Weber’s post All-Star Game reaction

Team Lidstrom edged Team Staal by a score of 11-10 at the 58th NHL All-Star Game on Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina. Nashville’s captain, Shea Weber, was on the ice for 8 of Team Lidstrom’s goals, was a plus 6, recorded four assists and saw nearly 20 minutes of ice time.

Weber’s statistics for Sunday were among the most impressive of the All-Stars, but Weber wasn’t keeping track. “I just wanted to have fun. I wanted to have a good time playing with Nick and enjoy watching him.”

NHL players consider Nashville most underrated team In League

Hockey Night In Canada, CBCSports and the NHLPA recently conducted a poll to get players opinions on a wide range of topics including should the instigator rule be abolished, which rink has the best ice, and what Canadian city deserves an NHL team.

The NHLPA received 318 surveys back from players.

(Associated Press)

One question of interest to fans of the Nashville Predators was which team is most underrated.

The Predators took the honor with 18% of the vote. Dallas got 16% of the vote. No other team was close but rounding out the top five was Phoenix, Atlanta and St. Louis.

Weber finishes second to Chara, again, for hardest shot in NHL

The skills competition was a big hit Saturday night at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Hardest Shot competition was the main event for Nashville Predators fans where Captain Shea Weber came second to Zdeno Chara in 2009, the last time there was an NHL All-Star game.

Two players go head-to-head and then the two players with the top two hardest shots go against each other to see who has the hardest shot in the NHL.

Weber was pitted against Chara and in the first round beat Chara with a 104.8 mph shot. Chara was shooting in the 101 mph range.

When each shooter that was competing for Team Staal and Team Lidstrom was done, it was again down to Chara and Weber.

Chara would not be denied and in fact broke his own record set in 2009 with a shot that registered at 105.9 mph.

Weber to compete in hardest shot competition

Even the players themselves were talking about, Chara vs. Weber — who will win the hardest shot competition?

Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins remains the favorite to win the Hardest Shot competition

When Team Staal chose Zdeno Chara seventh overall, Team Lidstrom chose Shea Weber with their next selection and stated it was to counter the selection of the Boston Bruins’ big guy.

Weber on being drafted to Team Lidstrom

Nashville’s captain, Shea Weber, makes his second consecutive appearance in the NHL’s All-Star game this weekend. Friday night, Weber was drafted as the third defensemen picked, eighth overall, onto Team Lidstrom.

Weber said he didn’t expect to be drafted that high and he wasn’t sure if picking him was, as Martin St. Louis said when making the announcement, an answer to Team Staal picking Zdeno Chara.

In addition to Weber, Team Lidstrom featured a defense corps that included last year’s Norris Trophy winner, Duncan Keith, former Blackhawk and an early candidate for the Norris this year, Dustin Byfgulien, Keith Yandle who leads Phoenix in points, the Minnesota Wild’s Brent Burns, and, of course, Lidstrom himself.

Nashville signs Smithson for another two years

The Predators announced on Wednesday morning that the club has signed Jerred Smithson for another two years. The contract is worth $1.6 million and the forward will make $800,000 during both the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.

Jerred Smithson, second to the left, has been re-signed by Nashville for two more seasons. (Photo: Yardbarker.com)

Smithson has been an integral part of Nashville’s penalty kill unit and is regularly on a line assigned the task of shutting down the opposition’s top lines.

In Nashville’s 42 games this season, the 31 year old has registered four goals and four assists for eight points. He is ranked eighth in the League in face-off winning percentage at 58.7 percent. Smithson is also ranked ninth among League forwards in average shorthanded ice time. In fact, Smithson has led all Predators forwards in this category for the last four seasons.

The Vernon B.C. native signed with Nashville as a free agent in July 2004. Smithson has played in 404 games with the Predators. Since entering the League in 2002, Smithson has notched 34 goals and 35 assists for 79 points.

 

                                                                                                                                                                              Originally  posted on Predlines

Weber named to All-Star Game

The Nashville Predators captain, Shea Weber has been named to this year’s NHL All Star Game at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The All-Star weekend is January 29-30. It is the second straight NHL All-Star Game that Weber has been named to.

(Photo: Yardbarker.com)

Weber, who leads the team in points with 24 (seven goals and 17 assists in 41 games), is a plus 4, and is currently on a five-game point with two goals and seven assists. The captain also has 14 points in his last 14 games.

The Predators All-Star defenseman is in the top 20 category for several statistics in the NHL this season. Weber is among the top 20 defensemen in points, is tied for ninth in hits with 107, and ranks second in shots for blue liners with 135. Weber also ranks 10th in average ice time at 24:45.

Weber, along with his defensive partner Ryan Suter, are Nashville’s top defensive pairing on a defense squad that is among the best in the League. The home penalty kill is ranked first in the NHL at 87.9 percent, and are fifth overall with a kill off rate of 85.4 percent.

The format of the All-Star Game has changed this year. There is no longer a game between the stars of the two conferences. Instead, Weber will be a part of a player fantasy draft on January 28th. The draft will be televised on Versus at 7 pm.

The 58th NHL All-Star Game will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30.

 

                                                                                                                                                                              Originally  posted on Predlines