The All-Star Roster... And Look Who's On It!

http://www.nhl.com/allstar/2008/east_roster.html

Forwards:
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators
Scott Gomez, New York Rangers
Dany Heatley, Senators
Marian Hossa, Atlanta Thrashers
Ilya Kovulchuk, Thrashers
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (interesting story with him too)
Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
Jason Spezza, Senators
Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes
Martin St. Louis, Lightning

Defense: Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Brian Campbell, Buffalo Sabres
Sergei Gonchar, Penguins
Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs
Kimmo Timonen, Flyers

Goaltenders:
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders
Tomas Vokoun, Florida Panthers

After a strong showing this season, especially as of late (even in losses), Rick DiPietro is going to Atlanta to play in the All-Star Game, which he deserves completely after keeping this team in a tight race. Some believed that goaltenders Ryan Miller of the Sabres or Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers would get the pick over him, but as Lundqvist has faded considerably since the start of the season and Miller hasn't been exceptional either, DiPietro and Tomas Vokoun (a surprising choice) fill in the Nos. 2 and 3 spots behind Martin Brodeur. Look for tonight's game against Calgary to be one full of confidence from DiPietro, who has held a sturdy .912 save percentage despite the four-game losing streak the Islanders are on, not to mention fighting for his due from the New York media, who have kept him considerably under the radar to date. It's a world of difference between him and Lundqvist, who has been shaky during the Rangers' own four-game loss streak. Some fans are saying the main reason DiPietro has been chosen over Lundqvist and Miller is because of the desire of the NHL to have all 30 teams represented. To that, I say... who cares? It's the All-Star Game, and it's DiPietro being recognized as one of the best, if not THE best, player on his team. No matter how he got it, he deserves the honor, and our fans should be happy that, if that is indeed what happened, the league chose to acknowledge the Isles.

Western Conference All-Stars

Forwards: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
Pavel Datsyuk, Red Wings
Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
Jason Arnott, Nashville Predators
Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild
Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
Shawn Horcoff, Edmonton Oilers
Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets
Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
Paul Stasny, Colorado Avalanche
Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks

Defense: Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings
Dion Phaneuf, Flames
Ed Jovanovski, Phoenix Coyotes
Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks
Chris Pronger, Ducks
Sergei Zubov, Dallas Stars

Goaltenders: Manny Legace, St, Louis Blues
Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks
Chris Osgood, Red Wings

Most notable, I suppose, would be the absence of Roberto Luongo, who has decided to abstain from playing in the All-Star Game to be with his wife, Gina, who is expecting their first child in April (congrats to them!).
link- http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=349379&page=NewsPage&service=page

Also interesting: Despite the subpar records of the Coyotes and the Kings (the latter of whom have the worst record in the league), players from those teams have been chosen to play the All-Star Game, perhaps putting to rest the assumption that teams' records have much to do with how players are chosen- not that it doesn't count, of course, but also on the Eastern side, despite the Lightning's bottom-of-the-division standing, Lecavalier and St. Louis were both chosen, likely because of their fan base and their considerable All-Star appeal, as well as their consistently good play.

Some news on Ovechkin's part: As you have already found out most likely, the high-octane Caps forward has gotten a 13-year, $124 million deal with the Caps, the first of its kind in the NHL, though not unheard of in other leagues (the MLB, for starters). As I have heard, he's negotiated his deal himself, having fired his agent over the summer, which proves the old saying "If you want something done right, do it yourself."

link- http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=349618&page=NewsPage&service=page