Ben Rauscher and Daryn Beckman announced their starting lineups Wednesday for the midseason classic, and the star players that were chosen truly are amazing.
Alexander Ovechkin, the AFHL’s leading point-getter, was one of three Oshawa City Leafs chosen to represent the Canadian Conference at the All-Star Game next week. He was chosen along with teammates Zdeno Chara and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.
Joining Ovechkin on offense are Joe Thornton and Henrik Sedin, giving the Canadian Conference three of the top four point-getters in the league this season.
“This is an unbelievable honor,” said Thornton, who was given an All-Star jersey Wednesday at the Outlaws’ morning skate in Hamilton, Ontario. “It’s going to be a great experience to play in the first ever AFHL All-Star Game and it will be a lot of fun.”
The American Conference starting lineup, announced late last night, consists of forwards Sidney Crosby and Marian Hossa of the Phantoms, and goalie Martin Brodeur, defensemen Chris Pronger and Sergei Gonchar, and forward Marian Gaborik of the Giants.
“Next week, the world’s greatest players will go to Detroit, one of the world’s great hockey cities, to help celebrate the first ever AFHL All-Star Game,” Phantoms coach Daryn Beckman said in announcing the American Conference lineup. “I had the pleasure of choosing 16 players to represent our conference and I can tell you it was an absolute honor. I look forward to watching the stars of today.”
Here’s a look at the rest of the starting lineups for both teams:
American Conference All-Star Team Starting Lineup
FORWARDS:
Ilya Kovalchuk – Sidney Crosby – Marian Gaborik
Loui Eriksson – Evgeni Malkin – Corey Perry
Bobby Ryan – Niklas Backstrom – Marian Hossa
DEFENSEMEN:
Nicklas Lidstrom – Chris Pronger
Sergei Gonchar – Scott Niedermayer
GOALTENDERS:
Martin Brodeur
Henrik Lundqvist
UTILITY:
Jarome Iginla
RESERVES (5):
Teemu Selanne (RW), Tobias Enstrom (D), Paul Stastny (C),
Phil Kessel (RW), Patrik Elias (LW)
Canadian Conference All-Star Team Starting Lineup
FORWARDS:
Alex Ovechkin – Joe Thornton – Patrick Kane
Zach Parise – Henrik Sedin – Alexander Semin
Daniel Sedin – Pavel Datsyuk – Dustin Brown
DEFENSEMEN:
Dan Boyle – Andrei Markov
Tomas Kaberle – Zdeno Chara
GOALTENDERS:
Ryan Miller
Evgeni Nabokov
UTILITY
Dany Heatley
RESERVES (5):
Ryan Getzlaf (C), Patrick Marleau (C), Anze Kopitar (C),
Antti Miettinen (RW), Drew Doughty (D)
Joe Thornton of the Hamilton Outlaws talks with reporters about the AFHL All Star Game.
AFHL all-star fever is spreading in downtown Detroit as fans brave the cold to kick off weekend festivities leading up to the big game starting on Monday.
Hundreds of fans lined up outside tents near the Gladiators Arena Saturday to take in concerts and visit the hockey exhibition set up to mark the 2010 all-star game. Thousands more are expected on Sunday going into Monday, organizers said.
Attractive women displaying some sex appeal in support of their favorite All-Star Teams at an AFHL exhibition on Saturday.
Detroit is hosting the first ever AFHL All Star Game, and its arrival bodes well for downtown merchants still reeling from the Grand Prix cancellation, until recently one of Detroit’s largest tourist event.
Bar and store owners expect a surge in sales because of the influx of hockey fans, which will provide some needed comfort after the Grand Prix loss.
“I’m sure we’re going to do at least double or triple a regular weekend” said Oliver Sullivan, of Stogies Bar on Crescent Street.
Peoples’ shopping habits this winter reflect the tough economic times, and one special weekend probably won’t change that, predicted Stéphane Corrier, manager of the Hugo Boss clothing store on Crescent Street.
“I don’t think any activity will bring in business, or bring in what the AFHL All Star Game will bring us” he said.
News & Notes
Phil Kessel (forward) will be the only Detroit Gladiator to play in the all-star game this year.
Monday will feature a line-up of musicians and performers, including the Detroit Jubilation Gospel Choir, which will sing the national anthems.
Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam will also perform along with Cirque Frazio the contemporary circus arts company.
Two officials will call the game: referee Kerry Fraser and linesman Paul Devorski.
Truly ‘Amazing’ Show; Lundqvist helps American Conference come from behind to Win First Ever AFHL All-Star Game
AFHL preening over All-Star successes, story lines
A capacity crowd of 17,980 at the Detroit Gladiators Ice Arena witnessed a truly amazing AFHL All-Star Game.
“It was a lot of fun to play,” said Lundqvist, who collected a new car and an All-Star Game MVP trophy for his efforts. “I loved it.”
“It blew my mind,” said Miller after the game. “I looked up at the scoreboard and there was ONE MINUTE LEFT and we had the lead. It looked like the Canadian Conference was gonna win. Next thing you know, Lundqvist gets his second shutout of the week, and it’s over just like that. Absolutely incredible. But I gotta give it up to Lundqvist, he really was the better goalie.”
But it was in fact Lundqvist’s stats that would lead his team to victory: 2 wins, 41 saves, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%, and 2 shutouts.
“He’s one of those guys you’ve got to watch to see how good of a goaltender he really is,” Evgeni Malkin said. “He’s not on the best of teams, but he still keeps it to a low score. He’s truly one of the best goaltenders in the league.”
Lundqvist was named the First Star of the All-Star Game. Miller was named the Second Star. Nicklas Backstrom of the Lexington Leg Hounds was named the Third Star of the game registering 1 goal and 4 assists, two of which came on the powerplay to ignite the comeback for the American Conference.
“I was lucky, I got to play with two very unselfish guys,” Backstrom said of his linemates Jarome Iginla and Loui Eriksson. “We moved the puck, we had a lot of chances.”
It was business as usual in the All-Star Game, as 13 different players scored goals, and all but four players were able to put points on the board.
It was an atypical performance for Martin Brodeur, the goaltender that many call the greatest goaltender in the world. Brodeur gave up six goals on 44 shots and only made one really sparkling save when he stopped Manhattan favorite Bobby Ryan in tight about halfway through the final period.
“That was part of the problem,” Crosby said of Brodeur giving up six goals. “With him, you don’t think you have to get back. That kind of carried them throughout the game and they didn’t have to do a lot more than that.”
Henrik Lundqvist, who has waged several dramatic battles with Brodeur through the years, was declared the best goalie on the ice stopping all 41 shots fired his way. At the beginning of the game, Lundqvist stopped Hamilton’s Joe Thornton on a partial breakaway and then Winnipeg’s Patrick Kane in the slot.
“Overall it was a nice game,” Lundqvist said. “I think we all had a lot of fun.”
The AFHL All-Star players shake hands after the American Conference pulled out a 7-4 win over the Canadian Conference.
2010 AFHL All-Star Game Box Score
Score Summary
| Team | G | A | P | +/- | PPP | SHP | GWG | W | GAA | SV | SV% | SHO | Score |
| American Conference | 14 | 13 | 27 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1.50 | 79 | .929 | 2 | 7 |
| Canadian Conference | 9 | 19 | 28 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1.80 | 106 | .921 | 0 | 4 |
Score summary last updated Mon. 2:19am ET
AMERICAN CONFERENCE WINS!!
INCREDIBLE ALL-STAR GAME… ARTICLE COMING SOON!
——————————————————————————————-
Player Stats
American Conference Player Stats
| Pos | Forwards/Defensemen | G | A | P | +/- | PPP | SHP | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Sidney Crosby
(Buff – C)
|
1 | 3 | 4 | -2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| C | Evgeni Malkin
(Bos – C)
|
3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| C | Niklas Backstrom
(Lex – C)
|
1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| LW | Ilya Kovalchuk
(FDK – LW)
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LW | Loui Eriksson
(Buff – LW)
|
3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| LW | Bobby Ryan
(Man – LW)
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RW | Maxim Afinogenov
(Sea – RW)
|
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| RW | Jarome Iginla
(Holl – RW)
|
3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| RW | Corey Perry
(DPC – RW)
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | Nicklas Lidstrom
(Buff – D)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | Chris Pronger
(Holl – D)
|
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | Sergei Gonchar
(Man – D)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D |
Scott Niedermayer
(Man – D)
|
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Util | Paul Stastny
(Buff – C)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Pos
|
Goaltenders
|
W | GAA | SV | SV% | SHO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G |
Martin Brodeur
(Holl – G)
|
1 | 3.00 | 38 | .863 | 0 |
| G |
Henrik Lundqvist
(DPC – G)
|
2 | 0.00 | 41 | 1.000 | 2 |
Total # of minutes played – 240
Total # of shots faced – 85
Brodeur – 44 shots faced, 38 saves, 120 mins
Lundqvist – 41 shots faced, 41 saves, 120 mins
—————————————————————————————-
| Pos | Forwards/Defensemen | G | A | P | +/- | PPP | SHP | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Joe Thornton
(Ham – C)
|
0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | Henrik Sedin
(Van – C)
|
0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | Pavel Datsyuk
(SJR- C)
|
0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LW | Alexander Ovechkin
(Osh – LW)
|
2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| LW | Zach Parise
(Lon – LW)
|
0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LW | Daniel Sedin
(Van – LW)
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RW | Patrick Kane
(Win – RW)
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RW | Alexander Semin
(Ham – RW)
|
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RW | Dustin Brown
(SJR – RW)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | Dan Boyle
(Van – D)
|
0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| D | Andrei Markov
(Cas – D)
|
0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | Tomas Kaberle
(Van – D)
|
1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| D |
Zdeno Chara
(Osh – D)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Util | Dany Heatley
(Tem – RW)
|
4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
|
Pos
|
Goaltenders
|
W | GAA | SV | SV% | SHO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G |
Ryan Miller
(Van – G)
|
3 | 1.66 | 66 | .929 | 0 |
| G |
Evgeni Nabokov
(Osh – G)
|
2 | 2.00 | 40 | .909 | 0 |
For Goaltending Calculations:
Total # of shots faced – 115
Miller – 71 shots faced, 66 saves, 180 mins
Nabokov – 44 shots faced, 40 saves, 120 mins
Note: Stats associated with players in the 2010 AFHL All-Star Game are currently accumulating from the First Round in the 2010 Men’s Hockey Olympics