2009 NHL All Star Game

NHL all-star fever is spreading in Montreal as fans brave the cold to kick off weekend festivities leading up to the big game Sunday.

Hundreds of fans lined up outside tents near the Bell Centre Thursday to take in concerts and visit the hockey exhibition set up to mark the 2009 all-star game. Thousands more are expected on Friday, organizers said.

2009 NHL All Star Game

Montreal last hosted the event 16 years ago, and its arrival bodes well for downtown merchants who are still reeling from the cancellation of the Grand Prix, which was the city’s largest tourist event.

Vancouver Captain Roberto Luongo and teammate Mason Raymond will be partaking in the festivities this weekend. Luongo, a native of Montreal, has insisted on attending the weekend despite concerns from the Canuck organization. He and GM Mike Gillis did meet to discuss the organization's concerns of injury. Gillis requested that Luongo play the first period of the All-Star game although he was not voted as the starter. The thought is that it is less likely he'll re-injure his groin if he plays warmed up rather than sitting for a while and coming in cold. The NHL did say they would take this request into consideration but it is not likely that they will accommodate this change request.

Canuck fans who are concerned about whether Luongo is 100% after missing 24 games with a groin injury should look no further than the impressive performance against San Jose on Tuesday for some reassurance.

Luongo’s teammate, Raymond, will play in the three-on-three YoungStars game on Saturday. The speedster will be playing along the highest scoring NHL sophomores including the likes of Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals and Devin Setoguchi of the San Jose Sharks. They will be going up against Steve Mason and the rest of the outstanding rookies. It is the sixth YoungStars game but the first with the sophomores vs rookies format. (Way to copy the NBA and call it innovation Bettman).

Canucks will resume action on Wednesday Jan 28 against the Nashville Predators at the Garage.

The 57th all-star game marks the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens. 

Of note, the starting lineup is selected by the fans and it’s clear that some the hometown Montreal fans did more than their fair share of voting. 4 of the 6 members of the starting lineup for the Eastern all stars hail from the Montreal Canadiens.