NHL All-Star Game: Who Should (and Should Not) Go to Raleigh

The NHL All-Star Game has always been intended to showcase the NHL's top talent for the first half of the hockey season.  However, in recent years it seems as though the NHL voting has become so obsolete that a fan can only hope that the players who really deserve to be at the All-Star Game get there. 

Many people feel that there is a problem and that voting should not be allowed by the NHL.  There are many more who feel that only the fan voting should count for the All-Star Game.  The NHL All-Star Fan Balloting process only chooses the top six players in the entire NHL to appear at the All-Star Game, down from six for each conference two years ago when the festivities were in Montreal. 

Regardless of which side you are on, the rules of the voting process most likely frustrate you one way or another.  This slide focuses on who should (and should not) be featured as the top NHL players so far in the 2010-11 season.

NHL All-Stars: Analyzing the Forwards

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UNIONDALE, NY - DECEMBER 29: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum on December 29, 2010 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

There are a plethora of ultra-talented forwards currently in the NHL, probably none more notable than Sidney Crosby.  The former No. 1 overall draft pick for the Pittsburgh Penguins leads the NHL in goals and total points and just had his 25-game point streak snapped last night against the New York Islanders. 

He currently leads all players with over 524,000 votes as of Monday, December 27, but, seriously, does he really deserve to have more than 200,000 more votes than any other forward? 

Steven Stamkos, the league's second-highest goal scorer has only three fewer goals than Crosby in three fewer games played.  There are certainly more players that deserve votes other than just Crosby, so without any further talk, here are the forwards that deserve your vote before January 3, 2011.

NHL All-Star Forwards: Who Should Be Picked

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NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Steven Stamkos #91, Martin St. Louis #26, and Mike Lundin #39 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate a goal by St. Louis during an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 23, 2010 in New

Yes, Sidney Crosby should be on the team, but who else should be considered when you vote?  Here they are:

• Steven Stamkos: The 2010 Rocket Richard Trophy winner is currently second in goals (29) and points (52).  His overall play has come around as well, and he is THE reason that the Lightning are in a playoff spot at the moment.
• Martin St. Louis: Currently third in points, the 35-year-old Quebec native is tied with Crosby for second in assists and is a plus-five in 37 games this season.
• Henrik and Daniel Sedin: The Canucks twins were fourth and fifth respectively in points and Henrik leads all NHL players with 39 assists as of the morning of December 30, 2010.  Don't you just love twins?
• Corey Perry: The Ducks winger has 20 goals and 22 assists to go along with a plus-seven rating through 40 games.
• Brad Richards: 17 goals, 25 assists in 38 games.
• Alex Ovechkin: With 42 points and a plus-11 rating through 39 games, Alexander the Great has had to find other ways to get his team to put the puck in the net for him, as he has been the interest of defensemen around the NHL.
• Henrik Zetterberg: tied with Ovechkin in points and a plus-nine rating so far?  Not too bad in my book.
• Loui Eriksson and Anze Kopitar: The Pacific Division rivals have virtually identical numbers so far.
• Pavel Datsyuk: Possibly the league's most creative scorer right now, he's nearly unstoppable one-on-one with the goalie.
• Jonathan Toews: The leader of the defending Champion Blackhawks has 15 goals and 33 points in 38 games so far.
• Ryan Getzlaf: It is puzzling why the Ducks cannot score more with Getzlaf, Perry and Bobby Ryan on the same team.
• Patrick Sharp: tied for third in the league in goals with 20; he leads the Blackhawks in goals and points.
• Eric Staal: The Carolina Hurricanes captain is averaging a-point-per-game through 36 games.
• Matt Duchene: tied for 15th in the NHL with 36 points in 36 games.
• Alexander Semin: The Russian former first-rounder leads the high octane Capitals offense with 18 goals in 36 games.
• Ryan Kesler: Currently sitting tied for fifth in goals with Daniel Sedin.
• Dustin Brown: The Kings' captain has 33 points and is a plus-18 in 36 games played.
• Dany Heatley: The Sharks big offseason acquisition is paying big dividends in the Bay Area.
• Paul Stastny: yet another key part of the Av's high scoring squad.
• Claude Giroux: The Flyers first-round pick in 2006 at 22nd overall has carried his playoff success over to the new season.
• Brandon Dubinsky: Who knew that he would lead the Rangers' team in scoring at 24?

NHL All-Stars: Analyzing the Defense

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ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 23: Nicklas Lidstrom #5 of the Detroit Red Wings shoots the puck against the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center on December 23, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

As we all know, defensemen in the NHL have meant much more than just the denotation of the word "defense," at least since Bobby Orr came into the league.  Very few defensive defensemen ever make the NHL All-Star team, as the All-Star Game itself is more of a barrage of goals than any other aspect of a normal game. 

If you don't try to score in an All-Star Game, then what are you there for?  The following high scorers from the blue line should be on your ballot before January 3 at 11:59 PM EST.

NHL All-Star Defensemen: Who Should You Choose

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UNIONDALE, NY - DECEMBER 11: Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Atlanta Thrashers looks on against the New York Islanders on December 11, 2010 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The Thrashers defeated the Isles 5-4. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

• Dustin Byfuglien: The part-time blue-liner turned full-time defenseman this past offseason is showing his forward tendencies, at least as far as putting the puck in the net is concerned.
• Nicklas Lidstrom: A blue-line stalwart and future Hall of Famer, he never ceases to amaze the entire NHL establishment.
• Kris Letang: Currently third in points from the back end, he trails only Andrej Meszaros in plus-minus by a defenseman.
• Tobias Enstrom: Even though the Thrashers defense has been notoriously porous throughout its history, Enstrom could easily be playing the best hockey of his career and is doing his best to get rid of that stigma.
• John-Michael Liles: The 30-year-old Indianapolis native is another big reason that the Avalanche are currently in the playoff hunt.
• Ryan Whitney: The Edmonton blue-liner gives the Oilers some respectability for the league's worst defense.  If only they could get the rest of their team together.
• Brian Rafalski: The 11-year NHL veteran fits in well with the Red Wings, and if only he could score a goal, he would be an even better fit for either All-Star club.
• Alexander Edler: A good set-up man this season, he doesn't lack on the defensive side of things either.
• Jack Johnson: The former third overall pick in 2005 is tenth in scoring among defenseman and has an even plus/minus through 36 games.
• Niklas Kronwall: Known more for his hitting that his offensive prowess, Kronwall has 20 points and a plus-eight rating through 37 games so far.
• Alex Goligoski: The Penguins blue-liner has 18 points and is a plus-18 in 39 games with the Penguins.
• Bryan McCabe: The former member of Leafs Nation is playing well as captain of the Panthers, is leading the team in scoring from the defense and is a plus-seven.

NHL All-Star Goalies: The Last Line of Defense

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NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 17: Anders Lindback #39 of the Nashville Predators skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on December 17, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Year after year, the NHL seems to improve in the high-caliber goaltending that is shown through 82 games.  Even though All-Star Games are no fun for them, you can't exactly take the goalie out of an All-Star game and expect it to be any more interesting.  The top men who use pillows to the extreme are not without some controversy.

NHL All-Star Goalies: The Best of the Masked Men

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TORONTO, CANADA - DECEMBER 4: Phil Kessel #81 of the Toronto Maple Leafs scores shoot-out winnn goal against Tim Thomas #30 of the Boston Bruins during game action at the Air Canada Centre December 4, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Abelimages

Tim Thomas: The 2009 Vezina Trophy winner is putting up the best numbers that anyone has seen, possibly in the modern era.  His five shutouts is tied for the league lead, and how can you go wrong with a goalie who is stopping nearly 95 percent of the shots he faces?

Jonathan Quick: With four shutouts, a 2.05 GAA and a .925 save percentage (along with 18 wins in 27 appearances) Quick is living up to his name and could put the idea of starting young goalie prospect Jonathan Bernier on the back-burner.

Carey Price: The Price is right and back in Montreal, and he is currently in the top 10 in wins, games played, shots against, saves, save percentage, goals against average and shutouts.  Don't look for him to miss the All-Star Game by a long shot.

Henrik Lundqvist: King Henrik is back to his elite play, and his five shutouts is tied with Tim Thomas for best in the league at the moment.

Cam Ward: Before you start bashing a Hurricanes player, you should know that the Hurricanes defense in front of Ward has been porous on nearly every night this season, and practically nonexistent on some nights.  He has faced the second-most shots and made the second-most saves, while his save percentage is third best among goalies.  Two shutouts for a goalie on this team is pretty darn good too.

Tomas Vokoun: The Czech native is doing what he's just about always done for the Panthers—keep them in the mix as far as the team still having a chance to make the playoffs halfway through the season.  He is tied for third in shutouts among goalies with four, and I'm sure that the somewhat improved Panthers defense is making him a happier camper this season.

Honorable Mentions

Ondrej Pavelec: It's tough to leave this guy off, especially after coming back from his big scare earlier this season after passing out on the ice.  However, he is eleventh in saves and at only 23, he'll have plenty of chances to prove that he belongs with the NHL's elite in the coming years.

Marc-Andre Fleury: If it wasn't for Fleury's poor start to the season, I might have put him above some other goalies on this list.  He is obviously fifth in wins; but, he hasn't had as tough of a job night-in and night-out as some of these other goalies.

Sergei Bobrovsky: When you have players like Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen in front of you every night, it makes your life a lot easier as a rookie goalie in the NHL.  Even so, he is making good decisions with the puck when I have seen "Bob" play, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him lead the Flyers to their first Stanley Cup since 1975 within the next couple of years.