All of this buzz got me thinking: why should someone use their write-in vote for Jussi over the many other possibilities? Why not write in Luca Caputi? Or Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond? I mean other than the fact that neither one of them has spent any significant time in the NHL. Why is Jussi special? Well, thanks to the many Jussi4ASG supporters, I have some reasons why he should be an All-Star, 36 of them in fact. So without further ado here we go...1) With a 52% regular season shootout success rate, imagine what he could do in the skills competition. Check out this beauty against Toronto:
2) He'd be the only All-Star who'd hear his name during the signing of the US National Anthem.
3) Jussi's talent allows the coaches to play him at all three forward positions. This kind of versatility sets him apart.
4) NHL.com named Jussi to their list of Best Players by Jersey Number.
5) Other than Cristobal Huet (#214), Jussi (#192) would be the latest drafted player from the 2001 draft class to play in an All-Star Game.
6) He's Oh So Sexy!
7) He was named the Team MVP for the 2009-2010 season.
8) He ranked tied for first in the NHL for game-winning goals during the 2008-2009 playoffs.
9) He holds the record for the latest game winning goal in playoff history and, considering he scored with only 0.2 seconds left in regulation, odds are he'll likely hold that record for some time.
10) He's one of only a handful of players not named Sean Avery to cause a complete Marty Meltdown.
11) We might get to see the Jussi Shuffle. That's reason enough right there.
12) Talk about loving high pressure situations: he's scored 8 game deciding goals in the shootout.
13) The Hurricanes were 19-3-4 in the '09-'10 season when the Juice lit the goal lamp.
14) He ranks second only to Slava Kozlov for most shootout goals in NHL history.
15) His one-kneed fist pump may be one of the best goal celebrations in the National Hockey League.
16) He led Finland to bronze medals in three consecutive World Junior Championships, scoring 18 points in 20 games.
17) His 2008-2009 playoff heroics (7 goals and 11 points in 18 GP) are legendary in Carolina.
18) Jussi is coming off a career season in terms of goals (30) and points (65). Relive all 30 Jussi goals:
19) During Jussi's rookie season, he led the league in shootout goals, scoring 10 out of 13 times, including this beauty on former All-Star Manny Legace:
20) He scored 4 points in the 2006 Winter Olympics, including an assist in the final game, to help Finland secure the silver medal.
21) Every All-Star Game needs dimples, and Jussi brings them in abundance!
22) He's put up points against every NHL team; in fact, the only teams he hasn't scored a goal against are Calgary and Ottawa.
23) In '09-'10 he ranked tied for 10th in the NHL for game-winning goals (6).
24) He's a really good sport when it comes to the antics of the crazy Caniacs!
25) He scored 14 points in 27 playoff games to take his SM Liiga team, Karpat, to two straight championships.
26) He could be the only All-Star that could chow down on his own sandwich before the game. The Juice was introduced at Harris Teeter grocery stores in October of 2010. It was a big hit.
27) People talked about Ovechkin wearing a funny hat and sunglasses. Psh. Let's see him rock a feather boa a la the Juice.
28) In '09-'10, he ranked second among the NHL's Finnish players in scoring (65 points) and first in goals (30).
29) He loves tailgating almost as much as the fans do!
30) Let's be honest here, he has a really cool accent:
31) Even his Royal Ruuness wants to be more like the Juice!
32) He has awesome hair.
33) How many All-Stars can say they have a store named after them in their home country? Well Jussi can...
34) This:
35) Jussi was on fire his rookie season when it came to the shootout-he went 9-for-9 before being stopped by Evgeni Nabokov.
36) He's gone from waivers reject to playoff hero to team fixture in less than 2 seasons, never questioning what was asked of him, but quietly going about his job. He's smart, he works hard and doesn't need to be coddled by the coaching staff. When he takes the ice, he gives us everything he has. He has given us moments that will stay with us forever; moments that made us cheer, moments that made us believe again, moments that dazzled us. Let's give him a moment that dazzles. Let's send him to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.
2) He'd be the only All-Star who'd hear his name during the signing of the US National Anthem.
3) Jussi's talent allows the coaches to play him at all three forward positions. This kind of versatility sets him apart.4) NHL.com named Jussi to their list of Best Players by Jersey Number.
5) Other than Cristobal Huet (#214), Jussi (#192) would be the latest drafted player from the 2001 draft class to play in an All-Star Game.
6) He's Oh So Sexy!
7) He was named the Team MVP for the 2009-2010 season.
8) He ranked tied for first in the NHL for game-winning goals during the 2008-2009 playoffs.
9) He holds the record for the latest game winning goal in playoff history and, considering he scored with only 0.2 seconds left in regulation, odds are he'll likely hold that record for some time.
10) He's one of only a handful of players not named Sean Avery to cause a complete Marty Meltdown.
11) We might get to see the Jussi Shuffle. That's reason enough right there.
12) Talk about loving high pressure situations: he's scored 8 game deciding goals in the shootout.
13) The Hurricanes were 19-3-4 in the '09-'10 season when the Juice lit the goal lamp.
14) He ranks second only to Slava Kozlov for most shootout goals in NHL history.15) His one-kneed fist pump may be one of the best goal celebrations in the National Hockey League.
16) He led Finland to bronze medals in three consecutive World Junior Championships, scoring 18 points in 20 games.
17) His 2008-2009 playoff heroics (7 goals and 11 points in 18 GP) are legendary in Carolina.
18) Jussi is coming off a career season in terms of goals (30) and points (65). Relive all 30 Jussi goals:
19) During Jussi's rookie season, he led the league in shootout goals, scoring 10 out of 13 times, including this beauty on former All-Star Manny Legace:
20) He scored 4 points in the 2006 Winter Olympics, including an assist in the final game, to help Finland secure the silver medal.
21) Every All-Star Game needs dimples, and Jussi brings them in abundance!22) He's put up points against every NHL team; in fact, the only teams he hasn't scored a goal against are Calgary and Ottawa.
23) In '09-'10 he ranked tied for 10th in the NHL for game-winning goals (6).
24) He's a really good sport when it comes to the antics of the crazy Caniacs!
25) He scored 14 points in 27 playoff games to take his SM Liiga team, Karpat, to two straight championships.
26) He could be the only All-Star that could chow down on his own sandwich before the game. The Juice was introduced at Harris Teeter grocery stores in October of 2010. It was a big hit.27) People talked about Ovechkin wearing a funny hat and sunglasses. Psh. Let's see him rock a feather boa a la the Juice.
28) In '09-'10, he ranked second among the NHL's Finnish players in scoring (65 points) and first in goals (30).
29) He loves tailgating almost as much as the fans do!
30) Let's be honest here, he has a really cool accent:
31) Even his Royal Ruuness wants to be more like the Juice!
32) He has awesome hair.
33) How many All-Stars can say they have a store named after them in their home country? Well Jussi can...
34) This:
35) Jussi was on fire his rookie season when it came to the shootout-he went 9-for-9 before being stopped by Evgeni Nabokov.
36) He's gone from waivers reject to playoff hero to team fixture in less than 2 seasons, never questioning what was asked of him, but quietly going about his job. He's smart, he works hard and doesn't need to be coddled by the coaching staff. When he takes the ice, he gives us everything he has. He has given us moments that will stay with us forever; moments that made us cheer, moments that made us believe again, moments that dazzled us. Let's give him a moment that dazzles. Let's send him to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.