North America 8, World 7
Keith Tkachuk had two goals and an assist and Mark Messier thrilled the hometown fans with the game-winner as North America held on for an 8-7 victory over the World in the 48th NHL All-Star Game in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Complete with a new international format and billed as a preview of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, the All-Star Game served as a coming-out party for the four-man Finnish contingent, which combined for four goals -- including a hat trick by Teemu Selanne of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim -- and six assists.
"I think the chemistry starts with (Jari) Kurri," said World coach Ken Hitchcock of the Dallas Stars. "I think that's something that surprised me because Selanne's a superstar in our league, and yet the focus of all the younger players is Jari Kurri. I think he really has established a format of play within that group.
"I can't believe how well-disciplined a lot of the Finnish players are defensively," he continued. "It's amazing to see how well these people have been coached."
But the North Americans were able to prevail, holding off a late rally and surviving a scare with just under four minutes to go when defenseman Chris Chelios of Chicago nearly pushed the puck into his own net while trying to clear a rebound.
North America took control by scoring twice in a 93-second span late in the second period. Philadelphia's Eric Lindros, who will captain Team Canada at the Nagano Olympics, put home a rebound of Chelios' shot with 5:14 to go, forging a 5-5 tie.
Tony Amonte of Chicago broke the deadlock with his first career All-Star goal. He skated behind the net, threw the puck in front as he came around the right goalpost and goaltender Olaf Kolzig of the Washington Capitals knocked it in while diving back across the crease. Kolzig was the lone German representative on the World All-Stars.
North America poured it on early in the third period. Tkachuk scored against Phoenix Coyotes teammate Nikolai Khabibulin on a one-timer from the low right faceoff circle off a cross-ice pass from Dallas' Mike Modano at 1:36.
"I might have to razz him awhile about that," Tkachuk said of Khabibulin. "I got a great pass. It's hard to stop them. I basically had an open net. I know his weak spots, there's not many of them."
"It was nice to get a few," he added. "More importantly, we wanted to win this game bad. It was a scary start there, but we battled back, hung in there and won the hockey game."
Just under 2 1/2 minutes later, Messier, one of two players from the host Vancouver Canucks, delighted the crowd at G.M. Place by taking a pass from former teammate Wayne Gretzky and lifting a backhander just under the crossbar.
It was the fifth career All-Star goal for Messier, a commissioner's selection to the game who was celebrating his 37th birthday.
"I'm feeling pretty good," said Messier, whose Canucks are struggling through a miserable season. "Thirty-seven years old, I probably never thought I'd be sitting here in front of you all at 37. ... I guess the best part of it all is I'm still expected to compete. That's what really motivates me, that the expectations are there."
The World team got back the goal, cutting the margin to 8-6 on a rebound tally by Ottawa's Igor Kravchuk at 7:03. The World Stars climbed within a goal with 10:19 remaining as Igor Larionov's shot from the low right circle caromed in off New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur's right pad.
Despite predictions of a more intense, tighter-checking contest, the World team established an All-Star record for fastest two goals from the start of game, beating Colorado's Patrick Roy twice in 2:15.
A giveaway by Devils defenseman Scott Stevens set up the first goal, a short wrist shot by Selanne 53 seconds into the contest. Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguinsa scored off a rebound of Peter Bondra's deflection to break the record set in 1993, when Mike Gartner tallied twice in the game's first 3:37.
The World opened a 3-0 lead four minutes into the period on the first video replay goal in All-Star history. Selanne's wrist shot from the right wing appeared to hit the goalpost, but replays confirmed it crossed the goal line.
Roy is the most scored upon goaltender in All-Star history, allowing 24 goals in eight appearances. Glenn Hall was the previous record-holder, giving up 22 goals in 13 games.
North America got on the board 13 seconds after Selanne's second goal as John LeClair of the Flyers put the puck through Dominik Hasek's pads off a partial breakaway. Gretzky assisted on the play to become the top scorer in All-Star history with 21 points, breaking a tie with Mario Lemieux.
"I knew it when they wouldn't give me the puck because there's something in the puck, that $20,000 puck," he said. "Fortunately, the second puck we got. I knew about it. (New York Rangers general manager) Neil Smith called me last night and left me a message (that) you need one point to break the record and two points to keep it going."
Tkachuk, one of seven Americans on the North American team, deflected Chelios' point shot past Hasek for a power-play goal at 10:50 after Detroit's Viacheslav Fetisov of the World squad was penalized for cross-checking.
The North Americans finally tied it with 1:35 to go in the first period when New Jersey's Scott Niedermayer put a one-timer past Hasek's stick side off Joe Sakic's cross-ice pass. Niedermayer was playing in his first All-Star Game.
The North Americans grabbed a 4-3 lead 1:53 into the second period on Theo Fleury's fourth career All-Star goal. But Selanne completed the 10th All-Star hat trick and third in two years just over five minutes later, and the World went ahead, 5-4, at 12:36 when Kurri flipped a weak wrist shot that eluded Ed Belfour.
Selanne won MVP honors, becoming the first European to do so and the first member of the losing team since 1986.
"We had lots of fun. We started building that chemistry a couple of days ago," said Selanne, who played with Finnish linemates Jere Lehtinen of the Stars and Saku Koivu of the Montreal Canadiens. "It was lots of fun here this weekend. It was great to play with my countrymen. We were having a little bit of a battle to see who plays together in Nagano."
On the negative side, Hitchcock was the losing coach for the second straight year, dropping his career mark in All-Star competition to 0-11, including games at the midget, junior and minor-league levels.
"Win or lose, this was something I think both of us will really value, just to see how appreciative a lot of the younger players (are), even though they're the stars of the league, of the older players."
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World All-stars 3 2 2--7
N America Stars 3 3 2--8
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FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, World All-stars, Selanne 1 (Koivu), 0:53. 2,
World All-stars, Jagr 1 (Bondra, Mironov), 2:15. 3, World All-stars,
Selanne 2 (Lehtinen, Fetisov), 4:00. 4, N America Stars, Leclair 1
(Gretzky, Chelios), 4:13. 5, N America Stars, Tkachuk 1 (power play)
(Fleury, Chelios), 10:50. 6, N America Stars, Niedermayer 1 (Sakic,
Recchi), 18:25. Penalties: Fetisov, Wor (cross checking), 10:04.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 7, N America Stars, Fleury 1 (Modano,
Tkachuk), 1:53. 8, World All-stars, Selanne 3 (Lehtinen, Koivu), 7:11. 9,
World All-stars, Kurri 1 (Koivu, Lehtinen), 12:36. 10, N America Stars,
Lindros 1 (Chelios, Messier), 14:46. 11, N America Stars, Amonte 1 (Sakic,
Bourque), 16:19. Penalties: Fleury, Nor (Obstr tripping), 18:48.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 12, N America Stars, Tkachuk 2 (Modano,
Fleury), 1:36. 13, N America Stars, Messier 1 (Gretzky), 4:00. 14, World
All-stars, Kravchuk 1 (Sundin, Forsberg), 7:03. 15, World All-stars,
Larionov 1 (Bure), 9:41. Penalties: Weight, Nor (tripping), 16:32.
Shots on goal:
---------------------------------
World All-stars 7 11 11--29
N America Stars 13 17 13--43
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Power-play Conversions: Wor - 0 of 2, Nor - 1 of 1. Goalies: World
All-stars, Hasek (13 shots, 10 saves), Kolzig (start of 2nd, 17, 14),
Khabibulin (start of 3rd, 13, 11; record: 0-1-0). N America Stars, Roy (7,
4), Belfour (start of 2nd, 11, 9), Brodeur (start of 3rd, 11, 9; record:
1-0-0). A:18,422. Referee: Stewart. Linesmen: Cvik, Heyer.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS
World All-stars N America Stars
G A +/- Shots G A +/- Shots
Alfredsson 0 0 -2 3 Amonte 1 0 -1 5
Bondra 0 1 even 4 Bourque 0 1 +1 1
Bure 0 1 -1 1 Chelios 0 3 -1 1
Fetisov 0 1 +2 2 Fleury 1 2 -2 6
Forsberg 0 1 -1 2 Gretzky 0 2 +3 3
Jagr 1 0 even 1 Leclair 1 0 even 2
Kamensky 0 0 even 3 Leetch 0 0 even 3
Koivu 0 3 +1 0 Lindros 1 0 +3 1
Kravchuk 1 0 +2 1 Macinnis 0 0 +1 2
Kurri 1 0 even 1 Messier 1 1 +2 2
Larionov 1 0 -1 1 Modano 0 2 -2 1
Lehtinen 0 3 +3 1 Niedermayer 1 0 +3 1
Lidstrom 0 0 -1 0 Recchi 0 1 even 0
Mironov 0 1 -1 1 Sakic 0 2 +1 7
Ozolinsh 0 0 -2 0 Sydor 0 0 -2 1
Selanne 3 0 +2 7 Tkachuk 2 1 -1 4
Sundin 0 1 -1 1 Weight 0 0 -2 3
NHL ALL STAR GAME AT VANCOUVER BC
WORLD ALL-STARS VS N AMERICA STARS
NOTE: WAYNE GRETZKY SET THE ALL-TIME RECORD FOR ALL-STAR
SCORING WITH 21 POINTS WITH HIS FIRST PERIOD ASSIST. HE
WAS TIED WITH MARIO LEMIEUX.
NHL ALL STAR GAME AT VANCOUVER BC
WORLD ALL-STARS VS N AMERICA STARS
NOTE: FINAL RE-SENT TO ADD ATTENDANCE AND TO CHANGE THE
GOALIES OF RECORD.