Vote for Rory?

[westofyou]

http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/hocke..._irks_gretzky/

"Vote for Rory" irks Gretzky

While many are jumping on the "Vote for Rory" bandwagon in an attempt to get Canucks blueliner Rory Fitzpatrick voted into the All-Star game, don't expect Wayne Gretzky to cast his ballot any time soon.

The Phoenix Coyotes coach and former NHL great said Thursday he thinks the NHL should intervene in the "Vote for Rory" phenomenon to make sure the players who most deserve to play in next month's All-Star Game in Dallas are included.

Fitzpatrick, a write-in candidate, is in second place among Western Conference defencemen in fan balloting thanks in gigantic part to a fan-started Internet site - www.VoteForRory.com - that is asking people to cast an All-Star vote for Fitzpatrick.

The NHL uses fan voting to determine the starting lineups for both all-star teams.

"I think from his point of view, it's great," Gretzky told The Arizona Republic. "From what the All-Star Game is about, it's 100 percent wrong."

Fitzpatrick, a journeyman who has zero points in 19 games this season, is ahead of marquee defencemen such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Pronger and Sergei Zubov in the voting. Should Fitzpatrick still be in the top two when the voting ends Jan. 2, he would be an All-Star starter.

"I'm not trying to be controversial," Gretzky said. "Maybe he deserves to be in the game. I can't stand here and tell you that he doesn't deserve to be in the game because I've never seen him play. But if he thinks he deserves to be in the All-Star Game, then good for him, he should go. If he doesn't believe he should be in the All-Star Game, he should stand up and say, 'You know what, there's other guys that deserve to be there.' That's kind of what my take on it is."

Who's really losing out?

Hockey's Stan Musial in this case.

http://www.redwingsonline.com/apps/p...612220351/1128

DETROIT -- When it comes to All-Star games, well, nothing is ordinary.

Take the NHL, for example.

Who would be your starting defenseman: Rory Fitzpatrick or Nicklas Lidstrom?

Well, in most instances, it probably would be Lidstrom, who is a four-time Norris Trophy winner.

Think again -- at this point.

Fitzpatrick, a nine-year veteran with nine career goals, is ahead of Lidstrom, thanks to a write-in campaign started near Fitzpatrick's hometown of Rochester, N.Y.

Vancouver fans have jumped aboard, too, and suddenly, Fitzpatrick has 428,832 votes, trailing Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer (447,502).

Lidstrom is third (427,364).

Voting ends Jan. 2.

"I saw the story a couple of weeks ago; it's kind of a funny thing they're doing," said Lidstrom, who's not bothered by the write-in campaign.

"It's kind of funny. It's not a big deal."

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock disagrees somewhat.

"It's a reward for the best players in our league, and the right people should go," Babcock said.

"Being named to the All-Star Game is a real honor."

Shades of 1957

[guttle11]

This is awesome.

Why else would people care about the NHL All-Star Game?

[westofyou]

Why else would people care about the NHL All-Star Game?

I can't see anyone not in the arena and over the age of 12 caring, it's nothing but a pond hockey game.

[Heath]

Shades of 1957

wow - Ford Frick used mimeographed sheets. That's before Xerox.

[Patrick Bateman]

Lidstrom will be picked either way.

There will be a good d-man left out, but as WOY said, the game is designed more or less for the kids' attention.

My bet is that if Rory is voted in, he will declone the invitation. He has seemed pretty embarassed about the whole thing.

[deltachi8]

I wouldn't be suprised at all to see Rory turn it down, he is a good guy.

Just reminded me to cast my votes for the game.

Also a short bit about it in today's Buffalo News:

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...22/2011768.asp

The Internet campaign to get Rory Fitzpatrick voted into next month's All-Star Game continues to amaze.

Even though he's a write-in candidate, the pedestrian former Sabres defenseman ranked second among all Western Conference defensemen and was third overall behind only Joe Thornton and Scott Niedermayer in balloting at the time of the NHL's weekly update.

Fitzpatrick had collected 428,832 votes, putting him ahead of Norris Trophy winners Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Pronger.

"I haven't voted, and I'm ashamed of myself now because I know Rory," Ruff said when asked if he had cast an on-line ballot. "It is what it is. I think you've got to enjoy it, and it seems like it's getting more and more speed."

[deltachi8]

Looks like our pal Rory missed out...but three of my Sabres made it :-)

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid...e&service=page

Six first-time starters in the East while Fitzpatrick misses out in West
Canadian Press Jan 10, 2007, 12:07 AM EST


NEW YORK (CP) - Another first for Sid The Kid.

Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby is the youngest player ever voted to an NHL all-star game since fan balloting began in 1986. The NHL announced its starters Tuesday and Crosby, at 19 years five months, is the youngest since Jaromir Jagr was voted in at 19 years 11 months in 1992.

"It's an honour," Crosby said after scoring a goal in Pittsburgh's 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. "Growing up watching it, and who would have dreamed of playing in it?

"It's something I will enjoy."

Crosby and fellow super sophomore Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals led a sweep first-time starters on the Eastern Conference, joined by Montreal Canadiens defenceman Sheldon Souray and a trio of Buffalo Sabres: centre Daniel Briere, goalie Ryan Miller and defenceman Brian Campbell.

"Being selected it just an honour," said Souray. "For the fans to think that highly of me is pretty humbling, actually."

The Sabres are the first team to place three players in the starting lineup of an all-star game since the inception of fan voting in 1986. Buffalo is the top team in the East Division this year after finishing a win short of advancing to the Stanley Cup last season.

"It's just gone to prove that the last year and a half hasn't been by accident," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who will lead the East squad. "Last year was what it was, and this year we've built off from where we were."


The 2005 all-star game was cancelled because of the year-long lockout and the game wasn't held last season because the NHL took a break for the Turin Olympics.

Crosby led all players with 825,783 votes and registered the second-highest number of votes ever. Jagr received 1,020,736 in 2000 while with Pittsburgh.

Ovechkin ranked third among Eastern Conference forwards with 475,297 votes, the highest total registered by a Russian player.

Briere was second among Eastern Conference forwards with 475,857 votes and third overall behind Crosby and San Jose's Joe Thornton (663,931). Interestingly, his No. 48 jersey has ranked fourth overall in sales in first half of this season.

Teammate Miller led all NHL goalies with 539,635 votes, the second-highest total among netminders since Curtis Joseph had 554,789 in 2000.

But Rory Fitzpatrick didn't make it despite a well-publicized Internet campaign to get the journeyman defenceman from the Vancouver Canucks in the all-star classic. He finished with 550,177 votes, a record for a write-in candidate, but still behind starters Scott Niedermayer of Anaheim (591,657) and Nicklas Lidstrom of Detroit (573,069).

For Lidstrom, it will mark the seventh straight year that he will start an NHL all-star game and this year's event will mark his ninth overall. Lidstrom is one of only four Red Wings to play 1,000 games, joining Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman and Alex Delvecchio and this year was named the first European-born team captain with the off-season retirement of Yzerman.

Niedermayer led all Western Conference defencemen with 591,657 votes and will take part in his fourth all-star game. In 2004, he won the fastest skater competition at 2004 all-star skills event and at his first all-star appearance in 1998.

Fitzpatrick's teammate Roberto Luongo will be at the Jan. 24 game in Dallas, however, after leading all Western Conference goalies with 484,861 votes. Up front, Colorado veteran Joe Sakic is joined by San Jose teammates Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo. Luongo and Cheechoo are first-time starters.

Sakic was selected to his 12th NHL all-star game and voted to start for the fourth time. With 473,847 votes, he finished second among West Division forward behind Thornton.

Complete rosters for the 2007 all-star game will be filled out by the NHL's hockey operations department in conjunction with GMs and will be announced Saturday on CBC during Hockey Day In Canada.

Sabres fans were heard loud and clear in voting in three of their own. Miller beat out superstar Martin Brodeur of New Jersey by 54,642 votes. Forward Maxim Afinogenov nearly made it four starting Sabres but fell short by just 5,866 votes behind Ovechkin.

Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Miikka Kiprusoff of Calgary garnered 403,313 votes in second place behind Luongo.