CROSBY LEADS ALL EASTERN CONFERENCE VOTE-GETTERS

Sidney Crosby is tops on the East, so far.

The Penguins superstar leads all Eastern Conference vote-getters with 83,644 votes in the COLD-fX/NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports. More than 2.8 million votes were cast in the first six days of the all-digital voting program.

The voting will determine the starting lineups for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game, which will be played on Wednesday, Jan. 24, in Dallas (8 p.m. on VERSUS).

Penguins rookie Evgeni Malkin ranks seventh among Eastern Conference forwards with 36,281 votes, while Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury is third among Eastern Conference goaltenders with 23,045 votes.

Through Jan. 2, fans around the world can “CLICK TO VOTE” for the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star starters for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game on-line at NHL.com, through Bell Canada cell phones and via Sympatico.MSN.ca, the official portal of the NHL in Canada. In addition, there is a link to the ballot on pittsburghpenguins.com. Click here to vote now.

The 2006-07 season marks the 19th year in which fans will determine the starting lineups for the NHL All-Star Game. Fans can vote for six Eastern Conference All-Stars and six Western Conference All-Stars: three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender for each team. If a player is not listed on the ballot, a space is provided for write-in votes. The three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender from each Conference receiving the most votes will comprise the starting lineups. Each of the 30 NHL Clubs has at least two representatives on the ballot.

The COLD-fX/NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports section on NHL.com features an interactive ballot the showcases players with video clips, photos and virtual video game highlights created by 2K Sports. Residents of the United States and Canada who vote will be able to register for a chance to win a trip for two to the 2007 NHL All-Star Game. As part of the sweepstakes, sponsored by COLD-fX, NHL great and16-time All-Star Mark Messier will meet the winner and a guest at the NHL All-Star Game.The 2007 NHL All-Star Celebration, hosted by the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, will feature live national broadcasts of the Dodge Nitro/NHL SuperSkills event on Tuesday, Jan. 23 and the NHL All-Star Game on Wednesday, Jan. 24 on VERSUS in the United States and CBC and RDS in Canada starting at 8 p.m., EST. NASN, the NHL’s exclusive broadcast partner in Europe, will provide live coverage of both the Dodge Nitro/NHL SuperSkills event and the NHL All-Star Game to more than 25 countries and territories in Europe. NHL RADIO on Westwood One will provide exclusive, national radio coverage in the United States and Canada, while Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio each will provide radio play-by-play coverage of the game.

COLD-fX/NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports

 (as of 11/21/06)