Ann 22009 NHL All-Star Game: Five Canadiens Make Eastern Conference Team
January 24th 2009 20:53
Ah, Montreal. The City of Hockey. The City is Hockey as we like to say over here. Knowing that, is it surprising that when the NHL let the fans vote for the starting line-up, four Montreal Canadiens found their way on top? When the voting began, six Canadiens players were projected to make the game: goalie Carey Price, defensemen Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek, and forwards Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay (for a while, Habs fans also voted for the Detroit Red Wings players to make a Canadiens-Wings All-Star game). After much scrutiny from the NHL, it was discovered that bots were used to inflate the ballots, 15 to 20% of the votes were consequently shaved off. Penguins fans then took over, putting both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the starting line-up while Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar (who hadn't played a single game in the season yet, and we were in November) trailed Markov and Komisarek. Although Penguins fans also used bots, no action were taken against them since in Gary Bettman's league, Crosby is the face of the NHL and should be in every major event (it's ironic that he's going to miss the All-Star Game for the second time in a row). Since the Penguins fans didn't have a third forward to vote in, Kovalev or any other Canadiens forward was guaranteed to make it. The competition between Carey Price and Marc-Andre Fleury was fierce as both goalies shared the top position in the final hours of the voting process. Finally, Price narrowly beat Fleury to participate in his first All-Star game.
The voting made a big scandal in the NHL as no Canadiens player were worthy of being in the All-Star game (in the interest of full disclosure, I didn't vote at all because I don't really care who gets to play). But can you blame Habs fans for being loyal? Instead of whining why didn't Boston fans or Washington fans vote more? Penguins fans didn't whine. They saw what was going on and found a way. It's as simple as that. Without further ado, here is the roster of the Eastern Conference.
#31 Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens)
The young goalie almost missed the chance to play in his first All-Star game due to an ankle sprain. He got back in time in the beginning of the week but had to make a compromise with the organization. Carey Price will take place in both the Young Stars Game (Price is in his sophomore year) and the All-Star Game but will miss out the Breakaway Challenge.
#8 Mike Komisarek (Montreal Canadiens) (wearing #44 for the game)
Reputed for thunderous hits and blocking shots, Mike Komisarek doesn't really have his place in the no-contact goal-fest that is the All-Star Game. But partnered with regular teammate and roommate Andrei Markov will make him more at ease in his first All-Star Game.
#79 Andrei Markov (Montreal Canadiens)
The quiet defenseman is probably the only Canadiens deserving a spot in the All-Star Game. Markov is one of the best blueliners of the game with exceptional vision of the game and passing skills. In his second All-Star Game, he will be partnered with bruiser Mike Komisarek, bringing their Iron Fist & Velvet Glove combination to the All-Star Game.
#87 Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) (will not play, replaced by Martin St. Louis)
The superstar had the most votes out of the fan-balloting with 1,713,021 votes. Unfortunately, a knee injury will keep him out of the game for the second year in a row. Crosby still came to Montreal to meet the media.
#71 Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Pittsburgh's second star, it's not surprising to see Malkin here. It will be his second All-Star appearance.
#27 Alex Kovalev (Montreal Canadiens)
The enigmatic winger will play his third career All-Star Game, and since it's taking place in Montreal, he has also inherited the captain's C of the Eastern Conference (or maybe it's because he's the oldest player in the East, I don't know). Although his season hasn't met expectations so far (expectations that really high to begin with), his apperance in this year's game is only sweet revenge for not being named last season in which he had 84 points.
Goaltenders:
#30 Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)
#30 Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins)
Defensemen:
#4 Jay Bouwmeester (Florida Panthers)
#33 Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)
#15 Tomas Kaberle (Toronto Maple Leafs)
#2 Mark Streit (New York Islanders)
Forwards:
#17 Jeff Carter (Philadelphia Flyers)
#15 Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators)
#17 Ilya Kolvalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers)
#4 Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning)
#8 Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
#9 Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils)
#91 Marc Savard (Boston Bruins)
#12 Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes)
#26 Thomas Vanek (Buffalo Sabres)
#26 Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning) (will replace Sidney Crosby)
Head Coach: Claude Julien (Boston Bruins)
His team has spent half of the season atop of the Eastern Conference. Julien has turned an ordinary Bruins team into a strong, discplined tight-knit group that can apsire to the highest honors.
Assistant Coach: Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens)
Coach Carbonneau narrowly beat out Bruce Boudreau for the Assistant Coach gig thanks to a better winning percentage. He had to cancel plans to Florida to make his first ever All-Star appearance.
The voting made a big scandal in the NHL as no Canadiens player were worthy of being in the All-Star game (in the interest of full disclosure, I didn't vote at all because I don't really care who gets to play). But can you blame Habs fans for being loyal? Instead of whining why didn't Boston fans or Washington fans vote more? Penguins fans didn't whine. They saw what was going on and found a way. It's as simple as that. Without further ado, here is the roster of the Eastern Conference.
Starting Line-up
Goaltender
#31 Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens)
The young goalie almost missed the chance to play in his first All-Star game due to an ankle sprain. He got back in time in the beginning of the week but had to make a compromise with the organization. Carey Price will take place in both the Young Stars Game (Price is in his sophomore year) and the All-Star Game but will miss out the Breakaway Challenge.
Defenseme:
#8 Mike Komisarek (Montreal Canadiens) (wearing #44 for the game)
Reputed for thunderous hits and blocking shots, Mike Komisarek doesn't really have his place in the no-contact goal-fest that is the All-Star Game. But partnered with regular teammate and roommate Andrei Markov will make him more at ease in his first All-Star Game.
#79 Andrei Markov (Montreal Canadiens)
The quiet defenseman is probably the only Canadiens deserving a spot in the All-Star Game. Markov is one of the best blueliners of the game with exceptional vision of the game and passing skills. In his second All-Star Game, he will be partnered with bruiser Mike Komisarek, bringing their Iron Fist & Velvet Glove combination to the All-Star Game.
Forwards
#87 Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) (will not play, replaced by Martin St. Louis)
The superstar had the most votes out of the fan-balloting with 1,713,021 votes. Unfortunately, a knee injury will keep him out of the game for the second year in a row. Crosby still came to Montreal to meet the media.
#71 Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Pittsburgh's second star, it's not surprising to see Malkin here. It will be his second All-Star appearance.
#27 Alex Kovalev (Montreal Canadiens)
The enigmatic winger will play his third career All-Star Game, and since it's taking place in Montreal, he has also inherited the captain's C of the Eastern Conference (or maybe it's because he's the oldest player in the East, I don't know). Although his season hasn't met expectations so far (expectations that really high to begin with), his apperance in this year's game is only sweet revenge for not being named last season in which he had 84 points.
Other Players
Goaltenders:
#30 Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)
#30 Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins)
Defensemen:
#4 Jay Bouwmeester (Florida Panthers)
#33 Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)
#15 Tomas Kaberle (Toronto Maple Leafs)
#2 Mark Streit (New York Islanders)
Forwards:
#17 Jeff Carter (Philadelphia Flyers)
#15 Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators)
#17 Ilya Kolvalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers)
#4 Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning)
#8 Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
#9 Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils)
#91 Marc Savard (Boston Bruins)
#12 Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes)
#26 Thomas Vanek (Buffalo Sabres)
#26 Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning) (will replace Sidney Crosby)
Head Coach: Claude Julien (Boston Bruins)
His team has spent half of the season atop of the Eastern Conference. Julien has turned an ordinary Bruins team into a strong, discplined tight-knit group that can apsire to the highest honors.
Assistant Coach: Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens)
Coach Carbonneau narrowly beat out Bruce Boudreau for the Assistant Coach gig thanks to a better winning percentage. He had to cancel plans to Florida to make his first ever All-Star appearance.
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