With the 2016-17 NHL season in full swing, we're approaching the halfway mark of the season, and with it comes the All-Star game. On Tuesday, the NHL announced the full rosters for the event in Los Angeles. 40 players have been selected by the NHL to play under four fan voted captains.
3-on-3 format returns
The 2016-17 All-Star Game will be played under the new 3-on-3 tournament format that was introduced last season. The teams will be broken down into divisions, each led by a captain. Each divisional team will consist of 11 players that will be made up of six forwards, three defensemen, and two goalies.
Each game will consist of two 10-minute periods of 3-on-3 action.
The John Scott Rule
Hockey fans will recall the voting fiasco from the 2015-16 All-Star Game involving John Scott. Before the 2016-17 season, fan voting was open to any player and the ballot boxes were stuffed by fans in an attempt to get notorious tough guy Scott into the game. Scott was a fighter that lacked the skills of the players that are elected to play in the event. In an attempt to keep Scott out of the event, he was traded from Arizona to Montreal and immediately demoted to the AHL.
The NHL didn't know how to handle the situation at the time, and luckily for the league, the new 3-on-3 format was a huge hit with fans, and Scott even scored two goals, leading his team to win the tournament.
Scott was even named the All-Star MVP. Despite the positive outcome of the situation, the NHL does not want to repeat it. A new rule has been introduced stating that any player who is injured or in the AHL will not be on the active ballot. This new stipulation has been aptly called the "John Scott Rule."
The rosters
Atlantic Division
- Michel Terrien (HC), Montreal Canadiens
- Brad Marchand (F), Boston Bruins
- Auston Matthews (F), Toronto Maple Leafs
- Frans Nielsen (F), Detroit Red Wings
- Kyle Okposo (F), Buffalo Sabres
- Vincent Trocheck (F), Florida Panthers
- Victor Hedman (D), Tampa Bay Lightning
- Erik Karlsson (D), Ottawa Senators
- Shea Weber (D), Montreal Canadiens
- Carey Price (G), Montreal Canadiens
- Tuukka Rask (G), Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
- John Tortorella (HC), Columbus Blue Jackets
- Sidney Crosby (F), Pittsburgh Penguins
- Taylor Hall (F) New Jersey Devils
- Evgeni Malkin (F), Pittsburgh Penguins
- Alex Ovechkin (F), Washington Capitals
- Wayne Simmonds (F), Philadelphia Flyers
- John Tavares, (F), New York Islanders
- Justin Faulk (D), Carolina Hurricanes
- Seth Jones (D), Columbus Blue Jackets
- Ryan McDonagh (D), New York Rangers
- Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Columbus Blue Jackets
- Braden Holtby (G), Washington Capitals
Pacific Division
- Peter DeBoer (HC), San Jose Sharks
- Connor McDavid (F), Edmonton Oilers
- Jeff Carter (F), Los Angeles Kings
- Johnny Gaudreau (F), Calgary Flames
- Bo Horvat (F), Vancouver Canucks
- Ryan Kesler (F), Anaheim Ducks
- Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks
- Brent Burns (D), San Jose Sharks
- Drew Doughty (D), Los Angeles Kings
- Cam Fowler (D), Anaheim Ducks
- Martin Jones (G), San Jose Sharks
- Mike Smith (G), Arizona Coyotes
Central Division
- Bruce Boudreau (HC), Minnesota Wild
- Patrick Kane (F), Chicago Blackhawks
- Patrik Laine (F), Winnipeg Jets
- Nathan MacKinnion (F), Colorado Avalanche
- Tyler Seguin (F), Dallas Stars
- Vladimir Tarasenko (F), St. Louis Blues
- Jonathan Toews (F), Chicago Blackhawks
- P.K. Subban (D), Nashville Predators
- Duncan Keith (D), Chicago Blackhawks
- Ryan Suter (D), Minnesota Wild
- Corey Crawford (G), Chicago Blackhawks
- Devan Dubnyk (G), Minnesota Wild
The 2016-17 All-Stars will face-off in a skills competition on Jan. 28 at 9 p.m. ET, and the All-Star Game will be played on Jan 29. at 3:30 p.m. ET.
