2012 NHL All-Star Game: 50 All-Star Facts You Need to Know

The NHL All-Star Game is a wonderful event. It's the perfect change for the fans, players and coaches to reflect on the season to date and enjoy some downtime before the second-half surge gets under way.

The All-Star Game has been the host of some incredible moments throughout its history and the 2012 version promises to offer up some similarly memorable scenes.

Let's take a look at 50 All-Star facts, past and present, to get you ready to the midseason showdown on Jan. 29.

There Has Only Been One Shutout

In the 59-year history of the All-Star Game, only once has a team recorded a shutout. It was all the way back in 1967 that the Montreal Canadiens bested the All-Stars 3-0.

Zdeno Chara Owns the Hardest Shot

Zdeno Chara has become the king of the hardest shot competition. His new mark is 105.9 miles per hour, which the Bruins captain is likely to break this season. It's just what he does.

The Fewest Goals Ever in an All Star Game

With an increasing emphasis on offense throughout history, it's no surprise that the fewest goals in any All-Star Game came all the way back in 1952, when the game finished in a 1-1 tie.

Most Points in a Single Game

Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux share the record for most points in a single All-Star Game with 6. That mark is going to be tough to beat. 

Glenn Hall Is the Best of All-Star Goaltenders

Few goaltenders can stack up to Glenn Hall in terms of All-Star Game success. Hall appeared in 13 games, including nine consecutive, and had 540 total minutes played.

The Best All-Star Coach

Scotty Bowman's success as an NHL coach carried over into the All-Star Game. He coached 13 games, winning seven of them. 

Rare Goaltending Heroics

Goalies rarely steal the show at the All-Star Game. In fact, the last goaltender to win the game's MVP Award was Mike Richter, all the way back in 1994

The Legend of Ray Bourque

Ray Bourque did so many great things for the game of hockey. No. 77 was such a star, and that got him selected to a ridiculous 19-consecutive All-Star Games. No player has matched such a streak.

Another "Great One" Record

Wayne Gretzky owns a laundry list of NHL records. Among them is the record for most career All-Star Game points with 25.

A Tendency for Scoring

The NHL All-Star Game tends to be a high scoring affair. Look no further than the 26-goal onslaught that occurred back in 2001.

Patrick Roy's Shortcomings

Patrick Roy is arguably the greatest goaltender of all time. However, he has also allowed more goals than any goalie in NHL All-Star Game history with 31. Most of that can be attributed to the volume of minutes Roy has played, but it's an interesting stat.

Gordie Howe Is Mr. All-Star

Not only is Gordie Howe Mr. Hockey, he is also Mr. All-Star. The legendary Red Wing appeared in an outrageous 23 midseason spectacles. 

A 51-Year-Old All-Star

Speaking of Gordie Howe, the man played in the All-Star Game at the age of 51, by far the oldest player to ever appear in the game.

Shooting Gallery

There is a reason goaltenders have a tough time finding success in the NHL All Star Game. It has become an all-out shooting gallery. In 2009, the teams set a record with a combined 102 shots between them.

More Lemieux and Gretzky

The record for most goals in a single All-Star Game is shared between Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. They also share the record for most career goals with 13.

The Fastest Skater

The skills competition provides some incredible moments. One of the most jaw-dropping was the record time of 13.386 Mike Gartner put up in the fastest skater competition.

Accuracy Is King

The accuracy shooting competition is always fun to watch. A player has gone four-for-four in the challenge four times in the event's history. Ray Bourque did it twice, Jeremy Roenick did it in 2004 and Mark Messier managed the feat back in 1994.

Scoring Frenzy

When it comes to All-Star Game scoring, few feats are more impressive than the 16 goals the Eastern Conference All-Stars put up in 1993. Even with all of the offense in today's game, I'm not sure we'll ever see that type of scoring again.

Fastest Goal

The All-Star Game scoring usually gets under way quickly, but Rick Nash's goal 12 seconds into the 2008 NHL All-Star Game is still the record for the quickest goal in the game's history.

Lupul's First Game

Joffrey Lupul will be playing in his first NHL All-Star Game this season, and he has definitely earned the opportunity. Playing alongside Phil Kessel, Lupul has collected 47 points so far this season. He was voted into the game by the fans.

Koivu's First Appearance

Mikko Koivu is making his first NHL All-Star appearance. In my opinion, it is long overdue. Koivu is the heart and soul of a surprising Minnesota Wild team in the season's first half.

Mr. Irrelevant

After being the last pick in the first ever NHL All-Star Game fantasy draft last year, Phil Kessel will almost certainly be drafted higher this time around. He already has 24 goals this season.

No Lidstrom

Nick Lidstrom, who has appeared in 12 All-Star Games and been voted to the first team in 10 of them, has elected to not participate in this year's game. Lidstrom captained a team last year and is turning in another stellar campaign, but chose rest over the festivities this time around. At his age, who could blame him?

No Devils

The New Jersey Devils, who were once accustomed to sending numerous players to the annual All-Star Game, will not be represented by any players at the actual game. They are, however, sending a pair of rookies along for the ride.

Carolina Hurricanes Not Selected

A year after hosting the game and sending numerous players, not a single Carolina Hurricane will be a part of the Jan. 29 All-Star Game. It's a testament to just how poorly this team is playing this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Similarly Underrepresented

Rick Nash is somewhat of an All-Star Game legend, so it will be strange that he and all of his teammates will be at home watching while the rest of the stars play in the All-Star Game. The league's worst team can't really debate the issue, either.

No Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are also having a rough season. It was tough to justify sending any of these players to play in the All-Star Game. Gabriel Landeskog, the future of the franchise and a 2011 first round pick, will be there representing the team as a rookie.

No Oilers

Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the Oilers and prevented any of their players from participating in the All-Star Game. If not for injury, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins could have been representing this team at the big show, but at most he'll be in the rookie skills challenge.

Jon Quick's First

Jon Quick is playing out of his mind right now, which is uncommon for a member of the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have been a huge disappointment this season and lost in the shuffle has been Quick's phenomenal season. Quick is deserving of his All-Star selection, which is surprisingly his first.

First Appearance for Brian Elliot

The St. Louis Blues are where they are in the standings because of Brian Elliott.

Make no mistake about it, the Blues goalie has been a total stud this season. He is playing with confidence that is radiating to the rest of this squad. How long they can keep it up is anyone's guess, but as long as Elliot continues to play like he has, there is no reason to believe they won't make the playoffs.

It's fitting that he is the lone Blues representative in his first All- Star Game.

No Tuukka

The league leader in goals against average and save percentage will not be in attendance in Ottawa for the All-Star Game. Tuukka Rask is the man leading both of those categories, yet his volume of work was not enough for him to get selected.

It's a shame. Playing in any other city, Rask would be a featured goaltender, earning All-Star Game appearances annually.

Fantasy Draft

Like last year, the league will conduct a fantasy draft to determine the teams of this year's All-Star Game.

It Means Little

Make no mistake, this game means very little. It's a chance for players and fans to have fun and celebrate the game, but don't read much more into it than that.

Scoring, Scoring and More Scoring

If the past results have taught us anything, it's that there will be tons of scoring in this contest. There always seem to be plenty of goals in the All-Star Game.

Tim Horton's

Though I'm sure it won't be difficult to figure out for anyone watching the game, but Tim Horton's will be sponsoring the 59th Annual NHL All-Star Game.

Sens Fans Come Up Big

The Ottawa Senators are blessed with some great fans. The Senators faithful got four of their hometown players into the top four of All-Star Game voting. Jason Spezza, Daniel Aldredsson, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek were all voted into the game by the fans.

Special Year in Ottawa

The Ottawa Senators are celebrating their 20th Anniversary as a franchise this season. The team started play in 1992, after the original Senators had moved from Ottawa all the way back in 1934. What a perfect way for the Senators and their fans to celebrate the 20th anniversary.

Ottawa Will Be a Great Host

The Ottawa Senators are going to be a fine host for the All-Star Game. Ottawa is a beautiful city and it has been host of two NHL Drafts, a Stanley Cup Final and a World Junior Championship in the past five years.

First All Star Game in Ottawa

Believe it or not, this will be the first NHL All Star Game hosted in Canada's capital city. Despite hosting other events, the Senators have never been blessed by the league with an All-Star Game.

Canada Hosting Often

The 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa will mark the second time in the last three games that the event will be hosted north of the border. Canada certainly puts on the best show for events like these. 

Schedule for A.S.G.

The 2012 NHL All Star Game is scheduled for Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. eastern time. 

Skills Schedule

The skills competition at the 2012 NHL All Star Game will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 7-9 p.m.

T.V. Schedule

The 2012 NHL All-Star Game will be covered on NBC and CBC.

Draft Schedule

The fantasy draft for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 8-9:30 p.m.

Kris Versteeg Was Snubbed

Kris Versteeg was the most notable omission from the All-Star Game. His 39 points aren't jaw-dropping, but Versteeg has stepped into a big-time leadership role up front for the Florida Panthers, who currently lead the Southeast Division. 

No Backstrom

The Washington Capitals will be sending Alexander Ovechkin to the All-Star Game, but he may not be the most deserving Capital. Nicklas Backstrom is leading Washington in points with 42. Unfortunately, he has a head injury, along with several other superstars across the league. 

Claude Julien and His Staff Will Coach One Team

By winning the 2011 Stanley Cup, Claude Julien and the rest of the Bruins' coaching staff have earned the privilege to coach one of the teams at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. I wonder if he'll bring his physical system with him from Boston.

John Tortorella and Todd McLellan Earn the Other Spots

John Tortorella and Todd McLellan earned the other coaching spots in the All-Star Game by coaching their respective teams to the highest point percentages in their conferences as of last Monday. That will be an interesting coaching tandem.

Game Doesn't Happen on Olympic Years

For those wondering why there is a gap in the All Star Game history, it is because under the current CBA there is no All-Star Game on years when the Winter Olympics take place. 

Change Could Be Coming

There could be a significant amount of change coming to the All-Star Game with the NHL set to negotiate a new CBA for next season. The NHL All-Star Game has been no stranger to change, so it wouldn't come as a shock to see more alterations made to the contest.