Messier Is Added to East Team

New York Ranger captain Mark Messier was added to the NHL’s Eastern Conference All-Star team Thursday, four days after his 43rd birthday.

On the other side of the ice he’ll see Columbus’ Rich Nash, making his All-Star debut at 19.

Messier will become the third-oldest All-Star when he suits up Feb. 8 in St. Paul, Minn. Nash, the NHL leader in goals, will be the first teenage All-Star since Jaromir Jagr and Owen Nolan in 1992.

Nash will be 19 years 237 days on game day, making him the youngest All-Star since Wendel Clark, who was 135 days younger in the 1986 game.

Only Gordie Howe, who was 51 when he represented Hartford in 1980, and St. Louis defenseman Doug Harvey, 44 in 1969, have been older All-Stars than Messier. He will be the fifth to play in at least 15 games.

Messier, who passed Howe on the NHL’s career points list this season, leads the Rangers with 13 goals. He has 1,869 points -- second only to Wayne Gretzky.

Five East teammates are first-time All-Stars: Florida goalie Roberto Luongo; defensemen Adrian Aucoin of the New York Islanders, Nick Boynton of Boston and Montreal’s Sheldon Souray; and Washington forward Robert Lang.

For the West, goalie Dwayne Roloson and defenseman Filip Kuba will be making their debuts while representing the host Minnesota Wild.

On the East defense, Wade Redden of Ottawa will join elected starters Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer of New Jersey. Stevens is out indefinitely because of post-concussion symptoms.

The starting East forwards are Boston center Joe Thornton, Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay and Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk. The goalie is New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur.

Dallas’ Mike Modano and Bill Guerin along with Vancouver forward Todd Bertuzzi will start on the front line for the West. Former King Rob Blake of Colorado and Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom will open on defense with Marty Turco of Dallas in goal.

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Boston’s Thornton had surgery on his broken right cheekbone and is expected to sit out at least two more games.... The Philadelphia Flyers took another step toward replenishing a defense corps decimated by injuries by acquiring Mattias Timander from the New York Islanders for a seventh-round draft pick.... Former King coach Barry Melrose is part of an ownership group buying the Adirondack Ice Hawks of the United Hockey League.