"Patrick Sharp is the oldest of the Blackhawks' four All-Stars, but in that group he's the wide-eyed rookie.

When the 29-year-old forward takes the ice for Team Staal during Sunday's NHL All-Star Game at RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., it will mark Sharp's first appearance and he plans to soak it all in.

"It's a little different seeing my name with these other great stars," Sharp said. "(My career) didn't get off to the best start … but I feel like I've improved every year since and hopefully there's more to come. It's great to be here with other great players. I've been such a fan of theirs throughout my whole career so it's nice to get to know them."

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith each will be making his second All-Star appearance as members of Team Lidstrom but that hasn't made the experience any less special for the Hawks teammates.

"It's something you want to be a part of every year," said Toews, 22, who played with Kane in the 2009 game in Montreal. "You take advantage of every opportunity you get to come to this game because you don't know how many chances you're going to get. It's pretty awesome to be here.""