SAN JOSE –- Sharks captain Joe Pavelski doesn’t typically over-emote in his sessions with the media, but there was a still sense of disappointment this time last year when he was left out of the NHL’s annual All-Star weekend. He had the numbers to be there, and was thought to be the odds-on favorite to represent San Jose.
“It’s one of those things,” Pavelski said on Jan. 10, 2015. “It’s great when it happens. If you don’t, you take your rest. It’s a long season. … It is what it is.”
Now that he has been named to his first midseason All-Star roster, Pavelski on Wednesday downplayed any disappointment from when he was denied the honor last season. Still, he’s glad to be going to Nashville this year, and at sixth in the league with 20 goals and tied for ninth in points (38), he’s certainly deserving of the honor again.
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“That All-Star weekend is always fun, everything you hear about it,” Pavelski said. “Excited to go.”
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Pavelski will be joined by defenseman Brent Burns, who leads all NHL defensemen with 16 goals. It’s Burns’ third trip to the All-Star game, and his second straight, after he was the Sharks’ only representative in Columbus last season.
“It’s a huge honor. It’s a great event,” Burns said. “It’s fun to go and represent your team and your teammates. Obviously none of us would get there without them. It’s a great event all around, it’s a lot of fun, it’s good for the family and I’ll look forward to it.”
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It’s agreeable to both players that they’ll have each other as teammates on a Pacific Division roster that also includes Kings Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick, Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin, Anaheim’s Corey Perry and Edmonton’s Taylor Hall, among others.
“He’s been there a couple times now so he knows what it’s about,” Pavelski said of Burns.
“I told him make sure we get some free swag, I think I specialize in that,” Burns joked. “Just talking to him already, it’s such an exciting thing to go with a teammate and share those things with him. It’s just something you’ll always be able to talk about.”
A couple storylines have added some intrigue to this year’s weekend in Nashville on Jan. 30-31, after it had become flat and interesting in years past.
First, former Sharks enforcer John Scott, who was selected by fans, will captain the Pacific Division squad. Scott was a popular guy in the Sharks’ dressing room during his one and only season in teal in 2014-15, even if he’s not the most, shall we say, highly skilled player in the NHL.
“Yeah, he’s going to lead us, for sure,” Pavelski said. “We loved Johnny when he was here. He was a great teammate. He’s going to definitely keep it loose and keep it fun. We’re excited he decided to go.”
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The other is the new format. After the skills competition on Jan. 30, the four divisions will stage a three-on-three tournament on Jan. 31 for a purse of $1 million to be split up among the players. It’s an extension of the league’s new overtime format, which has garnered mostly positive reviews from fans since its implementation at the start of the season.
“It’s going to be fun. It’s a fun thing to play, and watching it is great, too,” Burns said.
Pavelski said: “I think it’s exciting, that new format and a few storylines going around on how it will play out. I guess we really don’t know yet. Guys will definitely have fun with it. I think the fans will be excited for it.”
Pete DeBoer said both Pavelski and Burns are deserving of being named to the All-Star team.
“I think both of them have had exceptional first halves,” said the coach. “I’m glad they got recognized for what we already know in our dressing room, how important they are for us. It was nice to see.”