No Smith on All-Star ballot

Guess no one at the.nhl figured Mike Smith was going to have any kind of season, and the Lightning goaltender was left off the.nhl All-Star ballot. Forwards Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier are on the ballot. Voting for the starting lineups begins Nov. 12 and goes through Jan. 2. Go to vote.nhl.com to cast your ballot as many times as you want, and you can include Smith as a write-in. Here is the notice from the league: Six players from the All-Star host Montreal Canadiens -- goaltender Carey Price, defensemen Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek plus forwards Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay -- have been named to the ballot in XM.nhl All-Star Fan Balloting presented by 2K Sports. The Canadiens' ballot representation is tied with the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings for the most among.nhl clubs. The Canadiens, who captured the Eastern Conference regular-season championship in 2007-08 and have compiled a searing 8-1-1 start to this season, will host the 2009.nhl All-Star festivities in January as part of their year-long Centennial celebration. The 104-player ballot features 23 players under the age of 25. Ten of those players are making their first career appearance on the ballot: Dustin Brown, Los Angeles (24); Brent Burns, Minnesota, (23); Mike Green (23) and Alexander Semin (24), Washington; Patrick Kane (19) and Jonathan Toews (20), Chicago; Zach Parise, New Jersey, (24); Price, Montreal, (21); Mike Richards, Philadelphia, (23) and Shea Weber, Nashville, (23). Voting opens Nov. 12. In a first for all major professional sports leagues, the.nhl will provide real-time All-Star fan balloting results online at.nhl.com. From Nov. 12 through Jan. 2.nhl fans will be able to vote as often as they like to select the starting lineups for the 2009.nhl All-Star Game in Montreal. Fans around the world can vote online via interactive English and French ballots at Vote.nhl.com. Those in the U.S. and Canada also will be able to cast their votes via text message using any wireless carrier. During the voting period, real-time results will be available exclusively on Vote.nhl.com/results. This marks the third consecutive year the All-Star Balloting process is entirely digital. Fans can vote for up to six Eastern Conference players and six Western Conference players: three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender. For the first time, fans will be permitted to select as few as one player -- a balloted player or write-in -- per online ballot at Vote.nhl.com or via text message. The three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender from each Conference receiving the most votes will comprise the starting lineups. Each of the 30.nhl clubs has at least two representatives on the ballot. EAST Goaltenders Martin Biron, Philadelphia FlyersMartin Brodeur, New Jersey DevilsRick DiPietro, New York IslandersMarc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh PenguinsKari Lehtonen, Atlanta ThrashersHenrik Lundqvist, New York RangersRyan Miller, Buffalo SabresCarey Price, Montreal CanadiensVesa Toskala, Toronto Maple LeafsTomas Vokoun, Florida Panthers Defensemen Jay Bouwmeester, Florida PanthersZdeno Chara, Boston BruinsSergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh PenguinsMike Green, Washington CapitalsTomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple LeafsMike Komisarek, Montreal CanadiensAndrei Markov, Montreal CanadiensTeppo Numminen, Buffalo SabresChris Phillips, Ottawa SenatorsWade Redden, New York RangersKimmo Timonen, Philadelphia FlyersRyan Whitney, Pittsburgh Penguins Forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa SenatorsPatrice Bergeron, Boston BruinsDaniel Briere, Philadelphia FlyersRod Brind'Amour, Carolina HurricanesSidney Crosby, Pittsburgh PenguinsChris Drury, New York RangersPatrik Elias, New Jersey DevilsSimon Gagne, Philadelphia FlyersScott Gomez, New York RangersDany Heatley, Ottawa SenatorsTrent Hunter, New York IslandersSaku Koivu, Montreal CanadiensIlya Kovalchuk, Atlanta ThrashersAlex Kovalev, Montreal CanadiensVincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay LightningEvgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh PenguinsMarkus Naslund, New York RangersAlex Ovechkin, Washington CapitalsZach Parise, New Jersey DevilsMike Richards, Philadelphia FlyersBrian Rolston, New Jersey DevilsDerek Roy, Buffalo SabresMartin St. Louis, Tampa Bay LightningMarc Savard, Boston BruinsAlexander Semin, Washington CapitalsJason Spezza, Ottawa SenatorsEric Staal, Carolina HurricanesAlex Tanguay, Montreal CanadiensThomas Vanek, Buffalo SabresRay Whitney, Carolina Hurricanes WEST Goaltenders Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota WildIlya Bryzgalov, Phoenix CoyotesJ.S. Giguere, Anaheim DucksMiikka Kiprusoff, Calgary FlamesPascal Leclaire, Columbus Blue JacketsRoberto Luongo, Vancouver CanucksEvgeni Nabokov, San Jose SharksChris Osgood, Detroit Red WingsMarty Turco, Dallas Stars Defensemen Rob Blake, San Jose SharksDan Boyle, San Jose SharksBrent Burns, Minnesota WildBrian Campbell, Chicago BlackhawksNicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red WingsScott Niedermayer, Anaheim DucksDion Phaneuf, Calgary FlamesChris Pronger, Anaheim DucksBrian Rafalski, Detroit Red WingsRobyn Regehr, Calgary FlamesSheldon Souray, Edmonton OilersShea Weber, Nashville Predators Forwards Jason Arnott, Nashville PredatorsBrad Boyes, St. Louis BluesDustin Brown, Los Angeles KingsPavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red WingsShane Doan, Phoenix CoyotesMarian Gaborik, Minnesota WildRyan Getzlaf, Anaheim DucksMilan Hejduk, Colorado AvalancheAles Hemsky, Edmonton OilersShawn Horcoff, Edmonton OilersMarian Hossa, Detroit Red WingsJarome Iginla, Calgary FlamesOlli Jokinen, Phoenix CoyotesPatrick Kane, Chicago BlackhawksPaul Kariya, St. Louis BluesMikko Koivu, Minnesota WildAnze Kopitar, Los Angeles KingsPatrick Marleau, San Jose SharksMike Modano, Dallas StarsBrenden Morrow, Dallas StarsRick Nash, Columbus Blue JacketsMike Ribeiro, Dallas StarsBrad Richards, Dallas StarsJoe Sakic, Colorado AvalancheDaniel Sedin, Vancouver CanucksHenrik Sedin, Vancouver CanucksPaul Stastny, Colorado AvalancheJoe Thornton, San Jose SharksKeith Tkachuk, St. Louis BluesJonathan Toews, Chicago BlackhawksHenrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red WingsSource