This year’s NHL All-Star Game has a unique new format that has been talked about quite a bit. This year, two team captains would get a chance to draft their own All-Star teams to play with. Now Jackie and I thought this sounded like a good idea so we decided to do our own All-Star Game mock draft. We’d alternate picks until we both had 21 man rosters like the real thing.

So how did our mock draft play out? Our draft results after the jump.

The real All-Star Game has the captain named ahead of the draft with the captain selecting his two alternates outside of the draft rules. Since Jackie and I were the general managers of our teams, we selected the captains and alternates in the draft. Therefore, we had to modify our mock draft rules a bit to these:

• Captain selected in the 1st round
• Alternates selected in 2nd and 3rd round
• One of the three captain and alternates must be a defenseman
• Three goalies must be selected by round 13 (Round 10 in real life)
• Six defencemen must be drafted by round 18 (Round 15 in real life)
• 21 rounds in total

Now that all the legalities and explanations are out of the way, let’s get on with the show.

Round 1

Team Jackie – Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh
Because it’s freakin’ Sidney Crosby. He might lack personality (see Price is Right) but at least he can play!

Team Murray – Henrik Sedin, C, Vancouver
He’s the reigning Hart Trophy winner as MVP and leads the league in assists. All the pretty passing plays in the All-Star Game will be right up his alley. Also, he wears the “C” for the Canucks which gives him those qualifications.

Round 2

Team Jackie – Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington
The NHL always had a thing for pitting the Russian superstar against Sid the Kid. While his play isn’t quite as stellar this year, it’ll be fun to see him play alongside Crosby. Plus he also wears a C for Washington. Now let’s hope he doesn’t butt heads with The Kid and start a locker room brawl.

Team Murray – Daniel Sedin, LW, Vancouver
The Sedin boys together in the All-Star Game had to happen. There were two or three other guys I wanted to take here but couldn’t pass this possibility up. Got my playmaker and goal scorer set with two picks.

Round 3

Team Jackie – Dustin Byfuglien, D, Atlanta
He’s the reason why the Blackhawks made it to the Stanley Cup finals and snatching the big prize last year. Now he’s helping back the blueline in Atlanta and giving them a shot at the playoffs. In addition to solid defensive plays, he’s also quite the points producer on the offensive side. Somewhere in Chicago, the folks in the office or press box wishes he was still playing there.

Team Murray – Nick Lidstrom, D, Detroit
I was really thinking of taking Lidstrom with my second pick. I really wanted him on this team. He’s having a Norris Trophy calibre season this year despite being 40-years-old and likely to retire at the end of the season. He won’t produce Byfuglien numbers offensively but I expect him to keep pace fairly well. And defensively this is no contest. Lidstrom by a country mile.

Round 4

Team Jackie – Jonathan Toews, C, Chicago
So he may not be the most explosive forward out there, but he is a great young leader in Chicago. As per our Mighty Ducks post from a little while back, think of him as the Charlie Conway of the group. Plus, he can play a crucial role if this game goes into a shootout (see World Juniors against the USA).

Team Murray – Steven Stamkos, C, Tampa Bay
I’ll see your young star centre with my own. While yours can play a two-way game, mine is all attack. Stamkos leads the league in goals and would absolutely own the game if he was on a line with Hank Sedin. I doubt that would happen, even in our hypothetical world, but it’s fun to think of the possibilities.

Round 5

Team Jackie – Eric Staal, C, Carolina
Another centre to my team, that spot is filling fast. Why Staal? He’s doing wonders for me in the Lowdown Hockey Pool! That’s a good enough reason already. He’s a point per game guy this year and he plays with great consistency. That should be good secondary scoring for an all-star team that already has Sid and Ovechkin on the top line, no?

Team Murray – Tim Thomas, G, Boston
Homer pick there. The Carolina fans will love you for taking him there. I think I might regret picking a goalie with eight more rounds to go until I have to get them all. The thing with Thomas is that he’s far and away the best goalie this season. If memory serves, he was almost MVP worthy in his last All-Star appearance. The man is going to be a game saver to counter your offensive onslaught.

Round 6

Team Jackie – Zdeno Chara, D, Boston
As Raj Binder reported, he eats babies. If you’re not scared by that statement, well… you should be. Everyone on the opposing team should feel the same way.

Team Murray – Martin St. Louis, RW, Tampa Bay
Well, solved my problem of who to play Stamkos with. Stamkos and St. Louis are the best goal scoring pair in the league and are only matched for points by the Sedins. I may not have any defencemen and will likely be hurting for goaltending but at least I have my top two lines set.

Round 7

Team Jackie – Matt Duchene, C, Colorado
Tavares who? That’s right! He’s exceeding all expectations and outperforming the first pick of the Islanders. Duchene is off to a great start this season and with the recent acquisition of Tomas Fleischmann from Washington, Duchene’s offensive output has been on the upswing. Expect more good things to come for this young lad with the Avalanche.

Team Murray – Kris Letang, D, Pittsburgh
Those rules are making me think. I’ll counter Chara with Letang. In a game that is played almost entirely on the offense, Letang makes a good option. He tops all All-Stars in plus-minus which also has to count for something. The only downside is that he’s locked in as a starter. That only really affects the opening draw but it’s still a minor inconvenience.

Round 8

Team Jackie – Corey Perry, RW, Anaheim
I need a good winger for all the centres that have been loaded up, so why not Perry? He’s currently the leading scorer for the Ducks and he adds some grit to the team. The man can put up to a fight when necessary.

Team Murray – Brad Richards, C, Dallas
Surprised that it took you to round eight to pick a Duck. Anyway, here’s another playmaker on my roster. Richards is just a clinically underrated player. He’s 3rd in the league in assists and 6th in points. I doubt many people would know that. There’s a reason why he’s worth his $7.8 million cap hit and will get another contract in that neighbourhood this off-season.

Round 9

Team Jackie – Jonas Hiller, G, Anaheim
I need a goaltender and finally selected one. Jonas Hiller might be streaky at times but when he’s on a roll, he’ll be red hot. Despite a slow start to the season with a GAA of 3.13 in the first month, his first four starts in January had a GAA of 0.75! Even without team captain Ryan Getzlaf to help with the Ducks offense, Hiller is backstopping the net efficiently and keeping the team in the middle of the playoff race.

Team Murray – Rick Nash, RW, Columbus
I’m taking a risk leaving my goalies and defencemen this late in the going. However, Nash is a constant top ten goal scorer in the league and should complement the playmaking Richards nicely. That and it gives me an excuse to say “Rick Nash, bitch!”

Round 10

Team Jackie – Tobias Enstrom, D, Atlanta
Another defenseman with an offensive upswing. Given that he is already on the top pair D-man with Byfuglien, it would make sense to keep these two together on this roster.

Team Murray – Henrik Lundvist, G, NY Rangers
I’ve already got the top goalie in the league on my team so why not supplement him with the #2 goalie as well. Lundqvist sits 2nd in the league in save percentage and shutouts and sixth in GAA. He’s also face the fourth most shots this season so he knows what he’ll face at the All-Star Game. I’d say that he should fit in well on this team.

Round 11

Team Jackie – Shea Weber, D, Nashville
If anyone really knows me, goaltending is never a priority for me, so back to the rest of the roster. That means my next two rounds will be whatever’s left of the goaltenders. While he’s not topping the league in any categories, Weber is a reliable shutdown defenseman. He’s also been on a hot run on the offensive side lately, so might as well let that carry over into the All-Star Game.

Team Murray – Patrick Sharp, LW, Chicago
When you think goal scoring in Chicago, you think of Patrick “20 Cent” Kane. However, it’s Sharp that’s leading the team in scoring and 4th in the league. I know its the Patrick Kane anthem but I must also say “I’m in Chicago trick!”

Round 12

Team Jackie – Carey Price, G, Montreal
Despite the off-season drama last year, Price has stepped up his game and now leads the league in wins. He’s currently 10th in GAA, but he does have 4 shutouts under his belt so far this season. Without any real solid backup goaltending in Montreal, Price has been the main guy between the pipes and he’s doing a solid job helping the Canadiens top up their win column.

Team Murray – Dan Boyle, D, San Jose
I’m not really bothered if I get Fleury or Ward as my third goaltender so it’s entirely Jackie’s choice and I’ll take whoever’s left. Meanwhile, I need some defencemen because Jackie has quietly stocked up on them. Boyle is a puck moving defenseman which fits the makeup of this team well.

Round 13

Team Jackie – Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Pittsburgh
I had to choose a goaltender and I just happen to like Fleury a bit more than Ward. That’s about it.

Team Murray – Cam Ward, G, Carolina
Not like I had much choice here. Like Fleury, Ward has led his team to a Stanley Cup. The difference between the pair is that Ward will be playing in front of his home fans which hopefully will spur him on to a stellar performance.

Round 14

Team Jackie – Mike Green, D, Washington
Might as well get my defense completed by now. Green might be having an off season and he’s not scoring as much as he did last year, but I need a puck moving defenseman. He’s also got a decent +/- out of the remaining D-man.

Team Murray – Duncan Keith, D, Chicago
Looks like my starting blueline pair is set since I’ve added Keith to Letang. Trust me, I’ve gone back and forth on this pick a few times. Keith is more puck mover and defensive star that seems sort of in the Lidstrom mold of player. That and you can’t go wrong with a guy that won an Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup in the same year.

Round 15

Team Jackie – Patrick ’20 Cent’ Kane, RW, Chicago
It’s all about chemistry at this point and given that he plays alongside Jonathan Toews, he would be a good fit to be on the same line once again. He might not be leading the Blackhawks in goals right now, but he can score when it matters. See Stanley Cup final game where the Blackhawks clinch the big prize from last year.

Team Murray – Loui Eriksson, LW, Dallas
I still need defencemen but I couldn’t pass up Brad Richards’s wingman in Dallas. Eriksson has cooled off as of late but he was a 70 point guy last season and is on pace for a point per game this year. He’s top ten in the league in assists and points. And like Jackie, I seem to be going for chemistry with the Sedins, Stamkos and St. Louis and Richards and Eriksson.

Round 16

Team Jackie – Claude Giroux, RW, Philadelphia
He’s a rising star on a strong Philly team. We’re a little past the halfway point of the season and he has already surpassed his goal total from 2009/2010. He was a key player in the Flyers Stanley Cup Playoffs run last year and he seemed to have carried on this momentum into the current season. It’s no surprise the Flyers awarded the man with a nifty 3 year extension. Since I’m on the hunt for wingers who can score, Giroux fits the bill perfectly.

Team Murray – Ryan Kesler, C, Vancouver
Well, I’ve got the mortgage on the Canuckleheads. With Giroux off the board, I take the next best goal scorer left in Kesler. He’s fifth in the league in goals and is also on the cover of NHL 2K11. That give us each a current NHL game cover boy… Too bad that we couldn’t draft Gretzky who’s on the cover of NHL Slapshot on the Wii.

Round 17

Team Jackie – Marc Staal, D, New York Rangers
For the sake of completeness, I’ll take up Staal. Steve’s got the Sedin twins on me, so I’ll throw the Staal brothers right back at him. I do have a slight disadvantage with this given that Marc Staal is a defenseman and doesn’t quite have the offensive flare.

Team Murray – Brent Burns, D, Minnesota
Well, my choice was Burns now, Karlsson later or Karlsson later, Burns now. So I’ll take the goal scorer now. Still, I’m happy with how this turned out. Of the remaining three, this was the pair I wanted.

Round 18

Team Jackie – Jarome Iginla, RW, Calgary
I’m picking him just so I can say “Let’s get Iggy with it”. He also brings some Olympics experience from the gold medal winning Canadian team. He’s a consistent 30+ goal man every season, so he’ll provide plenty of offensive support.

Team Murray – Erik Karlsson, D, Ottawa
By process of elimination, I’m left with the representative of the Ottawa Senators. At least Karlsson is out performing Gonchar. In fact, he’s equaled his 2009-10 point total and is only one point behind Alfredsson for the team lead. That’s just sad, really.

Round 19

Team Jackie – Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles
There aren’t too many wingers in the draft pool, so might as well pick another centre and maybe stick ’em on the wing. Given he does have the ability to be on the left, he’ll fit in nicely. Kopitar is off to another solid season. He’s currently 10th in points and 4th in game winning goals. This is just padding the explosive offense I’m looking for.

Team Murray – Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh
How did Geno fall this far down the order? If the real Crosby was drafting, he’d be an alternate unless Ovi got to him first. Basically, at this point, my draft board was down to two guys and points per game gave the nod to Geno. Best line of NHL 24/7 was Pascal Dupuis turning up to practice in the first episode: “Morning boys. Fuck you, Geno.”

Round 20

Team Jackie – Patrik Elias, LW, New Jersey
There’s not much left but I know Steve likes Backes, so I’ll let him have that one.

Team Murray – David Backes, RW, St. Louis
Jackie’s right. I do like Backes. But I did just pass him up for Geno so I’m slightly surprised I got him. I’ll still end up with Kessel because Jackie may be a nice guy but he’s also evil.

Round 21

Team Jackie – Phil Kessel, RW, Toronto
I’m a nice guy, so I’ll spare Steve the misery once again and take on Kessel. Between him and Hemsky at least he does bring some experience from the US Olympic hockey team. While Kessel has a horrendous +/-, at least he can pot in more goals than Hemsky. Since I’m still topping my league in the Yahoo pool with Kessel on board, I suppose I’ll add him to the roster here as well.

Team Murray – Ales Hemsky, RW, Edmonton
If Jackie drafted Hemsky, I was going to take Jamie Sale from Battle of the Blades. She would have been more useful than Kessel. At least defenders would pay attention to her more than Kessel. But Jackie brings up a good point about Kessel’s scoring prowess. He’s 17th in goals with 19. Hemsky ranks in the hundreds with 9. I’m so busy worrying about playmaking that I may have forgotten about scoring.

Team Jackie Roster

1. #87 Sidney Crosby “C”
2. #8 Alex Ovechkin “A”
3. #3 Dustin Byfuglien “A”
4. #19 Jonathan Toews
5. #12 Eric Staal
6. #33 Zdeno Chara
7. #9 Matt Duchene
8. #10 Corey Perry
9. #1 Jonas Hiller
10. #39 Tobias Enstrom
11. #6 Shea Weber
12. #31 Carey Price
13. #29 Marc-Andre Fleury
14. #52 Mike Green
15. #88 Patrick Kane
16. #28 Claude Giroux
17. #18 Marc Staal
18. #21 Jarome Iginla
19. #11 Anze Kopitar
20. #26 Patrik Elias
21. #81 Phil Kessel

Ovechkin – Crosby – Perry
Kopitar – Toews – Kane
Iginla – Staal – Giroux
Elias – Duchene – Kessel

Byfuglien – Enstrom
Chara – Staal
Green – Weber

Fleury
Price
Hiller

Team Jackie Stats

Forwards: 233 goals, 304 assists, +24
Defencemen: 56 goals, 121 assists, +57
Goalies: 2.37 GAA, 0.923 Sv %

Team Murray Roster

1. #33 Henrik Sedin “C”
2. #22 Daniel Sedin “A”
3. #5 Nick Lidstrom “A”
4. #19 Steven Stamkos
5. #29 Tim Thomas
6. #26 Martin St. Louis
7. #58 Kris Letang
8. #91 Brad Richards
9. #61 Rick Nash
10. #31 Henrik Lundqvist
11. #10 Patrick Sharp
12. #4 Dan Boyle
13. #30 Cam Ward
14. #2 Duncan Keith
15. #21 Loui Eriksson
16. #17 Ryan Kesler
17. #8 Brent Burns
18. #65 Erik Karlsson
19. #71 Evgeni Malkin
20. #42 David Backes
21. #83 Ales Hemsky

D. Sedin – H. Sedin – Kesler
Hemsky – Stamkos – St. Louis
Eriksson – Richards – Nash
Sharp – Malkin – Backes

Letang – Keith
Listrom – Karlsson
Boyle – Burns

Ward
Lundqvist
Thomas

Team Murray Stats

Forwards: 241 goals, 341 assists, +102
Defencemen: 48 goals, 153 assists, -11
Goalies: 2.27 GAA, 0.930 Sv %

Here’s the poll. Which All-Star team would win in the battle between Team Jackie and Team Murray?

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