Coyotes G Darcy Kuemper selected as an NHL All-Star
Dec 30, 2019, 1:46 PM | Updated: Jan 1, 2020, 1:02 pm
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper #35 of the Arizona Coyotes in action during the third period of the NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at Gila River Arena on November 27, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Ducks 4-3 in an overtime shootout. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Arizona Coyotes starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper was selected to the NHL All-Star’s Pacific Division team, the Coyotes announced on Monday.
Kuemper is injured, so it’s possible he may not be healthy by the time the All-Star weekend takes place on Jan. 24 and 25.
“It’s super exciting,” Kuemper said. “Obviously a huge honor to get a chance to go out there and represent the team and play with some of the top players in the league, I’m quite excited for it.”
Kuemper has a .929 save percentage in 25 starts this year, which is the best save percentage in the NHL among goalies with 20 or more appearances. He also owns a 2.17 goals against average, which is the best in the NHL among goalies with 16 or more starts. Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry has a better goals against average and save percentage, but in 10 fewer starts and eight fewer games played.
His .923 SV% with the Coyotes is tied for the best in franchise history with Antti Raanta.
The 29-year-old Kuemper becomes the fourth goalie in Coyotes history to be named an All-Star, joining Nikolai Khabibulin, Sean Burke and Mike Smith.
Last year’s Coyotes All-Star was Clayton Keller, and before that were Oliver Ekman-Larsson (2018) and Mike Smith (2017).
This is Kuemper’s first career All-Star appearance. Keller is the Coyotes’ representative on the “Last Men In” ballot, which allows fans to vote in one more player for each divisional team.
The NHL All-Star weekend includes a skills competition, and some of the skills games feature goaltenders. Then, the All-Star “game” itself is actually a series of games, consisting of four teams (one from each division) playing in a 3-on-3 round-robin tournament.
