Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk was elected to start his first NHL All-Star game with the most votes of any player.
Kovalchuk entered Thursday tied for the league lead with 46 points, and was the runaway choice with 145,380 votes to start in the game on Feb. 8 in Minnesota.
Kovalchuk has carried the scoring load for the Thrashers in the absence of injured forward Dany Heatley, last year's All-Star MVP after his four-goal performance.
"He tells me it was lots of fun. It's going to be exciting," said Kovalchuk, from Tver, Russia. "He is a great player. We all miss him."
Heatley has been out the entire season recovering from a preseason car crash that killed Atlanta teammate Dan Snyder.
The Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils placed three starters in the Eastern Conference lineup, all on the defensive side.
Martin Brodeur, last season's Vezina Trophy winner, will start in goal for the third time and play behind teammates Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer.
Stevens, who this season broke the NHL record for games played by a defenseman, will make his 14th All-Star appearance.
"Having three of us starting is the ultimate honor," Brodeur said.
The forwards are Kovalchuk, Martin St. Louis (79,707) of Tampa Bay, and center Joe Thornton (51,247) of Boston.
Brodeur finished second in the East with 136,495 votes on the strength of his NHL-high 19 victories and eight shutouts.
"Whenever you get voted by the fans it is something really different," Brodeur said. "It's not people saying you are the best player, but it shows that people appreciate what it is that you do."
Both Stevens (121,838) and Niedermayer (104,567) have played in 38 of New Jersey's first 39 games. Niedermayer is third on New Jersey's scoring list with 22 points. Stevens has three goals and nine assists.
"This will be my third time there, but with three of us starting it is going to be a lot of fun," Niedermayer said. "I'm extremely excited."
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