All-Star Game

Alex Kovalev lets fly during the first period of tonight's 57th NHL All-Star Game.
John Kenney, Gazette

What were you expecting, a defensive struggle?

23 goals

102 shots

Dekes, playground moves, no hitting, no D ... and no chance we'll see any hockey likes this during the rest of the regular season or – heaven forfend! – the playoffs.

MVP Alex Kovalev two goals, an assist, seven shots on goal and won a Honda truck and a tribute from the East's starting goaltender:

"Kovy's made for a game like this," said Carey Price.

Hometown hope Vincent Lecavalier had four shots on goal ... but missed to start the shootout.

Mike Komisarek got his name on the scoresheet by taking the game's only penalty.

Here's some audio from the winners' room:

Alexander Ovechkin  Carey Price  Zdeno Chara (on the competitiveness of Tim Thomas)  Vinny Lecavalier

And some more from Hickey and Stubbs: Kovy   Price 2   Komisarek   Canadiens legends pregame

Circus performer? Magician? Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier was both today, the star attraction at media day at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

And here's audio of Lecavalier's bilingual news conference.

Full transcript of Vinny's comments (in English) below:

Reporter Alexis Fawcett-Moya at work (and seemingly enjoying it), taking part in an interview with Eastern Conference captain and Canadiens star Alex Kovalev.
Dave Sidaway, Gazette

Alexis Fawcett-Moya, a 17-year-old from Montreal West, won a Gazette contest to be a reporter for a day during All-Star Game weekend. He spent the day moving from one all-star to another, and without a single word of editing, here's his report on his memorable day:

By ALEXIS FAWCETT-MOYA
Special to Habs Inside/Out and The Gazette

Equipped with my pocket recorder and digital camera, I ventured into the 2009 NHL All Stars media frenzy in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, the likes of which I had only imagined until today. The chance not only to see these hockey superstars, but to actually meet them face-to-face, was an opportunity that, while perhaps old hat to Boone, Hickey and Stubbs, was beyond my expectations.

Keep your eyes peeled in town for Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who's expected here this afternoon.

Sid's not coming to play in the weekend events, nursing a leg and possibly an arm injury; he withdrew yesterday and was replaced by Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis.

But Crosby understands the importance of showing his face at the NHL's marquee event for fans and sponsors.

Notwithstanding the YoungStars' appearance yesterday, the real deal of the 57th NHL All-Star Game begins today, with Western and Eastern Conference players thrown to the wolves, er, the media, from 1-4 p.m.

Inside/Out will burn out a few batteries recording what they have to say, and we'll upload as much of it as we can without choking our server (I heard that) late this afternoon and early this evening.

News highlights will appear on the site as well.

A jersey nameplate we won't be seeing this weekend...
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images Sport

DAVE STUBBS
The Gazette

So what was windier on Thursday? The tundra crossroads of Peel and René-Lévesque or the breeze from the National Hockey League’s spinmeisters? It was anything but a joyful afternoon for the NHL with the second consecutive All-Star Game withdrawal of Sidney Crosby. The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar pulled out of this weekend’s event with a knee and perhaps an arm injury, his boo-boos moving north; last season, it was a high-ankle sprain.

The league tried to put a rosy glow on the dark news, as was necessary. Sunday’s game now has an improved hometown flavour, it announced, with the addition of Crosby replacement Martin St. Louis, the Laval-native Tampa Bay star.

Canadiens defenceman Mike Komisarek will face two former teammates – Sheldon Souray and Mark Streit – and the human cannon Zdeno Chara in Saturday's Cisco NHL Hardest Shot contest, one event in the 2009 Honda/NHL SuperSkills competition.

Komo will also take on Shea Weber and Vinny Lecavalier in the contest.

Alex Kovalev is entered in the Scotiabank NHL Fan Fav Breakaway Challenge, while Andrei Markov will take part with his three Canadiens teammates in the Gatorade NHL Elimination Shootout.

Goalie Carey Price will play the first period for the Eastern Conference in Sunday's 57th NHL All-Star Game.

If you love the move(s) Canadiens forward Alex Kovalev will use in next Saturday's all-star breakaway challenge, you'll need to use your cell phone to give him the victory over defending champion Alex Ovechkin and others.

The NHL's news release below explains all:

... or, as Inside/Out reader Paul Chow asks, a sign from God?

Paul was on his way to the Lucien L'Allier commuter train station, which is attached to the Bell Centre, when he saw a banner for next week's All-Star Game being hung.

Then he followed the arm of the cherry-picker down and ...

Canadiens' Alex Kovalev will attempt to dethrone Washington's Alexander Ovechkin in the breakaway challenge a week from Saturday as part of the NHL All-Star Game skills contest. Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh, Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf and Chicago's Patrick Kane also will take part.

The poorly kept secret is a secret no more: Canadiens goalie Carey Price, forward Alex Kovalev and defencemen Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek are confirmed Eastern Conference starters for the NHL's 57th All-Star Game, to be played Jan. 25 at the Bell Centre.

Here's the official word from the NHL, and more from the proud game-host Canadiens. And here's Canadiens legend Jean Béliveau making the announcement by video.

Be in front of NHL.com this afternoon at 1:30 pm ET when Canadiens great Jean Béliveau officially announces the starting Eastern and Western Conference starting lineups for the Jan. 25 All-Star Game.

The league was quick to take down its "real-time" balloting tally last night when voting ended a tick before 9 pm ET, but according to those numbers, goalie Carey Price, defencemen Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek and forward Alex Kovalev had totals that put them in the starting lineup for the East.

So this explains why Mike Komisarek is closing in on a starting-lineup position for the Eastern Conference in the upcoming NHL All-Star Game!

Fans have through 8:59:59 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 2 to cast their ballots for the Jan. 25 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal.

As of 8:13 am ET today, if the NHL's "real-time" numbers are to be believed, Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay stand third, fourth and fifth in balloting to be an Eastern Conference starter up front, Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek are 1-2 in voting for defencemen and goalie Carey Price stands second behind Pittsburgh's Marc-André Fleury in nets, trailing the Penguin by 13,196 votes.

Here's where to go to register to vote; here's where to keep track of the election.

Don't look now – or do – but Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby is about to overtake Canadiens' Alex Tanguay (and maybe Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev) in fan balloting for the Eastern Conference all-star team.

Props to fans of Sid, who have been rallying to his side with less than a month to go in voting for the January game to be played at the Bell Centre.

We're probably all preoccupied with Monday's Quebec provincial election at hand, and the possible collapse of the federal government. But the All-Star Game is a real election, right? You've been warned...

Sam McCaig of The Hockey News makes a case for an all-Canadiens starting lineup in the January game at the Bell Centre.

It might not happen – while goalie Carey Price and defencemen Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek are running away with their categories, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are closing the gap on Alex Tanguay, Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev. Seems fans in Pittsburgh have climbed aboard the stuff-the-box bandwagon, too.

Last "Refresh" wins!

Interesting, newsy piece by Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog on the all-star vote, with the NHL saying that all votes are now confirmed to be valid.

So take a bow, Canadiens fans. The huge leads that the Habs players have in the Eastern Conference vote are the result of your having ballotted legally. Many times, perhaps, but not using automated computer programs.

Our friend Erle Schneidman, of canadiensmemorabilia.com, sends along an X-your-favourites ballot for the three-game 1979 Challenge Cup, Russia vs. the NHL as a one-time replacement for the All-Star Game, and a ticket stub from the 1948 All-Star Game, the NHL's second, at Chicago Stadium.

("Please keep your X's inside the boxes," reads the ballot, which surely was produced by the folks who brought you Quebec's last referendum.)

The ballot was in colour, but we've converted it to black and white so it's more legible. Canadiens who were voted to that team: Lafleur, Robinson, Gainey, Shutt, Savard, Lapointe, Dryden.

The NHL beat the Russians 4-2 in the opener, then lost 5-4 and 6-0 in Games 2 and 3. All three were played at New York's Madison Square Garden.

At 9:15 am ET, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby was trailing Canadiens' Alex Tanguay by 108,438 votes in all-star balloting to determine the starting lineups for the Jan. 25 contest in Montreal. Tanguay currently is ranked third, behind No. 1 Alex Kovalev and No. 2 Saku Koivu.

Defenceman Mike Komisarek maintains a nearly 137,000-vote lead on No. 3-ranked Mike Green; Andrei Markov leads Komisarek by almost exactly 20,000.

In goal, Carey Price is 169,400 votes clear of Pittsburgh's Marc-André Fleury.

See the updated totals for the leaders here.

Canadiens Hall of Famer Kenny Reardon had two assists and a five-minute major for fighting in the first official NHL All-Star Game in October 1947.
O-Pee-Chee card courtesy Normand Dumoulin

DAVE STUBBS
The Gazette & Habs Inside/Out

For decades, Canadiens fans have been known for their passion, knowledge of hockey and love of their team and its rich traditions.

(This love is conditional, of course – many fickle fans file for divorce with a single loss then apologetically reconcile with a win, arguing this merely is a part of their passion. Whatever.)

Where other National Hockey League clubs have dumbed down the game with cheerleaders, off-ice distractions and cheesy promotions, the Canadiens have been restrained by comparison.

Yes, the club has reshaped a number of customs in recent years, marketing itself to beef up the bottom line in an obscenely expensive business.

It’s part of a strategic plan to attract new generations of fans who aren’t likely to wear furs and fedoras to the arena. If rally towels, car flags and an orange mascot aren’t the way the Canadiens used to be, neither is the NHL the quaint six-team league it once was.

While you might have been busy yesterday stuffing the ballot box to have six Canadiens named as starters for January's All-Star Game in Montreal, here's what the NHL was announcing by way of a press release:

NHL STATEMENT REGARDING ALL-STAR 2009 BALLOTING

New York (November 14, 2008) -- The National Hockey League today released this statement regarding fan balloting for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game:

We appreciate the excitement and energy the fans are showing for the All-Star Game and the All-Star voting process. While we encourage all fans to cast votes -- even multiple votes -- for their favorite All-Star candidates, the League has identified some instances of automated voting activity that expressly is prohibited by the voting rules and regulations. This situation is being addressed and we are in the process of validating all votes to make sure that they comply with the rules.

As of 7:05 am ET today, the six Canadiens on the ballot for January's All-Star Game in Montreal are atop their categories by a healthy margin, Habs fans clearly keen on seeing six – can you imagine that? – of their favourites on the Eastern Conference starting lineup.

(Geez, their numbers are so high that you'd swear they were a blogger who's hired a chimp to hit the Refresh key a thousand times a day to spike the hits to their site.)

We've never been the biggest fan of the popularity contest that is the All-Star Game, but it is what it is. If the NHL is going to encourage fans to stuff the ballot box, why not do it for the team that will host the event?

Go here to vote often, as you've already been doing, and good luck to Koivu, Kovalev, Tanguay, Markov, Komisarek and Price. And to Roman Hamrlik, who's garnering decent support as a write-in candidate.

NHL all-star balloting begins Nov. 12 and runs through Jan. 2, and this time, for the first time in any major sport, fans will be able to follow progress of the vote in real time.

We haven't yet seen the ballot for the game to be played Jan. 25 at the Bell Centre, but expect Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov to be included, having been a starter last year.

Other Habs surely will be on the ballot, and fans can "write in" anyone for whom they choose they to vote.