Zemgus Girgensons top vote-getter
NEW YORK -- The first batch of NHL All-Stars has a distinct Windy City feel as five members of the Chicago Blackhawks are among the initial six selections for the midseason showcase.
Blackhawks forwards Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and goalie Corey Crawford earned spots Saturday based on fan voting. The only non-Chicago All-Star in the group is Buffalo Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons, who was the leading vote-getter in the six-week campaign with 1,574,896.
The All-Star Game, the NHL's first in three years, will be held on Jan. 25 in Columbus, Ohio. The remaining roster of players will be announced Jan. 10.
"It shows how great our fan base is in Chicago," Kane recently said. "For whatever reason, whether it's the team, the team's success, the players on the team or the strength of the organization, whatever it is, it seems like whenever these voting type of situations come up you always see some Blackhawks at the top of the list. It's pretty cool. We enjoy it."
Kane (1,232,201 votes) and Toews (1,217,210) finished second and third behind Girgensons. Keith (1,198,173) was next, and first among defensemen, and followed by Seabrook (1,016,992), who was sixth overall. Crawford (1,099,504) was one spot ahead of him to win the goalie vote.
"It's great," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville recently said. "It says a lot about the fans and the following we do have. When we're here [in Chicago], it's spectacular seeing the building full and the appreciation we have here in Chicago. Go to Colorado, so many Blackhawks fans. Nashville, California, it's amazing the support we have outside of Chicago. It's a fun situation to be in. I think the players, they'll be excited to represent the Blackhawks at the game."
Fans cast more than 35 million votes, up 52 percent from 2012 -- the last time the NHL held an All-Star Game. Nearly 27 percent were cast by fans outside of North America -- a 7,000 percent increase from three years ago.
There was no game in 2013 due to an NHL lockout, and none last year because of the league's participation in the Winter Olympics.
ESPN.com's Scott Powers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
