Fan Vote Starts Six for the All-Star Game

The NHL All-Star Game is three weeks away, which will mean another shortened week in the NHL schedule, but it will show off the league's best talent in a game that means... well, absolutely nothing.  It's a showcase event and that's that.

Well, the first step towards the game itself was completed this week, as the online fan voting finished off and it elected the first six players, guaranteed to play in the game, barring injury.  All six players will be in the starting lineup as well, which makes me wonder why they don't vote for 12 players, making sure you get the full starting lineup for both teams, despite the Fantasy Draft.

So, for starters, here are the six player elected by the fans and how they stack up for the hockey pool.

Player	NHL	Pos	Pool
Corey Crawford	CHI	G	Dale C.
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Duncan Keith	CHI	D	Clayton
Brent Seabrook	CHI	D	Leo
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Zemgus Girgensons	BUF	F	Scott
Patrick Kane	CHI	F	Stacey C.
Jonathan Toews	CHI	F	Stacey M.

As you can see, we're Chicago Blackhawks-heavy in this voting process and then there was the surprise starter, Zemgus Girgensons of Buffalo, who was helped along by a very active Latvian vote.  On the plus side, we have six different pool teams represented, which spreads out the love a little bit.

The remaining players that will make up the rest of the Fantasy Draft roster will be announced this coming Saturday, January 10th.  This is where we'll see how many players from each pool team will be playing.

Next season, there will be a few mini-pools added to the draft and the All-Star Game may be one of those mini-pools, as it would definitely add a little more excitement to the season and another chance for a team to win their money back.  I have been covering the All-Star Game on many occasions with a hockey pool context, so why not actually have some money on it, finally?  The determination will likely come after the season ends.