Boucher knows Dad is watching

Dallas Stars defenseman Philippe Boucher should be on top of the world, earning an invite to the Western Conference All-Star team for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, Versus, CBC, RDS, NHL Radio).

After all, he is having another terrific season for the Stars and with the game in Dallas, it's another home game. But the experience will be decidedly bittersweet for Boucher. As Mike Heika reported in the Dallas Morning News, Boucher's father, Jean-Claude, is in the hospital in Quebec dying from pancreatic cancer.

Boucher contemplated skipping the All-Star festivities and heading to his father's bedside, but dad nixed that idea.

"My dad said I was going to play, that it was a big honor," Boucher said. "So I am going to play."

So, Boucher took an All-Star jersey to his father during a recent visit and will now share the All-Star experience with his wife, Lucie, daughter Vanessa and son Matthew.

"I think Matthew was more excited than anyone," Boucher told Heika. "He has been around locker rooms before, but this is something completely different."