's lone All-Star representative for theJan. 30 game. It will be Weber's second All-Star appearance. He played in the 2009 game in Montreal.

"Last time was a blast," Weber said. "Montreal did an awesome job of putting the All-Star game on, so it's something different to go over there and meet some of the guys you play against and have fun doing it."

Predators Coach Barry Trotz said injuries might have played a role in defenceman Ryan Suter and goaltender Pekka Rinne not making the team. Rinne missed time with a lower-body injury and sat out three weeks in December after knee surgery. Suter missed 11 games with a knee injury.

"Shea definitely is worthy, and I think, in my mind, (Suter) and (Rinne) are as well. That would be my unofficial All-Star team," Trotz said. "I just think they're the top people in their positions, and right up with the best in the league. It's a little disappointing we didn't get more than one. But Shea is going and well-deserved."

In the 2009 All-Star skills competition, Weber finished second in the hardest-shot competition at 103.4 mph. It was the third-hardest shot in the history of the event.

"Shea brings the big shot," Trotz said. "He brings leadership, he brings the physicality, he brings all the things that you want that drives our team. He's a real ultimate pro."

Patrik Elias offered this to The Star-Ledger on his selection, for which he was honoured: “It’s just a weird situation,” Elias said. “Do I feel good about my game? Yeah. Do I deserve to be one of the top 20 guys in the Eastern Conference? I don’t think so. Just because of this team’s results this season.”

The 11-29-2 Devils stand last overall.

Elias, cited as the team’s best player this season by coach Jacques Lemaire, leads the Devils in scoring with 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists). Most of his teammates feel he’s played better than his stats.

“If the team isn’t doing well it doesn’t show in the stats, obviously,” Elias acknowledged. “But you have guys who have more than 40 or 50 points and their teams are winning, so those guys deserve to be there. It’s just reality.”

According to The New York Post, Marc Staal, the first Rangers' defenceman other than Brian Leetch to be named to play in an NHL All-Star Game since Kevin Lowe in 1993, wants no part of playing on the same team as big brother Eric if he can help it.

Chances are that the elder Staal, the Carolina captain who likely will be named captain of one of the teams for the match that will be played in Raleigh on Jan. 30, and thus will be in position to either choose or not choose his younger brother in the Jan. 28 Fantasy Draft during which the sides will be selected.

And if Eric can help it, Team Staal will not be united.

The fix apparently is in.

"We talked about that," Marc Staal said before last night's 2-1 loss at the Garden to Montreal. "I don't think I could handle being on his team.

"He's too mouthy."

In all seriousness though, The Post points out that Marc Staal, who will turn 24 tomorrow, is evolving into a dominant shutdown defenceman playing alongside partner Dan Girardi. Staal entered last night's match eighth in the league in ice time per game, at 25:29. He had averaged 27:38 over the previous 14 games, hitting the 30-minute mark, four times. He played 25:26 last night.

"Over the last month or so, I've been playing a lot more, kind of hopping over the bench on every other shift," said Staal, who is in his fourth season. "I'm still learning, and hopefully I'll get better, but I've been feeling good and confidence is a big part of that."

Coach John Tortorella said this: "Marc has grown as a player. It's not just on defence, which is his strength, but on offense and with his leadership.

"He's played against pretty good forwards on opposing teams. And he's still a young man."

Also in that Post piece was a note that while Henrik Lundqvist was selected for his second All-Star experience (2009 in Montreal, where The King allowed six goals in 20 minutes), Derek Stepan was chosen as one of the 12 rookies who will participate in the Saturday night skills competition.

"It's definitely going to boost my confidence," Stepan said. "But you have to make sure you keep a level head, you don't want to get too far ahead of yourself. I have to make sure I stay focused and still continue to play hard.

I've worked very hard to get to where I am today. I've been blessed with great opportunity, and for me this is something that I will take to heart and make sure I continue to play hard and continue to grow as a player."

Someone asked Stepan which of the skills events he was most looking forward to. The centre laughed.

"I would normally say the shootout, but since I'm 0-for-4 this year, I don't know," he said. "I'm just excited to get down there. It's going to be a fun atmosphere. It's going to be a great experience."

"It's a great honor," Claude Giroux told The Philadelphia Inquirer of being named to the All-Star team. "You only dream about it as a kid, and I never thought it would be possible, but we're having a good season."

"This has been a year where he's made his mark in the league," coach Peter Laviolette said. "His first full year in the league [last season], he was trying to figure it out. But when we got to the playoffs, he showed he was a tremendous competitor and somebody who could compete in the highest of situations, pressure situations. He came in this year and just continued what he did in the playoffs."

Giroux was surprised he was the Flyers' lone representative. Danny Briere, Mike Richards, and Kimmo Timonen were strong candidates. Defenceman Chris Pronger probably would have been added if he hadn't suffered a broken right foot.

"So many guys on this team could have been there easily," Giroux said. "I feel I'm pretty lucky to be there."

Peter Laviolette, who will serve as co-coach of one of the all-star teams, took the selections in stride.

"There are lots of guys in here who are having great years," he said. "I'm happy for Claude. That's well-deserved. I think our success comes from a lot of different players. There's lots of [our] guys that could have gone, but I'm sure other teams think the same way. I'm sure the decision-making gets tough when you're talking about so many different players - and great players."

Laviolette said his players didn't need to be named all-stars for the Flyers to know their worth to the team.

"We're a balance of lines, we're a balance on defence, and we rely on our goaltenders," he said. "I think that is our strength - we rely on everybody. We rely on the entire group."

The San Jose Mercury News says Dan Boyle will be the only Shark competing in the NHL All-Star game later this month, the first time in seven years that only one San Jose player will be playing.

He isn't likely to be the only Shark in Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 28 and 29, however, as Logan Couture -- who had to leave Tuesday night's game against Toronto with a lower body injury -- was among 12 rookies chosen to join the all-stars in the weekend skills competition.

While Boyle did express his gratitude for being included in the game's talent pool, he did express a few misgivings about the format being used this year that divides the players into two teams based on a public draft.

"The draft seems to be the talk of the all-star game -- who's going to go where and when, who doesn't want to be the last guy," Boyle said. "I guess that's fun for the fans and the media, not so much for the players."

The article points out that Boyle, 34, will be taking part in his second all-star game. He and two other Sharks -- Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau -- competed in 2009 in Montreal. The last time the Sharks only had one player in the game itself was 2004, Marleau's first of three appearances.

Couture, who leads all NHL rookies with 19 goals and had to be considered a shoo-in for the event, said it was an honour to be chosen.

"There's a lot of great rookies in the league this year, so to be part of that's going to be a lot of fun," the 21-year-old centre said after the morning skate.

"It hasn't sunk in that I've been chosen," David Backes, 25, said in a statement on Stlblues.com. "It's a dream come true, obviously."

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Backes will be the Blues' lone player at the All-Star festivities. Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak earned the most votes of any Western Conference goaltender by the fans, but he didn't earn one of the top-six spots, and he was not chosen by the league's hockey ops department.

Backes, who signed a five-year, $22.5 million extension this season, perhaps cemented his All-Star status in the past few weeks. He scored another goal in Monday's 4-3 loss to Phoenix, giving him 12 goals and a team-high 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) this season. He has five goals in his last seven games and he has nine points (five goals, four assists) in his last eight games.

"David has been a key player for this team and he deserves this honor," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "He's a true professional and the St. Louis Blues are proud to have him represent the organization at this year's All-Star game."

The Tampa Tribune says Steven Stamkos, 20, will make his All-Star debut three seasons after the Lightning selected him No.1 overall in the draft. Martin St. Louis, 35, will make his team-record sixth appearance.

"It's pretty surreal," said Stamkos, the league's second-leading scorer with 57 points and 31 goals. "You watch a lot of All-Star Games growing up, and just to say that you're an All-Star in the NHL … I definitely didn't envision it this early in my career, but it's something you definitely dreamed of as a kid, whether it was playing on the pond or road hockey."

St. Louis will make his sixth consecutive appearance in the game. He was selected as a starter in 2003-04.

"It's an honour to be a part of that game," said St. Louis, who ranks fifth in the league in scoring with 53 points and is second with 35 assists. "Not just for me but my family will get to enjoy it, especially now that my kids are getting older and older.

"My two oldest (children) are 7 and 5 and they've been asking me the last month if we're going to play in the All-Star Game."

Stamkos and St. Louis could be playing against each other with this year's new format.

"I think I'll be able to know where the puck's going when he has it the majority of the time if we're against each other, so hopefully I can be out there against him and maybe shut him down," Stamkos joked.

The Washington Post indicates that the game will mark Alex Ovechkin's fourth all-star appearance, one short of the Capitals' record of five held by Peter Bondra, while Mike Green will be a first-time participant. It also will be the first time Washington has had two representatives at an all-star game since the 2002-03 season, when Jaromir Jagr and Sergei Gonchar were both selected.

"This is different for me," Green said after the league announced the roster Tuesday morning. "I've never been there before like Alex has. I'm definitely excited and honoured at the same time. I'm just very humbled to be picked for this game and it will be a good experience."

The fantasy draft angle is a change that will bring the players back to when they were kids, separating into teams for pickup contests. It's an experience that Ovechkin and Green said they are looking forward to.

"It's something new; with the new format it's good for fans and for us," Ovechkin said. "If we play East and West everybody knows each other, but we don't play a lot with all the different guys so it's going to be interesting."

He added with a laugh: "I hope I'm going to stay on the same team as Greenie, because I don't want to hit him hard.

"There's no hitting in the all-star game," Green quickly replied.

Asked how he'd tackle playing against Ovechkin rather than with him, Green said: "I don't know. Just make sure he doesn't beat me; that's it, and hopefully don't run into him."