The Nashville Predators landed three representatives at the 2012 NHL All-Star Weekend taking place in Ottawa later this month. The All-Star Game itself falls on Sunday, January 29, and Preds captain Shea Weber and his partner in crime Ryan Suter will carry the banner for Nashville, while Craig Smith has been named to the group of 12 rookies who will participate in the SuperSkills competition on Saturday.
On Thursday, January 26, another All-Star Fantasy Draft will be held, in which the players will be split between the two teams. Last year, Weber was the 8th-overall choice (and 2nd defenseman after Zdeno Chara), and enjoyed a standout performance which included a 2nd-place finish in the Hardest Shot Competition. This will be his 3rd appearance at the event.
Ryan Suter is having his best year as a pro, and currently ranks 8th among all NHL defensemen in scoring. This is his first selection for the All-Star Game.
Despite a goal-scoring drought, Smith still stands 3rd in rookie scoring behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Edmonton, and the Devils' Adam Henrique.
The complete list of participants can be found at NHL.com.
So, any surprising omissions here? I know many will tout Pekka Rinne as being overlooked, but outside of Wins he's pretty much in the middle of the pack everywhere else.
For me, perhaps the most interesting bit about this story is the prospect of seeing Suter & Weber line up on opposite teams in this game. Hopefully that's not a preview of things to come...
0 recs | 44 comments
Glad Smith made the rookie team.
His lack of production lately has been optimistically attributed (by me) to his first NHL season schedule.
Suter V Weber. Fine, as long as it makes whichever one get touted on the trading block in the next month and a half look that much better.
Poiju - January 12, 2012
Hartnell and Lidstrom snubbed
Seth Dean - January 12, 2012
Timonen in though.
DonBorvio - January 12, 2012
Is Hartnell hurt or something?
Why wouldn’t he be in there?!
preds4ever - January 12, 2012 via mobile
Lidstrom turned the invite down per Bob McKenzie. As did Selanne.
CAustin - January 12, 2012
I love Pekka
He is undoubtedly our MVP but anyone who says his first half performance has been better than the goalies who are going is a Homer wearing Pred colored glasses—Rationally, I’d a voted for Tim Thomas over him, but i’m not always rational so I didn’t :)
Melissa Vanderpool Wallace - January 12, 2012
Not True
Not only is Pekka 2nds in Wins and 1st in Saves, but he also beats Carey Price in the following categories:
Save %
Shutouts
Games Started
Shots Against
Assists
They’re tied in Goals Against, and Goals
Price beats Pekka in:
Goals Against Average
Time On Ice
Penalty Minutes
I think there’s a very substantial case for Pekka over Price
Predaceous - January 12, 2012
Price gets in b/c of 2 contingencies—1) have to have someone from Montreal and they suck this year.. 2) have to have 3 EC goalies and 3 WC goalies. If you get rid of contingency #1, you’d get Marc-Andre Fleury instead. Pekka has to be better than Quick, Elliott, and Howard to get in. He hasn’t been.
CAustin - January 12, 2012
True, but I was basically responding to the fact that what was stated is that all the goalies in the All-Star game are more deserving than Pekka. It’s obviously not the case, and I don’t think I’m wearing Pred-colored glasses for pointing it out. As for the 3 from each conference idea, is that new? Last year there were 5 from the East.
Predaceous - January 12, 2012
No. Price shouldn’t have gotten it. But I love Flower and so I’m biased.
I didn’t pay much attention last year, to be honest. But what I’ve heard this year says 3 west, 3 east. (InGoal’s FB page) Not a lot of in-depth reading about it. As always, I could be wrong.
CAustin - January 12, 2012
My guess is they heard a lot of biotching about having 5 goalies from the East in the game, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they made that change.
Predaceous - January 13, 2012
this should be fun
Got 4 guys from our current roster in an all star game. Glad HB got onto the rookie team thats great for him im thrilled but more excited for suter he deserved it
Shadow23 - January 12, 2012 via iPhone app
3 guys.
DonBorvio - January 12, 2012
Ellis made the ahl all star team so 4
Shadow23 - January 12, 2012 via iPhone app
lol ok, if you’re counting that.
DonBorvio - January 12, 2012
I said an all star gam not the all star game gotta give the ahl some love
Shadow23 - January 12, 2012 via iPhone app
Gotta ask...
How on earth do they overlook Teemu Selanne? The guy may be a Duck, but I was expecting him to go, especially with this possibly bring his last season.
However, Honey Badger is going!!!! That makes me very happy. Good for him.
davisca - January 12, 2012 via Android app
How bout him! HB is going to be a beast once trotz lets him go nuts instead if holding him back in ice time
Shadow23 - January 12, 2012 via iPhone app
They overlooked him and Lidstrom (captain last year). Both I guess are “too old”.
DonBorvio - January 12, 2012
I saw a reporter on Twitter say that Selanne was asked but declined, saying he’d rather rest. I would assume the same applies to Lidstrom.
Dirk Hoag - January 12, 2012
I heard...
that Selanne declined, and said to send Perry instead, which is happening. Very, very mixed feelings about that…
Smashvillain - January 13, 2012
Have the clouds just opened for Poile?
Half of Montreal is burying Cammalleri for his media comments. They might be forced to move him, but he does have two more years at $6 million each. I think that he has always been ~0.75 pts per game player. He is a player that always plays at a higher level come playoffs.
Predmonton - January 12, 2012
2 more years at $7 million each
I think he’d make a fine addition, but when I saw that pricetag… yikes.
Dirk Hoag - January 12, 2012
Oh it is 7. I just saw that the cap hit was 6 mil for the next two years. Much better value than Gomez 7.4 mil cap hit ;) If Cammalleri did get traded would his cap hit be 6 or 7?
Predmonton - January 12, 2012
Trading has nothing to do with it. His cap hit (the average annual salary on his contract) is $6M, his salary the next two years is $7M.
Dirk Hoag - January 12, 2012
If this would make the difference in signing Suter and Weber then make the deal!
I’m sorry we’re the only team on the brink of losing the top defensive pair of the entire NHL! No more excuses – take care of business!
virgil trucks - January 12, 2012
Cammelleri
just what the Predators need—another high-dollar low-producing forward with an albatross contract.
shoot the puck - January 12, 2012
Agreed. There are better candidates than MC, though maybe not as available at the moment.
OddManRush - January 12, 2012
Curtis Glencross, make it happen Poile.
grassman - January 12, 2012
How about no thank you. Glencross is such a d-bag.
Predmonton - January 12, 2012
He was on my list this past summer
what’s not to like? Only 29, 50% more goals than any player on the Preds’ roster, and a salary less commensurate than his production through 2015. Gotta get past that nmc though.
shoot the puck - January 12, 2012
All those above reasons are why the Flames would likely not trade him.
Grizzledbear - January 12, 2012 via mobile
The tootoo radio show last night with ellis was great! The human rocket ship clip had toots about on the floor from laughing so had ellis however didnt see it that funny and kept saying he didnt come up with it and had to say it. Great times and i won 2 tickets for the game on their question of what 4 preds scored their first nhl goals this season
Shadow23 - January 12, 2012 via iPhone app
Congrats on winning the tickets. Who plays “Coach” Dewey Schultz in that clip?
Predmonton - January 12, 2012
Dunno honestly
Shadow23 - January 12, 2012 via iPhone app
Peks suffered because the defense in front of him sucked early. I seem to remember high number of shots thrown early in the year. I don’t think too many GM’s would look at the all star goalies, look at Peks…and say, give me Elliott.
Plus, Peks will need to be a workhorse for us so the rest will probably be better for him. Sure this may become a motivating factor too…..It would me.
Predator Don - January 12, 2012
Rinne may be having an average year, but isn’t the last half of last year supposed to be taken into consideration as well?
If so, then how can you not see it as a snub…
Michaeltastic - January 12, 2012
Can't we all just be happy?
I know that we would have all loved Rinne to get in as well, but we have THREE players going. How can you not be excited about that?
Predmonton - January 12, 2012
Because we deserved 4? 5 counting Kimmo.
Predator Don - January 12, 2012
Predmonton, meet the internet. Internet, meet Predmonton.
The internet is the greatest single complaint machine ever devised by man.
CAustin - January 12, 2012
Yep, I am still waiting for someone to post an article on how Klein got snubbed ;)
Predmonton - January 12, 2012
If you can make a valid, cogent argument for me that Price deserved to be there over Rinne then I’ll say he wasn’t snubbed. Until then, he was.
Predaceous - January 13, 2012
Maybe this will show
That Suter Is not living in Webers shadow
IG-PRED8 - January 12, 2012
I was thinking the same thing…helps prove to him that he can win awards…while playing with a Preds teams that generally gets very little national praise/coverage.
Predmonton - January 12, 2012
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