The two captains named for each team are Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators. They will choose their teams tomorrow at the All-Star Player Fantasy Draft.

NHL star Alex Ovechkin decided this week he would not participate in the All-Star game after the NHL suspended him for a “launching head shot” against a Pittsburgh Penguins player. James Neal of the Penguins is replacing Ovechkin.

All-Star goalies are Jonathan Quick of the LA Kings, Brian Elliot of the St. Louis Blues, Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, and Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.

Drake has been announced as the major performer, the Grammy-award nominated rapper will take the stage during the second intermission.

Tune in at 1 pm PST on ESPN on Sunday to catch the game.

The Boston Bruins  were short a key player when visiting the White House this week to meet the President and be congratulated on winning the Stanley Cup. Tim Thomas, the Bruins’ goalkeeper and Stanley Cup MVP, declined an invitation from the President, saying in a statement that he feels, “the federal government has grown out of control.”

Bruins president Cam Neely said the organization was “disappointed” in Thomas but wouldn’t seek disciplinary actions. However, the Boston Globe is reporting the Bruins may cut short the last year on Thomas’ $20 million contract with the team.

Thomas played on the U.S. hockey team at the 2011 Winter Olympics.

Photo: Allen Berezovsky / PR Photos

Some amount of justice has been brought to one of the individuals involved in the attack of a New York Rangers fan and war veteran. Cops in Philadelphia arrested Dennis Veteri, and charged him with two counts each of aggravated assault, conspiracy aggravated assault, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. Unfortunately, he is back on the streets after posting bail.

According to police records, Veteri has a number of past offenses. Police are still looking for the other individuals who were involved in the beating.

Neal Auricchio was one of the victims of the beating. The 30-year-old off-duty cop and decorated war vet was hospitalized with a concussion. Auricchio earned a Purple Heart in Iraq before returning for a second tour of duty.

The brawl happened outside a restaurant near Citizens Bank Park. Three men in Flyers jerseys assaulted two men in Rangers jerseys. Philadelphia police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the men responsible for the horrible beating.

Has anyone learned a thing from Bryan Stow? Tom Weir of USA Today makes a good point, “is wearing your team’s jersey to a road game getting to be as dangerous as flaunting gang colors on enemy turf? It’s starting to seem that way, isn’t it?”

The incident occurred during the third period when play was delayed while a linesman came onto the ice to pick up and remove the dead bird.

While the incident was the first of its kind for the Anaheim Ducks organization, it was not the first in the NHL. It is a tradition in Detroit Red Wings history to throw an octopus onto the ice for good luck during the playoffs. Fans in Nashville have tossed catfish, and last season someone threw a salmon onto the ice when the Canucks played the Wild. Even stranger still, Kings announcer Bob Miller supposedly witnessed a game at the Forum in 1988 which went on for 30 seconds while a live chicken was on the ice.

The Ducks still defeated the Sharks 3-2. The Sharks will be in Anaheim next week. Let’s hope no one tries to top the dead duck incident.

The series is sure to be drama-filled. The Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers hate each other. The fans, the coaches, and the teammates all participate in the rivalry with such passion. Catch the first episode tonight on HBO at 7 pm PST.

To see a 12-minute preview of the show, watch below:

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

The conferences are based on geographic location. Two conferences and seven teams are in the Eastern time zone: New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Washington and Carolina in one, and Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, Florida and Tampa Bay in the other.

The third conference includes eight teams in the Eastern and Central time zones: Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota, Dallas and Winnipeg. The fourth conference includes the Mountain and Pacific time zones: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Colorado.

The new plan was chosen with consideration of equal travel time amongst teams, preserving rivalries, and promoting the popularity of the sport by having the biggest starts play in every city every season.

The proposal is pending input from the NHL Players’ Association, and could go into effect as early as next season.

Player costs, a result of the league’s high salary cap, have hindered some teams from making an increased profit despite increases in revenue from the sport’s increased popularity.

Money-losing teams like the New Jersey Devils, whose value sank 17%, are struggling to stay out of bankruptcy while teams who play in big markets are raking in the dough.

The league’s most valuable team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, is now worth $521 million according to Forbes. The NHL’s second most valuable team, the New York Rangers, are worth $507 million. The third most valuable team, the Montreal Canadiens are worth $445 million.

The three most valuable teams “posted an aggregate operating profit greater than the rest of the league combined.”

What does this mean for the NHL? Likely we can expect some major negotiations and maybe even a lockout come September when a new collective bargaining agreement must be voted on by the owners and players.

It seems like it was forever ago that Philadelphia Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was told to sit on the bench while he recovered from suffering a concussion.

Last night, Sid the Kid returned to the ice after a 10-month hiatus. The Penguins took on the New York Islanders, beating them 5-0. Two of those five goals were courtesy of Crosby.

Many were worried about Crosby’s return to hockey and questioned how he would regain his form. Last night was a hopeful answer.

Welcome back, Sidney.

Hockey player Mike Comrie and wife, singer and actress Hilary Duff announced they are expecting a baby boy! Hilary made the announcement on the Ellen DeGeneres show after being asked about the sex of the baby, “I haven’t told anyone yet. I wanted to tell you first.”

No due date has been revealed yet but some guess that the couple will welcome their first child in early winter 2012.

Congrats!

Photo: PR Photos