The NHL All-Star schedule kicks off on Thursday night with the NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft.
The fantasy draft -- the second of its kind -- takes place Thursday night as All-Star captains Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins select the rosters for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game and the 2012 NHL Skills Competition.
The Chicago Blackhawks had three players to receive All-Star honors this season, RW Marian Hossa, RW Patrick Kane and C Jonathan Toews (who will miss the game with an injury). Six players each year are selected by the fans, while the addition 94 players get picked by the NHL. The captains pick teams for the both the NHL All-Star Game and the Skill Competition and can pick from either conference.
Head to NHL.com for a complete list of the players pool, and here is the TV schedule and the start times for the All-Star weekend events:
- Thursday, Jan. 26: NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft -- 8 PM ET, NBC Sports Network
- Saturday, Jan. 28: All-Star Skills Competition -- 7 PM ET, NBC Sports Network
- Sunday, Jan. 29: NHL All-Star Game -- 4 PM ET, NBC Sports Network
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Blackhawks be sure to visit Second City Hockey. Visit SB Nation NHL for more news and notes around the league.