Despite not being on the ballot, Jeff Carter has been named as the Flyers' only representative to this year's All Star team in Montreal, snubbing captain Mike Richards, forward Simon Gagne, and defenseman Kimo Timonen.
This will be Carter's first All Star game. He currently is tied for the league lead in goals with 27.
"I didn't want to talk about it before, but it's something I wanted to be included in," said the soft-spoken Carter, who is just two goals shy of equaling his career high. "It's exciting and a big honor. There are a lot of deserving players that didn't get picked, too, but to be one of the guys picked, I'm really happy and want to go there and represent the team well."
Despite being in first place in their division, Carter is the only Flyer going. Richards has 15 goals and 27 assists on the season and has captained his team from the bottom of the standings to first place; Gagne is eighth in the league with a plus/minus rating of plus-18 to go along with 18 goals of his own; and Timonen is widely considered to be one of the best defenseman in the league right now.
"If you look at the starting lineup, Montreal has got four guys voted by the fans, so it's taking a couple of spots away," Gagne said. "Maybe a couple guys shouldn't be there. Maybe the league should look at it. But I'm glad Jeff got in there. It was deserved."
The All-Star Game will be played on January 25 in Montreal.
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