Rory Fitzpatrick - 2007 All-Star Game Vote

2007 All-Star Game Vote

During the 2006–07 NHL season, while playing for the Vancouver Canucks, despite having zero points in 18 games, Fitzpatrick finished third in All-Star Game voting for defensemen in the Western Conference with 550,177 votes, falling 23,000 votes shy of second place Nicklas Lidström, winner of 4 Norris Trophies and 3 Stanley Cups.

The idea was to use the new NHL procedure, where people were encouraged to vote as often as they liked, to have an unlikely candidate chosen. Contributors to this goal sent the idea across the Internet in the hopes of having Fitzpatrick voted in as one of the two starting defensemen for the Western Conference. They also created several videos on Youtube as a way to spread news. A website, www.voteforrory.com, was created as well. Rory peaked in balloting at the number 2 position, before eventually being bumped from participation in the game to third place.

The plot was originally conceived as a humorous campaign designed to show the flaws in the NHL voting system. The logic was that if enough people voted for an unlikely player to start the game, the league would change its system. After some time, the plan metamorphosed for many into a more symbolic gesture.

For his part, Fitzpatrick — who never actively supported the campaign beyond donning a T-shirt at the request of photographers — stated that he had gotten a kick out of the movement and acknowledged the hard work that his supporters had put into it. Fitzpatrick's teammates were also supportive, with several voicing their intention to vote, and wearing customized "Vote for Rory" T-shirts at a team practice.

The final voting results on January 13, 2007 saw Rory finish in third place behind Scott Niedermayer and Nicklas Lidstrom, meaning he did not start in the All-Star game. Slate found the final results suspicious due to unlikely numerical coincidences in the final week of voting, and believed that the NHL altered the vote counts.