ANAHEIM -- When Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf played in the 2009 All-Star Game, he got to start with teammates Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Scott Niedermayer at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

It was a sentimental moment for Giguere, a Montreal-area native, and the last All-Star Game for Niedermayer, who retired the next season.

With Giguere and Niedermayer retired, the Ducks have been Getzlaf's team since he succeeded Niedermayer as captain in 2010.

After an initial struggle with the leadership role, Getzlaf has owned it the past two seasons and will play in the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Sunday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus (5 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports), his third All-Star Game. He will also be an assistant captain for the 2015 NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft presented by DraftKings on Friday (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports).

Getzlaf, tied for third in the NHL in assists (35) and seventh in points (50), is making another case for the Hart Trophy after his runner-up finish last season. He picked up the slack with 19 points in 14 games when linemate Corey Perry was out with a knee injury and mumps.

PITTSBURGH – All of the ingredients were there for the perfect All-Star Game appetizer on Wednesday.

The Chicago Blackhawks, sporting five All-Stars and in a bit of a desperation mode to keep pace with the surprising Nashville Predators in the Central Division, arrived at Consol Energy Center to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. The hosts, who had three players named to the Honda 2015 NHL All-Star Game, were coming off an emotional, physically demanding 3-2 road loss to the rival Philadelphia Flyers and were feeling a bit of desperation themselves as they try to stay within striking distance of the surprising New York Islanders in the Atlantic Division.

It was also the final game for each team before the break, so there was no reason to leave anything in the tank. And, oh yeah, it was a nationally televised game, the crown jewel in a Wednesday Night Rivalry doubleheader on NBCSN.

"I don't know if [the schedule] was done on purpose by the League, but it is one of those things where there could have been more potential All-Stars out there too," said Chicago forward Patrick Kane, one of the All-Stars.

Why is Columbus a great host for NHL All-Star Weekend?

That's a question that cannot be answered in one, two or three sentences, but there is one thing that stands out: proximity. Leave your car in the parking garage, bring your family, and get ready to spend the day downtown Columbus and celebrate the greatest sport in the world.

Such was the vision of late Blue Jackets founder John H. McConnell when he bought the franchise and made the Blue Jackets his gift to the city. He partnered with Nationwide Insurance, who had the goal of revitalizing the downtown, and Nationwide Arena was built – giving way to the Arena District and catalyzing growth in a new area of the city. Fifteen years later, the city of Columbus has yet another feather under its cap with a well-connected and easily accessible corner of downtown to host hockey's biggest party.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The National Hockey League will host the inaugural NHL Mascot Showdown™ during the 2015 NHL All-Star Weekend in Columbus, with 13 Eastern Conference Mascots, under the helm of Columbus Blue Jacket's own Stinger™, facing off against 13 Western Conference Mascots in two days of friendly but fierce competition at both the 2015 NHL Fan Fair™ at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and just before the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Nationwide Arena.

The newest part of the NHL's midseason celebration, the NHL Mascot Showdown™, marks the first time that all 26 NHL Mascots™ (not every NHL has its own mascot) will compete during NHL All-Star Weekend to show off their hockey skills and athletic "prowess," offering family-friendly fun for fans of all ages.

When the San Jose Sharks decided to move Brent Burns back to defenseman this season after he spent a season and a half as a productive and disruptive force at forward, some questioned the move.

Burns was coming off a career-high 48-point season with 22 goals and 26 assists. He thrived on the top line with center Joe Thornton, who loved playing with free-spirited Burns, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound wrecking ball with an explosive slap shot.

Then there was the issue of Burns having to adjust to another position switch. He was chosen in the 2003 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild as a forward, but they turned him into a defenseman, and he was selected for the NHL All-Star Game at that position in 2011, his final season with Minnesota before being traded to San Jose. Midway through his second season with the Sharks, he was on the move again, going back to forward, where he energized a slumbering offense. He had nine goals and 20 points in 23 games after the switch that season.

The transition back to defenseman this season has been challenging at times for Burns, but he has 11 goals and 35 points in 47 games and was selected as an All-Star for the second time.

CHICAGO -- He's seen as the "other guy" in the top defense pairing for the Chicago Blackhawks, but Brent Seabrook means a lot more than that to his teammates.

If they need an emotional lift, he'll provide it. If they need a huge goal, his slap shot is often a reason they get it. If they need a big brother, on the ice or off, he's never too far away.

"He's been here through thick and thin," said center Andrew Shaw, 23, who's playing his fourth season with Seabrook. "He's seen a lot, he's done a lot, and he's just a great leader. He says what needs to be said and then he goes out there and does it."

Seabrook has a career full of accomplishments to back that up. The 29-year-old won a gold medal with Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010 and 2013, playing a big role in each championship. He's steadily climbing Chicago's all-time statistical categories in his 10th season for the team that selected him with the 14th pick in the 2003 NHL Draft.

NEW YORK – The 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ will mark the first on-ice matchup between Team Foligno, under the helm of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno, and Team Toews, led by Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. Each of the 48 All-Stars and Rookies will compete in at least one of the six rounds of skill-based contests. Fans can watch the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ live on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN in the U.S. and on CBC and TVA Sports in Canada.

Each captain will lead the team selection process to determine which players will participate in the six Honda All-Star Skills Competition events:

MONTREAL – Carey Price will be ready this time.

When the Montreal Canadiens goaltender participated in the NHL's All-Star festivities in Ottawa in 2012, Price's initial introduction to the people watching the fantasy draft was a shot of him taking a big gulp of his drink as Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs called his name to join the team of captain Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins.

Price, looking like a kid who was caught sneaking some cookies before supper, put his drink down and scurried out of the room onto the stage, where he bowed before Lupul, posed for a photo and made his way into the seats, snubbing a handshake opportunity with his new captain and usual NHL rival Chara.

In the short history of All-Star fantasy drafts, it was one of the more memorable entrances on stage.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2015 NHL Fan Fair™, the three-day, official fan festival of the 2015 NHL All-Star Weekend in Columbus, Ohio, will occupy more than 200,000 square feet of the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC), Exhibit Halls C & D, on Friday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 25. The family-friendly festival features something for everyone including special appearances from current NHL stars, former NHL greats and NHL team mascots. Fans will experience a display of 20 of hockey's most prestigious trophies including the iconic Stanley Cup®; NHL All-Star exhibitions; live TV and radio broadcasts; music, food, merchandise, hockey trading cards, and memorabilia locations; interactive hockey-themed games and attractions; and much more.

Tickets to 2015 NHL Fan Fair can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, BlueJackets.com, and NHL.com/FanFair, and at the Big Lots Box Office at Nationwide Arena. Tickets purchased in advance are $10 for children between the ages of 3 and 12, seniors 65 and older, and college students and military personnel with valid ID; and $12 for adults (aged 12 and up). Tickets purchased on each event day will be $12 and $16, respectively. Children under the age of 3 will be admitted for free. All attractions are included with the price of admission. For more information, visit NHL.com/FanFair. Join the conversation using the official hashtag, #NHLFanFair.

ST. LOUIS -- From the moment St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko set foot onto American soil, the transition from an entirely different culture was made easier with the help of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

From restaurants, to a new dress code and general way of life, Shattenkirk instantly took Tarasenko under his wing and ultimately became, more or less, a big brother. They immediately became roommates in 2012.

And when big brother and little brother were roommates two seasons ago, candid conversations about competing in the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game came to light.

Tarasenko, 23, who was selected to play in the 2014 Sochi Olympics for Russia, remembers the first serious chat he and Shattenkirk, 26, had about playing in the All-Star Game.

"Yeah, it was probably in Edmonton," Tarasenko said. "... We talk about a lot of stuff with hockey, talked about the All-Star Game, Olympics, all of it. We were both in the Olympics; now we're both in the All-Star Game. It's kind of cool."