NHL All Star Snubs, Flubs, and Schlubs.

The "available players" list for the 58th NHL All Star game was announced today. As we all know, the teams will be selected by a "fantasy draft" (I've really been into quotes today) selection method where the two team captains will pick their teams a couple of days before the event. I think it's a brilliant idea. It has the potential to completely turn the popularity of the event, among hockey fans, back around. I mean, I have an All-Star party every year, but that's just me.

So, how did the fans and NHL do when selecting the 36 available players (along with 12 rookies)?

Forwards-

David Backes (STL): Is he in the top 40 for points, goals, or assists? No. 12 goals, 21 assists, and a +13. He has the most points on his team, but with this whole fantasy draft thing, did we need to select someone from every team?

Sidney Crosby (PIT): One of the six automatic picks voted in by the fans. He's not worth delving into, because they aren't going to have an All-Star game without him.

Matt Duchene (COL): 13th in the NHL in points, he's in.

Patrik Elias (NJ): The lone player selected from one of the NHL's worst teams. Similar story to Backes. Just 33 points, but you'd think if they were just picking a player from the Devils to get someone from each team they'd just pick Ilya. That's who fans would rather see.

Loui Eriksson (DAL): You probably don't know him, but he's 8th in the league in points.

Claude Giroux (PHI): Tied for 29th in points in the league, how does he make it while Philly's Mike Richards doesn't? We have our first head scratching snub.

Ales Hemsky (EDM): Another pick from a bottom feeding team, only this time, Hemsky is only 4th on his team in points! Dustin Penner, Ryan Whitney, and Sam Gagner are all better players from the same team, and were all left off this list. Bizarre. 

Jarome Iginla (CAL): 22nd in the league in points. I'd do anything to not have this guy playing in the game, but at least he's a better choice than Hemsky (that took a lot for me to say that).

Patrick Kane (CHI): I'm not sure why the Blackhawks need three players selected to the All Star team (although, I'll argue that the NHL got it right sending three Canucks). Kane is the worst of the top 3 Hawks this year, so I'm not sure he deserves the trip. 

Ryan Kesler (VAN): I can't be objective. He's a stud. He's in.

Phil Kessel (TOR): How did this happen? Outside the top 40 in the league in points, and only the 4th highest point scorer on his own worthless squad. MacArthur and Grabovski got snubbed. Not Versteeg, though. He's a bitch.

Anze Kopitar (LA): 9th best in points in the league. He's in.

Evgeni Malkin (PIT): Who? Somehow, this no name got voted in by the fans.

Rick Nash (CLB): Clearly the best player on a bad team, but who knew Nash wasn't even that good anymore? Only 34 points this year, the LeBron of the NHL has taken a step down.

Alex Ovechkin (WAS): 11th best in the league, no argument, but way down in goals this year.

Corey Perry (ANA): 9th in the league in points. Top 5 in doucheyness.

Brad Richards (DAL): 6th in the league in points. Quietly tearing it up this year. Dallas is a better team than I give them credit for.

Daniel Sedin (VAN): Stud.

Henrik Sedin (VAN): Identical stud.

Patrick Sharp (CHI): Better than Ovi this year, I'll go ahead and say it, but what's with that +/-?

Martin St. Louis (TB): Fifth best in the league in points. Easy in.

Eric Staal (CAR): Fourteenth in points, another easy in. And, bragging rights at the Staal Sunday night family dinner.

Steven Stamkos (TB): Now I see why the Lightning are leading the Caps. Tampa is seriously underrated.

Jonathan Toews (CHI): Maybe J can fill us in as to why Toews would be selected by the fans over Sharp. Does he do better commercials?

Defense-

Dan Boyle (SJ): Tied for 31st in the league in assists, and he's easily the best defensiveman on a surprisingly last place team. Surprised that he's the only non-rookie Shark selected?

Brent Burns (MIN): Best defender, and nearly the best player, on the Wild this year. Again, if we're picking someone from every team, I guess he's in. Otherwise, there are some much more deserving blue liners.

Dustin Byfuglien (ATL): I'll go ahead and make no comment on this guy. When did he become a defender? Hockey Reference lists him at RW. Me thinks there's a conspiracy. Well, I guess I made a comment.

Zdeno Chara (BOS): Best defender on the Bruins, but outside of his +/-, he's not having a great year. That team really spreads around their love.

Tobias Enstrom (ATL): He's good. Sixth in the NHL in assists, and the second most points scored overall on his team. He's solid.

Mike Green (WAS): Best defender on the Caps doesn't necessarily mean he deserves an All-Star shot, but you'd have to think his 5 PP goals has something to do with it.

Erik Karlsson (OTT): A -11 with just 25 points, this guy shouldn't sniff Carolina on January 30. But, he's arguably the best player on the only team in the Northeast worse than Buffalo and Toronto.

Duncan Keith (CHI): For Duncan Keith to be among the 6 players voted in by the fans, you know they had to have been making a crazy push for voting out there in Chicago.

Kris Leetang (PIT): The aformentiond also applies to Leetang.

Nick Lidstrom (DET): Look, I hate Detroit as much as the next guy, but even I think it's weird that Lids is the only Red Wing to make the All-Star team. We have some players on a serious snub alert here.

Marc Staal (NYR): Dan Girardi is the best defender on the Rangers, not Marc Staal. He only has 17 points! He only has 1 even strength goal! Come on! I hope Eric dumps the bowl of mashed potatoes on his head at the next family dinner, while screaming "Goal!"

Shea Weber (NAS): He has more points than any forward on the Preds. He deserves the trip.

Goalies-

Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT): When only 6 goalies are picked, it's easy to look at Fleury and say, "You have the 7th best GAA, you don't deserve this." Then you see that he was voted in by the fans, you sigh, and you give up. All 6 of the 6 fan vote ins were either from Pittsburgh or Chicago. That conspiracy is growing bigger.

Jonas Hiller (ANA): I almost swallowed my gum! Hiller has the 13th GAA, but is #3 in save percentage. I just have a bias against him because I hate the Ducks, and he has an uninspired goalie mask.

Henrik Lundqvist (NYR): 8th in SV% and 10th in GAA, Lundie is kind of old news around the NHL. I would accept it, if he was the only Ranger, but he's not, so I don't.

Carey Price (MON): 8th in GAA and 11th in SV%, Price is also kind of an old story, but he's the only player selected from Montreal, so he gets a pass.

Tim Thomas (BOS): No amount of stats will ever make me respect Tim Thomas as a NHL goalie. I don't like him, I've never liked him, and I never will like him.

Cam Ward (CAR): 7th in SV%, but 17th in GAA. That's bad, and it goes to show that he's obvious picked for the home crowd.

I'd like to give some love to Tyler Ennis for being the lone rookie All-Star pick to represent the LSF.

Snubs-

Goalies: Pekka Rinne (2.16 GAA), Jon Quick (19-11-1 with a 2.18 GAA), and Corey Crawford (a surprise to me, with a solid, solid, and underrated season).

Defenders: Lubomir Visnovski (5th in points among defenders), Jack Johnson (27 assists, small on penalty minutes, and a good singer), and Keith Yandle (tied for 7th in points among defenders, and none of us have heard of him).

Forwards: Henrik Zetterberg (6th in the NHL with 49 points and a +9), Pavel Datsyuk (I know you all hate me for this, but these guys got crazy snubbed), and Martin Havlat (very quietly, he's 17th in the NHL in points).

I decided to leave it at three snubs per "position," but it could have gone on and on (especially at the forward spot). Derek Roy, Joe Thorton, Justin Williams, Alex Semin, Koivu, Clowe, Laad, you see what I mean? The list goes on and on.

Anybody you think should have made it that didn't? Or, and there are lots of these, some who made it who didn't deserve it? 

-- Sent from my Palm Prē