Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) warms up at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. on December 16, 2015. Photo by Mark Goldman/UPI |
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Forwards Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, Jaromir Jagr of the Florida Panthers, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and John Scott of the Arizona Coyotes were elected by fans as captains for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville, Tenn.
From Dec. 1 through Jan. 1, fans around the world were able to cast their votes at NHL.com/vote and via a mobile ballot for one player from each of the four divisions, with the top vote-getter for each division earning an All-Star berth as division captain.
Kane finished first among all players in the Central Division, while Jagr, who will turn 44 in February, topped the Atlantic. Ovechkin led the Metropolitan and Scott paced the Pacific. the league announced Saturday.
Kane leads the NHL with 33 assists and 56 points, and is second with 23 goals. Kane's franchise-best 26-game point streak (16 goals, 24 assists) from Oct. 17 to Dec. 13 marked the longest such streak by an American-born player and the longest streak by any NHL player since the 1992-93 season.
As part of the new format, the All-Stars will take part in a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format, and featuring four teams representing each NHL division.
The remaining 40 players who will comprise the four All-Star rosters -- consisting of six forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders per team -- will be determined by the NHL Operations Department and announced Wednesday.
The head coach of the team with the highest points percentage (points earned divided by total possible points) in each of the four divisions through games of Saturday, Jan. 9 -- the halfway point of the regular season -- will guide the respective All-Star rosters.
The 2016 NHL All-Star celebration will mark the first time Nashville has hosted the All-Star festivities, which will take place at Bridgestone Arena.
The NHL All-Star Skills Competition will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 30, and the NHL All-Star Game will start at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 31.
