I’m just glad Phaneuf wasn’t named as one of the defensemen. Hooray!

Did they say whether he was voted in or chosen because the league prefers to have a player from every team?

As we probably all remember, Hejduk has been an NHL All-Star twice before, in 2000 and 2001.

From http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8460577&view=allstar:

MILAN HEJDUK All-Star Profile

QUICK FACTS
Hejduk played in his first of two All-Star Games in 2000. On the experience, he said: “This was not even my dream. Not two or three years ago. I didn’t even expect then that I would play in the NHL. I was thinking that if it didn’t go all right, I would play in Europe. But now I am in the NHL and, this year, in the All-Star Game. So this is really great.” In 2001, he replaced the injured Alexander Mogilny in the starting lineup in front of a home crowd in Denver at the Pepsi Center.

He was selected in the 1994 NHL draft by the Quebec Nordiques, making his NHL debut in 1998 after winning an Olympic gold medal with the Czech Republic at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. In 2002-03, Hejduk solidified himself as a goal scorer winning the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard trophy with 50 goals.

HE SAID IT
On his success to start the season: “Before every season, I don’t look at the numbers and see where I want to be or how many goals I want to score. I never was that kind of guy, and I don’t set my goals. I just want to help the team, have fun, and whatever will be the numbers, will be the numbers … sometimes it’s clicking, sometimes it’s not. Right now, it’s good. It’s hard to explain. Sometimes, you don’t even know why it’s going well, but it is and you want to keep it as long as possible.”

On his career with Colorado: “It feels like my first NHL game was yesterday. Time is flying. I’m fortunate enough to have played for one team. I don’t want to play anywhere else. I love it here, and my family loves it here. I have had a better life than I ever thought I would have.”

THEY SAID IT
Avalanche Head Coach Tony Granato on Hejduk’s rejuvenation this season: “Last year he had a tough time maybe scoring goals in different parts of the year, but he still played a solid two-way hockey. He’s still a big part of the penalty- killing unit and plays a lot of times against the other teams’ top lines and top defensemen. He’s just a solid, two-way player who does everything right.”

Colorado captain Joe Sakic: “He never takes a shift off. He’s got great skill, and he’s smart … he’s capable of getting on a real tear at any time. He’s been a fun guy for me to play with because he is always anticipating what the next best move will be.”


Career All-Star Game Statistics
SEASON TEAM Score R GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW SOG
1999-00 World 9-4 W 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1
2000-01 World 12-14 L 1 1 0 1 -1 0 0 0 0 5
All-Star Totals 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 6

The entire vote was a shambles, with Ovie not making the cut and the ballots being stuffed.

That doesn’t mean I want to rain on Hejduk’s parade, because he most definitely deserved it!

Hejduk gets in this season, but is skipped over the year he leads the league in goals?

it’s still the worst of all the all star games, I probably will go skiing. I put the over/under on hits during the whole game for both sides at 2, and one will be accidental.