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NHL names three stars of All-Star week: Eric Staal, Jonathan Quick, and Michael Grabner

Honda NHL SuperSkills

during the Honda NHL SuperSkills competition part of 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend at the RBC Center on January 29, 2011 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Bruce Bennett

The 2011 NHL All-Star Game had an influence on the January 24-30th three stars of the week, as first star Eric Staal and third star Michael Grabner’s weekend outputs probably had a big impact on the voting. It wasn’t all about the all-star game, though, as Jonathan Quick was named the second star.

Let’s take a look a the weeks those three players had, with a combination of press release info and our own remarks.

First star: Staal

The Carolina Hurricanes captain served as a sturdy (if a bit plain) ambassador for the hosting ‘Canes. All weekend long, the focus would eventually shift to the talented captain of the Hurricanes (and Team Staal) and he shined brightly.

His two goals in the All-Star game probably helped him earn last week’s first star, but it wasn’t a mere symbolic award because he produced a nice week during the “real” games too.

Prior to serving as captain of Team Staal at the 2011 NHL All-Star celebration in Raleigh, Staal tallied four points in a pair of victories during an abbreviated week to help the Hurricanes (25-19-6) close within one point of a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Second star: Quick

The Los Angeles Kings goalie began the season red-hot, holding off Jonathan Bernier for the top spot in the net while generating some dark horse buzz for the Vezina Trophy. The American netminder regressed to the mean along with his struggling team, but Quick and the Kings showed some signs of life last week.

Quick registered a pair of victories heading into the All-Star break, helping the Kings (27-22-1) gain valuable points and momentum in the tight race for playoff berths in the Western Conference.

Third star: Grabner

Grabner had a goal and an assist in the Islanders’ one game last week, but his third star nomination was all about the SuperSkills competition. He dominated the fastest skater contest on Saturday, posting the two best speeds while beating speedy Edmonton Oilers winger Taylor Hall both times.