Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson were both elected to their first NL All-Star game Tuesday. They are among a pool of 42 players that will be divided into teams by two elected captains on January 28 (Versus).
It's remarkable that Richards has never made an all-star team. Mike Heika outlines how it's happened:
There was no All-Star Game last season because of the Olympics or he would have been a lock. He also has been a slow starter in the past and has piled up his points after the All-Star Game, which allowed him to slip through the cracks a few times. He also was on a Tampa Bay team where Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis were pretty much locks to go every season.
The linemates are very deserving. They are seventh (Richards) and eighth (Eriksson) in the NHL in points and are responsible two-way guys.
Heika also has the entire list of all-stars here. The All-Star Game will be played January 30 in Greensboro.