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The 2016 NHL All Star Game is two short months away, and voting begins today for the four lucky individuals who will captain teams comprised of players they probably generally dislike.
You can cast your votes at https://allstarvote.nhl.com/, selecting one player per division regardless of position. The players receiving the most votes will act as captains for the four team 3-on-3 tournament airing January 31st on NBCSN. The rest of the All Stars will be selected by the league's Hockey Operations Department, fueling conspiracy theories for at least the next year or so.
The voting period ends January 1 so don't wait.
So, who should you vote for? Besides John Tavares, that is? If you're having trouble deciding, here's a handy cheat sheet of players worthy of wearing the "C" for a day in Nashville:
Central Division:
Vladimir Tarasenko, Blues. An offensive machine that gets approximately 1/64th the amount of press that he should. Let him roam free on the 3-on-3.
Jamie Benn, Stars. Yeah, he stole Tavares' Art Ross and is kinda gross, but he and the Stars are probably the NHL's top Must Watch team right now.
Pacific Division:
Patrick Marleau or Joe Thornton, Sharks. Poor sons of a bitches were stripped of their captaincies at various times by Sharks management and have been the subject of trade rumors, especially UFA-to-be Marleau. Yet, somehow, they continue to produce. Probably because they're still good.
Atlantic Division:
Jaromir Jagr, Panthers. Who cares what his numbers are? He's Jagr.
Michael Grabner, Maple Leafs. For the chaos.