RALEIGH — So there apparently were no pre-draft deals between All-Star captains Eric Staal and Niklas Lidstrom when all was said and done.

When Staal won the first pick of the draft with a flip of a puck, he didn't hesitate to pick his Carolina teammate, goalie Cam Ward, at the NHL Fantasy Draft held at the NHL Fan Fair in the Raleigh Convention Center Friday.

Teams are set for Saturday's Honda NHL SuperSkills competition and Sunday's NHL All-Star Game, all to be held at Raleigh's RBC Center.

Ward said Staal made no promises beforehand.

"No, he didn’t," Ward said, after the draft was completed. "That’s why I was worried I might have to sweat it out in there, but fortunately he chose me. I didn’t have to sit down and soak through my shirt."

Time Warner Cable is giving hockey fans a chance to indulge their sports casting fantasies this weekend at the NHL All-Star Fan Fair.

Fans can "Step Thru the Screen" and take part in an HD sportscast using green screen technology. Fans will get 30 seconds to sit behind the sports desk and make the case for why their favorite NHL player is the best. It all takes place in a replicated sports newsroom setting. 

Located at the Time Warner Cable Booth at the Convention Center downtown.

Time Warner Cable is giving customers a free preview of the NHL Network this weekend, and they'll also televise interviews with NHL All-Star participants on their Carolina On Demand channel.

News 14 Carolina sportscasters Jim Connors and Mike Solarte will be conducting interviews with hockey legends from NHL All-Star Fan Fair all weekend.

The NHL Network is available until January 30 on channel 526. You can also get a peek at NHL Center Ice from February 14 to February 20 on channels 555-570 and HD channels 1569-1570.

We noted in a story yesterday that not a ton of "big time" celebrities were scheduled to show up for All-Star events in Raleigh this weekend, but that doesn't mean there won't be a few famous faces out there. Here are some of the tips we're getting: 

-Michelle Beadle (left) of ESPN’s SportsNation should be in town. At least she tweeted yesterday that she was headed this way: "Heading to Raleigh for NHL Allstar fun....hoping for a headache-free travel day. And an open bar...vacay!" Keep your eyes peeled for her.

-We've heard that "Dancing with the Stars" pro Mark Ballas may be at the All-Star Skills Competition Saturday night. We do know he was in Raleigh this week for a dance workshop and a concert at the Berkeley, and he's scheduled to perform tonight at the Center Pointe Bar & Grill in Charleston, S.C.

-Also, Miss North Carolina Adrienne Core will attend the NHL All-Star 5k Saturday morning at the RBC Center. The race starts at 9am.

If you spot or hear about any other celebrities in town, shoot me an email or tweet (@WarmTV).

Our hockey experts Chip Alexander and Luke DeCock held their mock draft for the All-Star game at noon on Thursday. Here's a transcript of the highly entertaining picks by Team Chip/Staal and Team Luke/Lidstrom.
 

Now that the full All Star roster is out, it's clear that eliminating the old East vs. West format has allowed the league more flexibility.

For one, the Eastern Conference has five of the six goalies and seven of the 12 defensemen, but the Western Conference filled 15 of the 24 forward spots. That still left each conference with 21 players each.

Only two teams, Pittsburgh and Chicago, had four players named to the All-Star roster. The Canes were among eight teams to get two players named to the roster.

RALEIGH — The Carolina Hurricanes unveiled the logo for the upcoming All-Star Game Monday.

The team held a press conference on the 23rd floor of the RBC Plaza building in downtown Raleigh.