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Sunday, February 11, 2001
After a day, the nervousness disappears
By Ed Jovanovski
Special to ESPN.com
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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Ed Jovanovski agreed to share his first All-Star experience with ESPN.com. Jovanovski, 24, was named to the North American squad as a replacement for St. Louis' Chris Pronger. Jovanovski is fifth on the Canucks in scoring with 8-22-30 in 50 games.
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Saturday night
The day went by pretty quick after morning skate. We had lunch, looked around, then we were back on the bus on our way back to the rink. It was a great day, it's the first time and definitely one I won't forget.
The SuperSkills competition was fun, everyone was out there having a good time and the fans really enjoyed it. For myself, it was pretty neat. I usually play against these guys. Plus, there are people at home watching you. I did the puck relay and the breakaway. We won the puck relay, but I went 0-for-2 in the breakaway.
Sunday will be fun. Because it's an afternoon game, there isn't much time to get ready -- just get up, grab a quick bite and go to the rink. It's relaxed atmosphere, but I'm sure I'll be nervous my first couple of shifts out there. But that's part of it. Everyone will be loose and enjoying themselves.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous coming into the weekend. But now that I've met all the guys it's more relaxed. Everyone here is a top player in the league and there are a lot of top players who aren't here. They are a great bunch of guys and everyone is easy going.
Once it's done, I've got to jump on a plane. Before I was called to be in the game, I was going to go down to Florida to be with my wife and daughter. We don't hit the ice again until Wednesday, so I'm still going to go down there for two days.
Detailed information on Jovanovski and the rest of the Canucks can be found at www.canucks.com.
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ALSO SEE
Jovanovski diary: A kid in a candy store
Jovanovski replaces injured Pronger on North America squad
2001 NHL All-Star Game coverage
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