Star power: 4 Hawks in All-Star Game
The star power of the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks was evident Tuesday when Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane were selected by the NHL's hockey operations department to go to the All-Star Game later this month in Raleigh, N.C.
Sharp and Kane will join teammates Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, who were voted in by the fans.
The Hawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the only teams with four representatives in the Jan. 30 All-Star Game.
“We have a lot of guys that could be going so it's an honor to be chosen,” Sharp said. “I've been to all-star games before, but not at the NHL level so it'll be exciting to see all the events and all the things going on.”
Joel Quenneville and assistant Mike Haviland will coach one of the all-star teams opposite Vancouver's Alain Vigneault and Philadelphia's Peter Laviolatte.
“It's going to be fun going with teammates and coaches,” Sharp said. “The Blackhawks will be well represented.”
This will be the first All-Star Game appearance for Sharp and it will be Kane's second.
The Hawks were concerned Sharp might not get picked despite his 25 goals, which ranked third in the NHL before Tuesday's games. Sharp leads the Hawks in scoring with 44 points and is among the league leaders with 6 game-winning goals.
“He's definitely deserving,” Kane said. “He's been our go-to guy this year, pretty much scoring game in and game out for us.”
Sharp's selection confirms his status as one of the NHL's elite players, although he often gets overlooked because of the Hawks' star-studded roster.
“The thing that's been so good this year is his consistency each and every game,” Quenneville said. “His goals have been very efficient for us, winning games or putting us in a good spot to get a win.
“Sharpie is growing and he has elevated his game to that point where he gets that consideration to be amongst the best in the league.”
Sharp approached Tuesday's all-star announcement with guarded optimism that he would make it.
“I wouldn't have been surprised either way, to be honest with you,” Sharp said. “There are a lot of good players in the league. There's been times I thought I'd be going and I didn't, so that stuff never surprises me.”
Sharp already has equalled his goal output from last season and should go past his his career high of 36.
“I think I've gotten better every year, and it's always nice to be awarded with this individual accomplishment,” Sharp said. “I feel good about it, but I can honestly tell you it doesn't match up to what happened last June. That's the most important thing, but on the inside I'm very excited and can't wait to go.”
Kane is going to Raleigh despite a slow first half with 13 goals, but it's obvious the league considers him to be one of the game's biggest stars.
“I was just hoping I'd get the call,” said Kane, who was fifth among forwards in fan voting. “I'm pretty fortunate I'm going, and pretty happy, too. It's an honor to go and be with the best players in the world, especially with the kind of year I've had so far.
“It hasn't been the greatest start in the world. It's kind of been an up-and-down season between not starting off real great and then the injury. I've proved before I can be an all-star caliber player and that's probably why I got selected.”