Blake to Start All-Star Game

Saturday was a day off the ice, so King captain Rob Blake was watching football on television when he learned he will start the Feb. 6 NHL All-Star game for the North American team. It will be his third All-Star game, first as a starter.

Blake finished second to St. Louis’ Chris Pronger in the closest balloting for any position on either team. Pronger had 509,783 votes to Blake’s 500,349. Boston’s Ray Bourque was only 1,194 votes behind Blake.

“I think it’s great,” Blake said. “This one’s kind of special. It’s in Toronto, where I grew up, and where family and friends can come and see me.”

The recognition is, at least in part, because Blake leads all defensemen in goals with 13, eight on the power play.

He also has 13 assists.

“I think it also reflects the results of our first 30 games,” Blake said. “When you win, you get recognition league-wide.”

In their first 30 games, the Kings had 39 points and were among the league leaders. They are 2-7-1 since.

Blake also played in last season’s game, at Tampa Bay, and scored.

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Winger Craig Johnson sat and watched the Kings’ 4-2 victory over Florida on Thursday night after losing his petition to Coach Andy Murray to be on the ice.

The two had a long discussion that morning, with Johnson pointing out that his thumb injury, caused when he was slashed by the Blues’ Al McInnis on Tuesday night at St. Louis, wasn’t all that serious.

“I feel that if you have the legs, you can go,” he said.

Johnson has spent the season on the Kings’ “stopper line,” which has defense as its focus, and which has started all but two games this season.

“It feels funny when I’m not out there for the national anthem,” Johnson said, laughing.

He’s not the best of spectators.

“I want to be on the ice,” he said. “You want to be there, especially when the team is struggling. You want to be part of the solution.”

Actually, with center Ian Laperriere out for the last three games because of a knee injury, Bob Corkum moved in and Dan Bylsma moved up from the fourth line to play left wing. Johnson was a fourth-line winger in St. Louis, when he was injured.