Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, the National Hockey League’s leading scorer, won fan balloting announced on Tuesday that decided the first six players in the NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 30.
Crosby, who has scored 32 goals in 40 games this season, was among four Penguins players named to the All-Star lineup, joined by teammates Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith of the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks were the other players chosen in balloting ending on Monday night.
The other 36 All-Stars will be revealed next Tuesday. The talent pool will then nominate captains and alternates that will select sides for the annual exhibition match, to be played at Raleigh, North Carolina.
This is the first time the unique “choose sides” format has been used and it could produce another showdown between the NHL’s two superstar players, Canadian Crosby and Russian playmaker Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin’s Capitals defeated the Penguins 3-1 on New Year’s Day in the NHL’s Winter Classic outdoor game before nearly 70,000 spectators in a football stadium in Pittsburgh.
The game drew the largest NHL regular-season US TV viewership in 35 years and the chance for an All-Star version of the “Sid versus Ovie” matchup might be too much for players to pass up.
Crosby received 635,509 votes, with Toews second among forwards with 407,676 and Malkin third on 376,887. Fleury led goalies with 426,305 while write-in candidate Letang paced defensemen at 477,960 with Keith next at 382,162.
Crosby scored the winning goal in over-time for Canada at last year’s Vancouver Winter Olympics final to give the hosts the gold medal over the US.
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