Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle was named an NHL
All-Star on Thursday.

Yandle now goes into the 48 player-pool for the Tim
Hortons NHL All-Star Game that will be played January
29
in Ottawa. Two captains will be selected to pick their
rosters during the NHL
All-Star Player Fantasy Draft on January 26.

Yandle, who is making his second All-Star appearance, was
the only Coyote selected. The Vancouver Canucks,
who have the best record in the Western Conference, led
all teams with four representatives. Yandle has 5 goals
and 20 assists in 43 games for the Coyotes this season.

“It’s great. It’s just something that brings joy to your
day. It’s something that not everybody can say, that
they’re an all-star in the NHL,” Yandle said Wednesday.
“For myself it’s almost hard to believe. You’ve got to
live for it, have fun with it, and that’s what I’m trying
to do.

The Boston native was one of ten defensmen selected,
joining Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), Brian Campbell
(Florida), Zdeno Chara (Boston), Alexander Edler
(Vancouver), Dan Girardi (NY Rangers), Shea Weber
(Nashville), Dennis Wideman (Washington), Ryan Suter
(Nashville) and Kimmo Timonen (Philadelphia).

Last season, Yandle was selected by captain Nicklas
Lidstrom, whose team scored an 11-10 victory over a team
captained by Eric Staal. Yandle did not score a point in
the game.

Follow @Vincemarotta