This is the All Star Break of Winter. Hockey. With the NHL All Star
Game being played last night in San Jose, California. The All Star game this year was again played
in a unique format, with four teams representing three divisions engaged in a single
elimination playoff and final game. all. in. one. night.
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby had two goals and
three assists, and Henrik Lundqvist pitched a first-half shutout to lead the
Metropolitan Division to a 10-5 victory over the Central Division in the
championship round.
Selected Most Valuable Player, Crosby finished the night with
four goals and four assists in two games on the same rink where he won the Conn
Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup three years ago. Lundqvist stopped 11 of 13 shots
in his two games to give the Metropolitan Division its second title in four
years of the three-on-three All-Star format and the $1 million prize shared by
the winners of the four-team divisional tournament.
The first time the All-Star game came to San Jose in 1997,
hometown favorite Owen Nolan capped the night by calling his shot and pointing
to the spot where he completed a hat trick that delighted the Shark Tank.
Sharks fans didn’t have as much to cheer for
in the return, even though their three All-Stars started the night on the ice
together for the Pacific. The Central blitzed the Pacific early for its first
win in four years in this format, scoring seven goals on nine shots against
Whitehall native John Gibson in the first half of the period in a 10-4 victory.
The Metropolitan Division won the second semifinal 7-4 thanks
to a tiebreaking goal by Letang with 3:38 to play. Sebastian Aho added an
insurance goal seconds after Braden Holtby stopped John Tavares in close.
