"Avalanche center Paul Stastny on Wednesday cancelled his plans to spend this weekend at Beaver Creek and booked an NHL all-star trip to Raleigh, N.C., where he will join teammate Matt Duchene and compete in Sunday's 58th midseason classic at the RBC Center.

Stastny and Carolina Hurricanes rookie Jeff Skinner were picked to replace injured Pittsburgh Penguins stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

"I'm excited. It's an honor," Stastny said after Wednesday's morning skate. "This is something you can't pass on. It's an honor to play in an All-Star Game and I've never done it before."

This is the second time Stastny has been selected to play, but he couldn't play in 2008 because of an emergency appendectomy. There wasn't a game last year with the Olympics.

"This year I get the opportunity, and although it's more hockey (and less rest), I'll take that," Stastny said. "It will be something I'll always remember."

Stastny, 25, and his father, Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, will become the eighth father-son combo to play in the game."