It's beginning to look a lot like....

You probably figured the last word of the title for this post would be Christmas. Well, normally you would be correct. In this particular case, the rest of the title is "the All-Star Game".

As I went to have lunch with friends today, I drove threw downtown Raleigh. You see more and more signs of the All-Star festivities that begin on Friday and continue through the 58th NHL All-Star game on Sunday.

As I passed a hotel, there was a coach bus with the NHL 2K video game plastered all over it. Then you get a look at the RBC Tower with the All-Star window treatments. Then, as I headed south out of Raleigh, the logos for the Fan Fair at the convention center could be clearly seen.

This is going to be an exciting weekend for the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes, the city of Raleigh and all of the Caniacs out there. I know I am excited to see Raleigh shine.

Looking forward to seeing who Staal and Lidstrom draft on their teams Friday night. This a great twist to the format this year. You can check out the fantasy draft on Versus at 8pm EST Friday.

Then on Saturday there are a couple of great events. First of all is the All-Star 5K. I am looking forward to running in this event with my wife and good friend Jon. Should be a blast with all of the Caniacs and other NHL fans who will join us in the 3.1 mile run. Look for a post on my blog soon after the event highlighting all that happened.

Then later Saturday we have the SuperSkills Challenge. Should be special to see all of the skills on display. I am amazed at what these guys can do.

On Sunday it all comes to an end with the game. Some of the big names will be unable to play due to injury (Crosby and Malkin), but this will still be a great event.

Enjoy this awesome celebration everyone. For everyone who is not here in Raleigh, I hope you will tune in to Versus to watch.