The format for the All-Star Game is different this year, and while the captains-pick-the-teams-like-we're-on-the-playground style is pretty damn cool, the voting is just weird.
↵Six players -- three forwards, two defensemen, one goalie -- are picked by the fans. 36 more players are picked unilaterally by the NHL. Odd.
↵In any event, fan voting ended yesterday. The six players selected by the fans are...
↵↵↵Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks are the six players selected as NHL® All-Stars via 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting presented by XM, the National Hockey League announced today.
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Four Penguins, two Blackhawks. Oh, no. No ballot stuffing by two groups of fans here. Not one bit.
↵Quite honestly, the only player there that likely deserves one of those top six spots is Crosby. All of them can make an argument for being All-Stars, although we've all quickly forgotten Fleury's horrible start to the season, but one of the top six players? Come on, man.