2011 NHL All-Star Game – Sun., January 30, 4 pm ET

A game with a long history

Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings winds up a shot during a game with the New York Rangers, March 8, 1965.  Howe was selected to play in the all-star game 21 times. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The 58th all-star game will be played in Raleigh, N.C., home of the Carolina Hurricanes, on Jan. 30 (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 4 p.m. ET).  It is the latest game in a long series of contests that have featured only the very best players.

The first game was in 1930-31 with players like Eddie Shore, King Clancy, Howie Morenz, Dick Irvin and Frank Boucher.

The best of the best have performed in these ceremonial contests.  Gordie Howe was selected 21 times in a career that lasted for 26 NHL seasons.  He was selected to the first team 12 times.

Ray Bourqe played in 19 games, 13 times he was selected to the first team.  Only three times in his career was he not selected.

And the now 50 year old Wayne Gretzky was picked 15 times, eight of them on the first team. 

Nicklas Lidstrom, one of the two captains this time around has been selected eleven times, so he'll be the one the rookies will look up to during the contest.  

The game has been around for many years, but the format keeps changing.  For many years it was all about an East-West matchup, but it has also featured conference battles and North American skaters against the world.

This year, the players will determine the teams. Captains Eric Staal and Nicklas Lidstrom will pick their respective sides among the 42 all-stars on Friday Jan. 28.