Fans go out of their way for Giroux, Letang, others

The 100 players named to the 2011 All-Star Game ballot for fan voting all were worthy of the spot. However, some fans opted to go off the radar, so to speak, to find their own All-Stars.

Some of the top vote-getters two weeks into the All-Star fan balloting were not listed on the ballot, which shows the depth of the passion and knowledge of the fans who have cast many of the 6.11 million votes for write-in candidates.

The biggest position affected by the write-in vote is goaltender, where the top two choices are not on the ballot.

The Canadiens' Carey Price leads all goaltenders with 145,726 votes. That number tops all write-in recipients and puts him second only to Sidney Crosby among all players.

If Price holds onto his spot it would be the second time he's been the leading vote-getter at his position, following his selection in 2009. He's probably more deserving this season, as his 14 wins lead the League, his .935 save percentage is third and his 1.95 goals-against average is fourth.

Second to Price is Flyers rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, who has emerged from obscurity to capture not just the hearts of Philadelphia fans, but 116,725 votes, most among first-year players.

Bobrovsky isn't the only Flyer garnering write-in attention. Claude Giroux, who leads the Flyers with 12 goals and the NHL with 3 shorthanded goals, is ninth among all forwards with 103,620 votes. More write-in votes have been cast for Giroux than Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa and Philadelphia teammate Danny Briere, all of whom are on the ballot.

The Canadiens' Tomas Plekanec didn't make the ballot, but he ranks 13th among forwards, with about 16,000 more votes than No. 14 -- Canadiens captain Brian Gionta.

The Capitals' Alexander Semin (41,521) and the Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp (41,196) have received more write-in votes than Daniel Sedin (38,462), Marian Gaborik (32,134), Anze Kopitar (31,923), Joe Thornton (29,432), and Patrick Marleau (23,956).

The Penguins' Kris Letang is fourth among all defensemen with 115,862 votes, the third-most among all write-in candidates, and more than the Flyers' Kimmo Timonen and the Kings' Drew Doughty. The votes going Letang's way are well-deserved, as he's second among all defensemen with 23 points.

Flashy Canadiens rookie P.K. Subban is eighth among blueliners despite not being on the ballot; he's got more than 9,000 votes more than No. 9 Mike Green of the Capitals.

The leading scorer among blueliners, the Thrashers' Dustin Byfuglien, is 12th with 59,138 votes as a write-in candidate.

And it's not just the top goalies receiving write-in votes -- the Red Wings' Jimmy Howard is sixth in voting with 56,999 despite not being on the ballot, ranking just ahead of Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller of the Sabres.

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]