NEW YORK, Jan. 30 -- Defenseman Scott Niedermayer of the New Jersey Devils was named Tuesday to the North America All-Star Team, replacing injured defenseman Al MacInnis of the St. Louis Blues.
The league also announced that centers Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche have been named team captains for the All-Star Game, which will be played Sunday afternoon in Denver.
McInnis suffered multiple eye injuries Saturday when he was hit by the stick of San Jose Sharks defenseman Scott Hannan in the third period. He has been examined by Dr. Stephen Kamenetzky, who diagnosed an eyelid laceration, corneal abrasion and blood in the chamber.
MacInnis, a former Norris Trophy winner, will miss at least three games and was advised to skip All-Star Weekend. In addition, he will not be able to defend his title in the skills competition as having the NHL's hardest shot,
Niedermayer, 27, in his ninth season, will be making his second All-Star appearance after playing for the North America All-Stars in 1998. He has posted 20 points in 29 games and ranks second on the Devils in average ice time per game (24:08).
Lemieux, who returned to the NHL Dec. 27 after 3years away from the game, will captain the North America team while Forsberg, a native of Sweden, will captain the World team. It is the ninth All-Star appearance for Lemieux and the third for Forsberg.
