Captains:
TEAM CHARA
Zdeno Chara (C), D, Boston
Joffrey Lupul (A), RW, Toronto

TEAM ALFREDSSON
Daniel Alfredsson* (C), RW, Ottawa
Henrik Lundqvist (A), G, NY Rangers

Draft Selections (order determined by puck flip):

ROUND 1

Team Chara: Pavel Datsyuk, C, Detroit
Team Alfredsson: Erik Karlsson*, D, Ottawa

ROUND 2

Team Chara: Tim Thomas*, G, Boston
Team Alfredsson: Jason Spezza*, C, Ottawa

ROUND 3

Team Chara: Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh
Team Alfredsson: Jonathan Quick, G, Los Angeles

ROUND 4

Team Chara: Marian Hossa, RW, Chicago
Team Alfredsson: Claude Giroux, C, Philadelphia

ROUND 5

Team Chara: Kimmo Timonen, D, Philadelphia
Team Alfredsson: Kris Letang^, D, Pittsburgh

From the video above, we can learn three things that don’t go mix together well: silly string, a mascot and a disgruntled Boston Bruins fan.

However, as a result of the footage captured of said Bruins fan taking umbrage with Tampa Bay Lightning mascot ThunderBug and her silly string antics, she—yes, she—has become a cult hero and a YouTube sensation.

Apparently, the Boston fan who hit ThunderBug from behind during the Jan 17 Lightning-Bruins game was taken away by ushers but later returned to his seat. No harm, no foul.

For whatever reason, it seems as though the NHL has had a difficult time filling All-Star spots this season. After Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin opted to miss out on the All-Star festivities in Ottawa, it was announced that Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal would be filling his spot.

Neal, who had just one goal in 20 games after joining the Penguins last season, went into the All-Star break tied for second in the League with 27 goals, and tied for the League lead with 13 power-play goals.

Alex Ovechkin to Miss NHL All-Star Weekend

by Ben on January 24, 2012

If you can’t wait to see Alex Ovechkin at this weekend’s NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa, well, there’s always next season.

Ovechkin decided to remove himself from the event Tuesday, citing that he will be in the middle of a three-game suspension.

“My heart is not there. I am suspended, so why I have to go there?” Ovechkin said. “I love the game. It is a great event. I love to be there. I am suspended. I don’t want to be a target. I feel like I’m not deserving to be there right now because I am suspended.”

The White House at ChristmasThanks to President Barack Obama, Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has a new nickname. You can now refer to him as “The Little Ball of Hate.”

The Boston Bruins visited the White House on Monday in honor of their Stanley Cup championship in June, and Marchand stole the show.

“Brad Marchand went into the season playing on the fourth line, but ‘The Little Ball of Hate’—What’s up with that nickname?—scored five goals in the last five games of the series,” Obama said to the laughter of some of the politicians and others in attendance.

Top Goals of the Week

by Ben on January 22, 2012

Malkin’s sick moves lead to his OT winner

Horcoff’s no-look pass to Hall

Oshie and Perron hookup on the give-n-go

Bertuzzi’s blast from an impossible angle

Mueller scores his first goal in 18 months

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov found out the hard way just how cruel and unforgiving the Philly sports media can be.

He knew prior to signing his huge nine-year, $51 million deal this past offseason that the expectations for him were going to be huge, but when you’ve been playing for a franchise like the Phoenix Coyotes, no one can really prepare you for the enormous—or “huumungus beeg”—change in the amount of scrutiny that comes with playing for the Flyers, especially if you are the guy between the pipes.

Every good captain needs an assistant, and that’s why Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul and New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist have been named assistant captains for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa.

Lundqvist will join the team of captain Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators, while Lupul will be part of the team led by captain Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins.

Thanks to some amazing chemistry with Phil Kessel, Lupul is enjoying the best season of his eight-year NHL career. He currently ranks fourth among all League scorers with 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) in 46 games.

Thanks to HBO’s 24/7, New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella is now easily recognized as one of the premier no-nonsense bench bosses in the NHL. Players and fans respect him for his honesty and his unwillingness to put up with crap from anyone—even if it is the owner of the Rangers.

Following the team’s impressive 3-0 victory over the visiting Nashville Predators, Rangers owner James Dolan held an impromptu postgame press conference Tuesday night and said the Rangers were “pretty close” to winning a Stanley Cup.

The Edmonton Oilers have had issues with their young stars falling victim to injuries.

First it was Jordan Eberle injuring his right knee, then it was rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who was put on the shelf after suffering a shoulder injury, and now former No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall will be out for an undisclosed amount of time.

And while all three injuries are major blows to the Oilers’ roster, it was Hall’s freak injury that has everybody talking.