It’s been a while since we’ve had one of these, hasn’t it?
The NHL All-Star Game, which took a two-year hiatus due to the 2012-13 lockout and the 2014 Olympic Games, will finally return in 2015 — at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
North American fans can vote for their favourite players here starting at 12 p.m. ET Thursday through Jan. 1 at the same time. At that point, the top six candidates by position will automatically make the squad.
All 700-plus active players are on the ballot, and a leaderboard will track the top vote-earners and players on the rise.
We decided to throw out the biggest surprise candidates to secure a starting spot at all six positions — one goalie, two D-men, three forwards — if votes were to be tallied today….
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Goaltender: Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
Yes, he’s a Stanley Cup winner (2009) and a one-time all-star (2011), but popular opinion entering the season would have had Fleury trending down and standouts like Ben Bishop, Tuukka Rask and Carey Price way up. Yet it’s Fleury who leads the NHL in shoutouts (four), and ranks second in wins (11) while posting elite stats: .930 save percentage, 1.98 goals-against average.
Defence: TJ Brodie, Calgary Flames; Sami Vatenen, Anaheim Ducks
Although Mark Giordano should get more votes (deservedly so), the general hockey public warmed up the Flames captain as a bona fide star last season. The emergence of 24-year-old Brodie is fresher and more surprising. He’s tied for third in blueline scoring (16 points), ranks second (to Tampa’s Anton Stralman) in plus/minus (+11), logs more than 25 minutes a night, and is a huge reason why the Flames are shocking the West.
Vatenen, too, could be overshadowed vote-wise by a name-brand teammate (Francois Beauchemin). And like Brodie, he has 16 points and has never been an all-star. But wow, has he broken out this season, racking up points on a top-10 power play in Anaheim. (Poorly kept secret: when it comes to all-star voting, fans like offence from all positions.)
Forwards: Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers; Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators; Patric Hornqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins
Could Voracek really get more votes than Claude Giroux? It’s highly possible. He’s tied with Sidney Crosby — an all-star shoe-in — in league scoring and actually has five more points than Sid at even strength.
Forsberg’s ridiculous offensive numbers — nine goals, 13 assists — assume an extra degree of silliness when you consider that (a) he sees at least 90 seconds less ice time per game than everyone ahead of him on the leaderboard, (b) his NHL-leading plus-20 rating is five points better than the next best forward, (c) he plays for a non-playoff team, and (d) he’s a freaking rookie.
As for Hornqvist, his entree to the Game will be like Chris Kunitz’s ticket to Sochi. But not everyone has success on Crosby’s wing. The former Predator has fit in fast (20 points in 17 games), and could be rewarded for what is certain to be a career year.
None of these three forwards have ever sniffed an All-Star Game. This could be their year.