Uncle Leo is headed to the 2016 NHL All-Star Game.
Congratulations, @LKomarov!
Leo is headed to the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/8tALxmQ7aM— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 6, 2016
You can be a cynic and look at this from the perspective that each team usually gets an All-Star representative, the Leafs have no legitimate stars yet, and in general a mockery has been made of the entire event with the John Scott fan selection and Jaromir Jagr pleading with fans to not vote him in on Twitter (that’s all true), but there’s also the fact that Leo Komarov is currently 22nd in the league in NHL goal scoring, tied with the likes of John Tavares, Patrice Bergeron and James Neal. 22nd in goal scoring, 44 players are going to the All-Star game – math checks out.
In terms of his impact on a team, Komarov has been able to impact just about every facet of the game for the Leafs in a positive manner. Pare down the list of players leading their team in goals, hits and playing a minute or more a game on both sides of special teams, and you’re left with two names: Leo Komarov and Jamie Benn.
Leo, a two-time KHL All Star, is on a team with Jaromir Jagr as captain, PK Subban on defence, and Roberto Luongo in net, which means there is some potential here among a hilarious group of characters in the Atlantic Division group.
More info on the game from NHL.com:
As part of the new format for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game, the All-Stars will take part in a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format, and featuring teams representing each NHL division.
The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star celebration will mark the first time Nashville has hosted the NHL All-Star festivities, which will take place at Bridgestone Arena. Live television coverage of the League’s midseason showcase during the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition and 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game will be broadcast by NBCSN in the U.S. and Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition will begin at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 30, and the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game will start at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 31.
The four head coaches for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star celebration will be Gerard Gallant of the Florida Panthers (Atlantic Division), Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars (Central Division), Darryl Sutter of the Los Angeles Kings (Pacific Division) and Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals (Metropolitan Division).
Under the All-Star selection process, 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.
2016 NHL All Star Game Rosters
| Atlantic Division | Central Division |
|---|---|
| F Patrice Bergeron (BOS) | F Jamie Benn (DAL) |
| F Jaromir Jagr (FLA)* | F Matt Duchene (COL) |
| F Leo Komarov (TOR) | F Patrick Kane (CHI)* |
| F Dylan Larkin (DET) | F Tyler Seguin (DAL) |
| F Ryan O'Reilly (BUF) | F Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) |
| F Steven Stamkos (TBL) | F Jonathan Toews (CHI) |
| D Aaron Ekblad (FLA) | D Dustin Byfuglien (WPG) |
| D Erik Karlsson (OTT) | D Roman Josi (NSH) |
| D P.K. Subban (MTL) | D Shea Weber (NSH) |
| G Ben Bishop (TBL) | G Devan Dubnyk (MIN) |
| G Roberto Luongo (FLA) | G Pekka Rinne (NSH) |
| Metropolitan Division | Pacific Division |
|---|---|
| F Nicklas Backstrom (WSH) | F Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) |
| F Claude Giroux (PHI) | F Taylor Hall (EDM) |
| F Evgeni Malkin (PIT) | F Joe Pavelski (SJS) |
| F Alex Ovechkin (WSH)* | F Corey Perry (ANA) |
| F Brandon Saad (CBJ) | F John Scott (ARI)* |
| F John Tavares (NYI) | F Daniel Sedin (VAN) |
| D Justin Faulk (CAR) | D Brent Burns (SJS) |
| D Kris Letang (PIT) | D Drew Doughty (LAK) |
| D Ryan McDonagh (NYR) | D Mark Giordano (CGY) |
| G Braden Holtby (WSH) | G John Gibson (ANA) |
| G Cory Schneider (NJD) | G Jonathan Quick (LAK) |
