SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The American Hockey League announced today that 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic Fan Balloting, presented by CCM, will begin Friday, December 17, at 12:01 a.m. EST, exclusively on the official Web site of the AHL, theahl.com.



Fans will have the opportunity to vote for the most deserving AHL players by visiting theahl.com and completing the official AHL All-Star Fan Ballot. The players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of both the Canadian AHL All-Star team and the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team at the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic, to be held Feb. 13-14 in Manchester, N.H. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 28 clubs will be represented on the final rosters.



By completing the official ballot, fans will be entered to win various prizes, including the grand prize of an autographed game-worn jersey from the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic. Ten second-prize winners will each win an autographed commemorative magazine from the event, and 10 third-prize winners will receive an official 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic T-shirt.



On-line fan balloting at theahl.com.will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 23.



Of the 295 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 92 percent have competed in the NHL, including Daniel Briere, Andrew Brunette, Anson Carter, Pavol Demitra, Rick DiPietro, J.P. Dumont, Patrik Elias, Manny Legace, John Madden, Ladislav Nagy, Vaclav Prospal, Martin St. Louis, Marc Savard, Steve Sullivan and Tomas Vokoun.



The 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic will take place at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., home of the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs. The event gets underway on Sunday, February 13, with the 2005 AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 7:00 p.m. (ET). The annual All-Star Game follows at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Monday, February 14, and will be televised live in the United States and Canada.