NEW YORK – Centers Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche have been named as team captains of the North America and World All-Star Teams, respectively, for the 51st NHL All-Star Game to be played Sunday, Feb. 4 in Denver (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
|
Did you hear the one ...
|
|
NEW YORK -- ABC Sports is putting another comedian in the
game booth, tabbing Denis Leary to work the second and third
periods of the NHL All-Star Game telecast.
Leary, who has a sitcom that the network will premiere in March,
follows Dennis Miller, hired last year as a regular member on "Monday Night Football." |
In addition, New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer has been added to the North America All-Star Team. Niedermayer replaces St. Louis Blues defenseman Al MacInnis, who will miss the game due to an eyelid laceration he suffered last week.
Lemieux, who returned to the NHL on Dec. 27 after 3½ years away from the game, will be making his ninth All-Star Game appearance. In addition to ranking second in career All-Star Game goals and points with 11 and 20, respectively, the 35-year-old Montreal native also set the All-Star Game record for points in a game with six (three goals, three assists) in 1988 and gained a share of the record for goals in a game by scoring four times in 1990.
Forsberg will be starting his third All-Star Game and making his fourth career appearance. The 27-year-old native of Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, is playing in his seventh NHL season. He has twice been named to the post-season First All-Star Team, in 1998 and 1999, and helped the Avalanche capture the Stanley Cup in 1996.
Niedermayer, 27, will be making his second All-Star Game appearance. He performed for the North America All-Stars in 1998. Playing in his ninth NHL season, Niedermayer has posted 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 29 games and ranks second on the Devils in average ice time per game (24:08). The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Edmonton, Alberta native helped the Devils capture the Stanley Cup in 1995 and 2000.
"It's exciting," Niedermayer said before Tuesday night's game
against Detroit. "I was there a few years ago and it's a lot of
fun."
Niedermayer, who missed the first 19 games of the season in a
contract dispute, never thought he would make the team.
"When I came back, it wasn't a goal I set for myself unless I
played unbelievable," Niedermayer said. "I'll take it. I won't
complain."
|
|
ALSO SEE
Detailed North America roster
Detailed World roster
|
