NHL opens All-Star Fan Balloting November 15

NEW YORK -- Starting November 15, fans around the world can vote for their top six All-Stars in the 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting. For the fourth straight NHL® All-Star Game, the balloting process is entirely digital, offering sports' most tech-savvy fans the ability to vote as often as they like via mobile devices and online. In addition, fans this season can vote on Facebook (facebook.com/NHL), as the NHL All-Star fan voting process comes to the social networking platform for the first time.

Through Jan. 3, NHL fans will be able to select up to six players by position -- three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender – without regard to the Conference in which their teams play for in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover in Raleigh, N.C. As part of a new format for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover, the three forwards, two defensemen and goalie with the most votes will be named first NHL All-Stars.

"The All-Star Fan Balloting has always been about fan engagement and giving fans the chance to see their favorite players face-off in the All-Star Game," said Brian Jennings, NHL Executive Vice President of Marketing. "The exciting changes to the format for the All-Star Game and Honda NHL SuperSkills should spark the intensity in this year's balloting process."

The defending Stanley Cup® champion Chicago Blackhawks have placed a League-high six players on the 100-name ballot, led by 2010 Playoffs MVP Jonathan Toews. Joining the Blackhawks captain are defensemen Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook plus forwards Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane.

Twenty-year-old center Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who leads the League in goals and points this season and whose 51 goals last season tied him with Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby for the goal-scoring title, is making his first career appearance on the All-Star ballot. Other 20-year-olds making their All-Star ballot debuts are defenseman Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, who followed Stamkos to the stage as the second overall selection in the 2008 Entry Draft, and center John Tavares of the New York Islanders, the first overall selection in 2009.

The 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting site will feature interactive English and French ballots. Each player ballot includes video highlights and real-time player statistics. Fans will be permitted to select as few as one player -- a balloted player or write-in -- per online ballot. The NHL.com/vote ballot will be optimized for iPad users.

Mobile users in the U.S. and Canada will be able to cast their votes via text message using any mobile device and wireless carrier. To vote via text message using any wireless carrier, fans should text their favorite player's last name to the shortcode 81812. Message and data rates may apply.

Fans in North America have the additional option of a mobile ballot available on iPhone, Android and all Blackberry devices, using any wireless carrier.

During the six-week voting period, each player position will command the stage on the NHL on Facebook page for two weeks. First up on the social network platform's ballot will be forwards. Fans will be able to vote for up to three forwards from Nov. 15-29. From Nov. 30-Dec. 12, fans can cast their votes for up to two defensemen per online ballot. During the last two weeks of voting, until the Jan. 3 closing period, fans will be able to vote for their top goaltender on Facebook.com/NHL. The NHL recently eclipsed 1 million fans on Facebook.

Upon submitting every ballot fans can share their selections via Facebook and Twitter with "I Voted" messages, directing others to cast their votes online.

The NHL will announce voting results every Tuesday, starting November 23.

Eligible residents of the United States and Canada who vote online will be able to enter for a chance to win one grand prize: a trip for two to attend the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend in Raleigh. There is no purchase necessary to enter or win.

The NHL will promote NHL All-Star Fan Balloting across its TV, print, online, in-arena, social networking and wireless advertising platforms. Promotional support will be provided by the NHL Network™, NHL Radio™ and broadcast partners VERSUS (U.S.), CBC (Canada) and RDS (Canada). Promotional materials for the campaign, in both English and French, will launch on Monday, Nov. 15, the first day of voting.

ePrize designed and developed the NHL.com and NHL on Facebook ballots as well as the mobile websites. Telescope, Inc., a pioneer in mobile solutions and participation TV, developed the text-to-vote program for the 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting.

The 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover will mark the first time Carolina has hosted NHL All-Star activities. The League's mid-season spectacular will take place Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30 and will include Honda NHL SuperSkills and the 58th NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover at RBC Center. Live television coverage of both nights will be provided by VERSUS in the U.S. and CBC and RDS in Canada. The Honda NHL SuperSkills will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, and the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover will start at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Each NHL club placed two or more players on the ballot. Following are the 100 players named to the ballot in the 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting:

GOALTENDERS (18)
Anderson	Backstrom	Brodeur	Bryzgalov	Fleury	Giguere
Halak	Khabibulin	Kiprusoff	Lundqvist	Luongo	Miller
Niemi	Quick	Rinne	Thomas	Vokoun	Ward
DEFENSE (29)
Boyle	Bouwmeester	Byfuglien	Campbell	Chara	Doughty
Enstrom	Gonchar	Green	Hamhuis	Jovanovski	Kaberle
Keith	Lidstrom	Markov	Martin	McCabe	Phaneuf
Pitkanen	Pronger	Rafalski	Robidas	Seabrook	Staal M.
Streit	Suter	Timonen	Weber	Zidlicky
FORWARDS (53)
Alfredsson	Backstrom	Booth	Briere	Bergeron	Carter
Cammalleri	Crosby	Datsyuk	Doan	Franzen	Gaborik
Getzlaf	Gionta	Heatley	Hejduk	Hemsky	Hossa
Iginla	Kane	Kessel	Koivu M	Kopitar	Kovalchuk
Krejci	Lecavalier	Malkin	Marleau	Morrow	Nash
Oshie	Ovechkin	Parise	Perry	Richards B	Richards M
Roy	Ryan	Sedin D	Sedin H	Selanne	Spezza
Staal E	Stamkos	Stastny	Smyth	St Louis	Tavares
Thornton	Toews	Umberger	Vanek	Zetterberg

TEAM	PLAYERS (100)
	Selanne, Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan (4)
	Byfuglien, Enstrom (2)
	Thomas, Chara, Bergeron, Krejci (4)
	Miller, Roy, Vanek (3)
	Kiprusoff, Bouwmeester, Iginla (3)
	Ward, Pitkanen, Staal (3)
	Campbell, Seabrook, Keith, Kane, Toews, Hossa (6)
	Anderson, Stastny, Hejduk (3)
	Nash, Umberger (2)
	Richards B., Morrow, Robidas (3)
	Rafalski, Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen (5)
	Khabibulin, Hemsky (2)
	Vokoun, McCabe, Booth (3)
	Quick, Smyth, Doughty, Kopitar (4)
	Backstrom, Koivu M., Zidlicky (3)
	Markov, Cammalleri, Gionta (3)
	Rinne, Suter, Weber (3)
	Brodeur, Parise, Kovalchuk (3)
	Streit, Tavares (2)
	Lundqvist, Gaborik, Staal M. (3)
	Alfredsson, Gonchar, Spezza (3)
	Pronger, Timonen, Richards M., Carter, Briere (5)
	Bryzgalov, Doan, Jovanovski (3)
	Fleury, Crosby, Malkin, Martin (4)
	Niemi, Boyle, Thornton, Marleau, Heatley (5)
	Halak, Oshie (2)
	Stamkos, Lecavalier, St. Louis (3)
	Giguere, Phaneuf, Kaberle, Kessel (4)
	Luongo, Sedin D., Sedin H., Hamhuis (4)
	Ovechkin, Backstrom, Green (3)