The 2009 NHL All-Star Game

SI Staff | Jan 26, 2009

The 2009 NHL All-Star Game /

The 2009 NHL All-Star Game

In this year of the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens, the city's Bell Centre hosted the 57th All Star Game with Cirque Eloize as part of the opening celebrations.

Vincent Lecavlier

French Canadian Vincent Lecavlier received a warm welcome from the Quebec natives.

Alex Kovalev

Alex Kovalev and Evgeni Malkin showed some impressive puck control in the game.

Rick Nash

Rick Nash chipped in a goal and two assists for the West while hometown netminder Carey Price allowed just two goals in the first period.

Martin St. Louis

Martin St. Louis lit the lamp twice, his first goal coming against Niklas Backstrom, who made 17 saves on 21 shots.

Shane Doan

Tied 11-11, the game went to overtime, and despite a power play for the West after a hooking call on Canadiens defenseman Mike Komisarek (the first All-Star game penalty since 2000), neither team scored, forcing a shootout. East netminder Tim Thomas stopped Shane Doan on the first attempt.

Alex Kovalev

Alex Kovalev, the Canadiens' biggest current star, scored two breakaway goals in the game and then scored on Roberto Luongo in the shootout.

Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin, the game's premier scorer, threw about seven fakes into his dash at Vancouver's Roberto Luongo before beating the Western Conference goalie with a backhand that made the shootout score 2-0 and guaranteed an Eastern victory.

Alex Ovechkin

Fellow Russian and thought to be current rival Evgeni Malkin congratulated Alex Ovechkin on his game-winning shootout goal to give the Eastern Conference a 12-11 victory over the West.

Alex Kovalev

"You can't ask for a better package than this," said Kovalev, the East captain who had three points and skated off with MVP honors. "Get voted in the All-Star game by the fans, starting lineup, being the captain, get MVP. This is something to remember the rest of your life."

Published Jan 26, 2009

SI STAFF